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Republic of Upper Volta

Coordinates: 12°06′N 1°42′W / 12.1°N 1.7°W / 12.1; -1.7
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Republic of Upper Volta
République de Haute-Volta (French)
1958–1984
Motto: "Unité – Travail – Justice" (in French)
"Unity – Work – Justice"
Anthem: Hymne National Voltaïque
Location of Upper Volta
CapitalOuagadougou
Common languages
Religion
Demonym(s)Upper Voltan[1]
GovernmentOne-party presidential republic (1960–1966)
Military dictatorship (1966–1984)
President 
• 1959–1966
Maurice Yaméogo
• 1966–1980
Sangoulé Lamizana
• 1980–1982
Saye Zerbo
• 1982–1983
Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo
• 1983–1984
Thomas Sankara
High Commissioner 
• 1958–1959
Max Berthet
• 1959–1960
Paul Masson
Prime Minister 
• 1971–1974
Gérard Kango Ouédraogo
• 1983
Thomas Sankara
Historical eraCold War
11 December 1958
5 August 1960
3 January 1966
25 November 1980
7 November 1982
4 August 1983
• Renamed
4 August 1984
CurrencyCFA franc
Preceded by
Succeeded by
French Upper Volta
Burkina Faso
Today part ofBurkina Faso

The Republic of Upper Volta (French: République de Haute-Volta) was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing state within the French Community.[2][3] 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.[4] On 4 August 1984, it changed its name to Burkina Faso.

Etymology

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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

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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. He had shown a deep authoritarian streak even before becoming president. Between the time he became prime minister of Upper Volta while it was still a French colony and independence two years later, opposition parties were subjected 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 then came to power through a military coup d'état on 4 August 1983.[5] 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".[6]

Politics

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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:

Symbols

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Flag

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The colours of the national flag corresponded to the names of its three main tributaries: the Black Volta, the White Volta and the Red Volta.[7]

National Hymn

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This anthem was replaced in 1984 by a new anthem, the Ditanyè.

Cultural references

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During the 1960s, the Soviet Union was sometimes derisively referred to as "Upper Volta with rockets",[8] coined by a journalist Xan Smiley,[9] referencing USSR's disproportion of defence sector over relatively undeveloped civilian economy.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ National Basic Intelligence Factbook. United States: Central Intelligence Agency, 1980, p. 205 [1]
  2. ^ "Burkina Faso". Afripedia. Africa.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ "Field Listing: National Holiday". The World Factbook. CIA. Archived from the original on 22 September 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  4. ^ Meredith, Martin (2013). The State of Africa. Simon & Schuster. p. 69. ISBN 9780857203885.
  5. ^ "Thomas Sankara". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 10 October 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  6. ^ "More (Language of the Mossi Tribe) Phrase Book". World Digital Library. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 16 February 2013.
  7. ^ "Upper Volta (Burkina Faso, 1959-1984)". Flags of the World. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  8. ^ Crashaw, Steve (15 November 1998). "Televison [sic]: From Burkina Faso with rockets to Upper Volta without". The Independent. London. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  9. ^ "Research Topics". www.russialist.org. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
  10. ^ Harrison, Mark (7 November 2017). "The Soviet economy, 1917-1991: Its life and afterlife". VoxEU.org. Retrieved 7 November 2017.

12°06′N 1°42′W / 12.1°N 1.7°W / 12.1; -1.7