Althouse: "In 1958 the French Fourth Republic collapsed due to political instability and its failures in dealing with its colonies,..."

April 25, 2013

"In 1958 the French Fourth Republic collapsed due to political instability and its failures in dealing with its colonies,..."

"... especially Indochina and Algeria. The founding of a Fifth Republic was supported by the French people, while France's colonies were given the choice between more autonomy in a new French Community and immediate independence. The other colonies chose the former but Guinea — under the leadership of Ahmed Sékou Touré whose Democratic Party of Guinea had won 56 of 60 seats in 1957 territorial elections — voted overwhelmingly for independence. The French withdrew quickly, and on October 2, 1958, Guinea proclaimed itself a sovereign and independent republic, with Sékou Touré as president."

And that was the beginning of the modern state called Guinea, today's "History of" country.

18 comments:

BigFire said...: France is currently on its Fifth Republic. United State is technically on our version 1.5 (noting the Civil War). Why did they keep on messing up?; 4/25/13, 2:34 PM
buwaya said...: French Republics - fell because -

1. They made war on everyone, went broke, started losing, alienated the army and fell to a coup de etat.
2. Alienated the army and most voters (by disenfranchising them) and fell to a coup de etat.
3. Conquered by the Germans.
4. Losing colonial wars alienated the army and it fell to a coup de etat (effectively).; 4/25/13, 3:06 PM
Anonymous said...: Another obviously snowless country.

Although Guinea is a poor country with an unhappy past, located in a very troubled part of the world, things today may not be quite as dire as one might expect.

Peter; 4/25/13, 3:10 PM
Mitch H. said...: A spectacular display of misgovernment, only improved in comparison with its lawless imploded neighbors Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Easily the poorest of the Guineas, about as bad as you can get and still have port facilities, in my estimation. This is damning: "The railway from Conakry to Kankan ceased operating in the mid-1980s." Any regime which can't maintain rail lines to their capital isn't worth a pinch of dung.; 4/25/13, 4:01 PM
Oso Negro said...: Well, Guinea has just been a real smashing success, hasn't it?; 4/25/13, 4:35 PM
Anonymous said...: There's an easy way to judge the third-worldiness of a country. Look at the capital or largest city on Google Maps satellite view and locate the main airport. If there are no taxiways, but instead there are bulges at the ends of the runway(s) for aircraft to turn, it is a poor country.

I'm serious. Just about all commercial airports in developed countries have taxiways, even if the airports don't get a lot of traffic.

Peter; 4/25/13, 4:38 PM
Kirk Parker said...: Yes, and quite a withdrawal it was, too--the departing French ripped out phone systems and other infrastructure in their pique at the way the vote went.; 4/25/13, 6:41 PM
Paco Wové said...: Cool links, Peter. Thanks.; 4/25/13, 6:48 PM
Paco Wové said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 4/25/13, 6:48 PM
Anonymous said...: I was rather late in realizing that the Fifth Republic meant that France had collapsed four times.; 4/25/13, 8:45 PM
Unknown said...: The West died when France left Algeria. Camus called it.; 4/25/13, 8:54 PM
Rick Lee said...: So, how do you pronounce Guinea?; 4/25/13, 9:42 PM
kcom said...: Ginny, with a hard 'G'. As in, "I said git!"; 4/25/13, 10:34 PM
kcom said...: Also, there's this.

The internet has sound, too. :); 4/25/13, 10:36 PM
Hagar said...: You guys are missing two empires and two or three monarchies in addition to the 4 (and now maybe 5) failed republics.

In the United States, the conservatives were able to hold on for 20 years or so and establish a stable republic; in France the left led from the start.; 4/26/13, 8:03 AM
Anonymous said...: Ahmed Sékou Touré one of the first o the new style tyrants of a 'free' Africa.; 4/26/13, 8:24 AM
Robert Cook said...: "In the United States, the conservatives were able to hold on for 20 years or so and establish a stable republic; in France the left led from the start."

Are you referring to the founders? Hahahahahaha! I'd hardly call a gaggle of revolutionaries "conservatives."; 4/26/13, 10:56 AM
Mitch H. said...: Are you referring to the founders? Hahahahahaha! I'd hardly call a gaggle of revolutionaries "conservatives."

Cook, you are a constantly amazing bundle of spectacular ignorance and arrogance. I suggest you cease to expose your miseducation until you've actually read some goddamn history that doesn't have Howard Zinn's snail-slime all over it.; 4/26/13, 8:19 PM