Republic of Upper Volta

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The Republic of Upper Volta (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.) was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing state within the French Community.[1][2] Before becoming autonomous, it had been part of the French Union as the French Upper Volta. On 5 August 1960, it gained full independence from France.[3] On 4 August 1984, it changed its name to Burkina Faso.

Etymology

File:Upper volta map with rivers.PNG
Map showing the Volta River in Upper Volta

The name Upper Volta indicated that the country contains the upper part of the Volta River.

History

Upper Volta obtained independence on 5 August 1960, with Maurice Yaméogo of the Voltaic Democratic Union-African Democratic Rally (UDV-RDA) becoming the country's first president. A constitution was ratified the same year, establishing presidential elections by direct universal suffrage and a National Assembly, both with five-year terms. Shortly after coming to power, Yaméogo banned all political parties other than the UDV-RDA, as a result of a deep authoritarian streak that began prior to his presidency. Between the time he became prime minister of Upper Volta, while it was still a French colony, and independence two years later, his government subjected opposition parties to increased harassment.

On 3 January 1966, Yaméogo was overthrown in a coup d'état led by army chief Sangoulé Lamizana. Although multiparty democracy was nominally restored four years later, Lamizana dominated the country's politics until he was himself overthrown in 1980.

After a series of short-term presidencies, Thomas Sankara came to power through yet another military coup d'état on 4 August 1983.[4] After the coup, he formed the National Council for the Revolution (CNR), with himself as president. Under the direction of Sankara, the country changed its name on 4 August 1984, from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, which means "Land of Incorruptible People".[5]

Politics

From 1958 to 1960, the Republic of Upper Volta was led by a high commissioner:

From 1971 to 1987, the Republic of Upper Volta was led by a prime minister:

Cultural references

During the 1960s, the Soviet Union was sometimes derisively referred to as "Upper Volta with rockets",[6] coined by a journalist Xan Smiley,[7] referencing USSR's disproportion of defence sector over relatively undeveloped civilian economy.[8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Burkina Faso". Afripedia. Africa.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ↑ "Field Listing: National Holiday". The World Factbook. CIA. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  3. ↑ Meredith, Martin (2013). The State of Africa. Simon & Schuster. p. 69. ISBN 9780857203885.
  4. ↑ "Thomas Sankara". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  5. ↑ "More (Language of the Mossi Tribe) Phrase Book". World Digital Library. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  6. ↑ Crashaw, Steve (15 November 1998). "Televison [sic]: From Burkina Faso with rockets to Upper Volta without". The Independent. London. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  7. ↑ "Research Topics". www.russialist.org. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  8. ↑ Harrison, Mark (7 November 2017). "The Soviet economy, 1917-1991: Its life and afterlife". VoxEU.org. Retrieved 7 November 2017.

Le president Maurice Yamego-a documentary in French about the first President of Upper Volta, Maurice YamégoTemplate:Burkina Faso topics Template:Years in Burkina Faso Template:Former French colonies Coordinates: 12°06′N 1°42′W / 12.1°N 1.7°W / 12.1; -1.7

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