History of Senegal

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Map of Senegal

The history of Senegal encompasses developments in the area of ​​what is now the Republic of Senegal from prehistory to the present. Because of the special geographical interdependence, it can only be separated from the history of the Gambia at the beginning of the colonial era. Until then, it is more a story of the Senegambia region , the West African region on and between the Senegal and Gambia rivers .

prehistory

The earliest traces of settlement on today's Senegalese territory come from the Paleolithic and Neolithic , although dating is difficult. Around 500 AD, the mostly millet-growing Wolof and Serer , who belong to the Atlantic group of speakers of the Niger-Congo languages , immigrated from the northeast into what is now Senegal. Between the 7th and 15th centuries, numerous megalithic stone circles were created in the Gambia , which served as burial sites and have some similarities with later Serer burial sites.

Row of megaliths in Senegal

Influence of Ghana and Mali (approx. 900 - 15th century)

In the 9th century, the Tukulor, linguistically related to the Wolof and Fulbe , settled in the lower valley of the Senegal River . They raised cattle, founded the Takrur Empire and introduced Islam around 1030 under their ruler War Jabi, which facilitated the lucrative trade with Arab traders. These events are generally viewed as the beginning of the historical phase.

From the east at about the same time since 900 the Ghanaian empire, which rivaled Takrur, extended its territory from the upper Niger to the mouth of Senegal. Its rulers did not initially follow Islam. They used the river to expand their cultivation areas and trade into the Atlantic region. The decline of the Ghana Empire began in the 11th century; the trade fell into the hands of Tuareg - nomadic . Attacks by Berber peoples - including the Almoravids who were attracted by the wealth of Ghana and who brought Islam to Senegal - weakened the empire. The Almoravids withdrew around 1100, but in 1240 the kingdom of Ghana was conquered by the kingdom of Mali , which now largely controlled the salt and gold trade and also took control of the small kingdoms in Senegal. With the fall of power of the Mali empire, these Wolof empires (e.g. Jolof , Waalo , Cayor ) achieved their independence for the first time in the 14th to 16th centuries.

Colonial period (1444–1960)

In 1445 the Portuguese discovered the coastal region of what is now Senegal on Cabo Verde and landed on the island of Gorée . In the following years they founded the first trading branches, in addition to Gorée (Ilha de Palma) in the places Rufisque (Rio Fresco), Saly Portudal and Joal . They were followed by the Dutch, French and British in the 16th century. The Wolof empires became important trading partners of the Europeans, especially in the field of the slave trade . The island of Gorée became an important trading center in the Atlantic slave trade . The Fulbe developed into the urban elite in the region and subsequently constituted the political elite.

From the 17th century, the French settled in Senegambia. Predecessor companies of the French Senegalese company operated their first trading post in Senegal since 1628. This was moved in 1659 together with the resulting settlement closer to the river mouth on the previously uninhabited island of N'Dar, which later became Île Saint-Louis . This trading post was fortified with a fort. In 1677 the French expelled the Dutch from the coast, while the Fulbe state of Fouta Toro was founded inland . From 1758 to 1779 parts of Senegal were occupied by Great Britain, which united them with their possessions on the Gambia to form the crown colony of Senegambia . After the Peace of Paris in 1783 and the British-French colonial conflict , France gradually regained sovereignty over the Senegal coast by 1805. Senegal was reoccupied by Great Britain from 1815 to 1816 until France regained control in 1844. However, this control did not extend into the interior.

It was not until 1855 that French troops under General Louis Faidherbe conquered Waalo for the first time, one of the empires in the interior. In 1857, African units, the so-called Tirailleurs sénégalais, were set up in the colonial army for the first time , and in 1864 the French colony of Senegal was proclaimed. In 1871–1887, the residents of four coastal towns were given full French communal rights. Saint-Louis became the administrative seat of the General Government, founded in 1895 (and since 1904 of the Federation of French West Africa ) before it was replaced by Dakar in 1902 . A local elite was trained at the École normal William Ponty, founded in 1903 on the island of Gorée. Around this time, a close economic cooperation developed with the Muridiyya brotherhood of Amadou Bamba , who were active in peanut cultivation in the coastal region, while the inland areas became largely economically insignificant due to the collapse of long-distance trade.

In 1914, Blaise Diagne, the first African-born MP to be sent to the French National Assembly; the four "old parishes" received full French citizenship rights . Many Senegalese soldiers fought on the French side in the First World War . In 1920 the leading political position of the French in St. Louis was eliminated; the urban population (90 & Africans) received half of the seats, the traditional rulers ("Chefferie") received the other half of the eligible seats. In 1935 the Senegalese Socialist Party was founded.

After the armistice in 1940, French West Africa remained under the administration of Vichy France until 1942. In the summer of 1940, parts of the French fleet gathered in Dakar and had escaped to safety from the Germans. They were requested to surrender by a superior British naval force on September 23, 1940. In the next few days, however, the Vichy forces successfully defended the city in the battle of Dakar and fended off an attempt by de Gaulle's troops to land .

On February 19, 1945, under the French colonial administration, a decree was issued that stipulated that there was no difference between Senegalese and French women in terms of active and passive women's suffrage ; they are electorate and can be elected under the same conditions. In 1947, Léopold Sédar Senghor's Bloc Démocratique Sénégalais (since 1958 Union progressiste sénégalaise ) split from the socialists. In 1956, still under French colonial rule, the loi-cadre Defferre was introduced, which guaranteed universal suffrage for adults.

France finally gave the country independence in two stages. In 1958, following the adoption of the French constitutional proposals, it received extensive autonomy within the French community, and in the following year it merged with Mali to form the Mali Federation , which only existed until 1960. In the " African year " 1960, Senegal, like almost all French colonies, became independent. Universal suffrage was confirmed.

Independence, one-party rule and gradual democratization (1960-2001)

Under the leadership of Léopold Senghor, a presidential republic was established based on the one-party rule of the Union progressiste sénégalaise (UPS). After a coup attempt by Prime Minister Mamadou Dia , Senghor was given increased powers through a constitutional amendment in 1963 and also took over the post of Prime Minister (until 1970). He initially reacted extremely harshly to student unrest, mass demonstrations and a general strike in 1968 against his authoritarian regime. The Islamic leaders also turned their backs on UPS. Gradual democratization did not take place until the 1970s. In 1976 a controlled three-party system was established; the communists (PAI), banned since 1960, were re-admitted. In the first free elections in 1978, the ruling party, which had renamed itself Parti Socialiste Démocratique (psd), won over 80% of the vote. The liberal Parti Démocratique Sénégalais (PDS) entered parliament as the first opposition party since 1959.

On December 31, 1980, President Senghor, re-elected in 1963, 1968, 1973 and 1978, declared his constitutional resignation, which was unique in sub-Saharan Africa until then.

He was succeeded by his confidante Abdou Diouf , who had been Prime Minister since 1971. Under his leadership, Senegal and Gambia united in political, economic and cultural areas in February 1982 to form the Senegambia Confederation , which, however, broke up again in April 1989. 1983 Diouf was confirmed in office.

Renewed unrest in the 1980s, such as the Casamance conflict , in which the Diola fought for autonomy or independence in the southern Casamance region , prompted Diouf to take further liberalization measures in the early 1990s. For example, he limited the president's term of office to two terms. There were also border disputes with the northern neighboring state of Mauritania .

In the 1970s and 1980s, Senegal was also affected by the drought in the Sahel , albeit less severely than other countries. Until recently, the country has been affected by desertification and other economic problems, which have contributed to the fact that young men in particular seek their fortune in emigration to Europe. In April 1989 there were bloody riots in Senegal and Mauritania against the inhabitants of the other country after a border dispute between farmers and ranchers. Many Mauritanians fled Senegal.

In January 1991, Senegal symbolically participated in the Second Gulf War against Iraq. In 1993 President Diouf was re-elected. The opposition accused him of electoral fraud. The assassination of the Vice President of the Constitutional Court, Babacar Sèye , on May 15, 1993 plunged the country into a domestic political crisis. After the devaluation of the CFA franc , unrest broke out in January 1994. There were rioting with fatalities in Dakar. As a result, there were mass arrests and charges against opposition politicians.

In 1995 Prime Minister Habib Thiam formed a new cabinet with the participation of the opposition party Parti Démocratique Sénégalais (PDS). In August 1997, the escalation of the Casamance conflict resulted in hundreds of deaths among rebels, civilians and soldiers. The conflict was not resolved until 2001.

Since 2000

In the 2000 presidential election , the opposition leader Abdoulaye Wade ran again and won the runoff election on 19 March against the incumbent Abdou Diouf. After the ruling coalition broke up in March 2001, the “Party Alliance for Change” led by Abdoulaye Wade and led by 40 parties won 89 out of 120 seats in the parliamentary elections on April 29, 2001. The Party of Moustapha Niasse , the Alliance des Forces du Progrès (AFP) got 11 seats. The Parti Socialiste (PS) Abdou Diouf, who had been the strongest force in parliament, won just 10 seats. The government was formed under Prime Minister Madior Boye (PDS).

On November 7, 2002, Idrissa Seck (PDS) became Prime Minister and reorganized the cabinet. Even after a cabinet reshuffle on August 27, 2003, Seck remained Prime Minister. He was replaced on April 21, 2004 by Macky Sall (PDS).

In the presidential elections on February 25, 2007 incumbent Abdoulaye Wade ran again and was re-elected in the first ballot. Cheikh Hadjibou Soumaré (PDS) became Prime Minister on June 19, 2007. In the 2012 presidential election , former Prime Minister Macky Sall came on and won on March 25, the runoff against incumbent Abdoulaye Wade. In the 2019 election , Macky Sall was re-elected for another five years. After his re-election, the post of Prime Minister, which had been held by Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne since July 6, 2014, was abolished .

See also

Web links

Commons : History of Senegal  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Cyr Descamps: Quelques réflexions sur le Néolithique du Sénégal. In: West African Journal of Archeology. 1981, vol. 10-11, pp. 145-151.
  2. ^ Jean-Paul Cros, Luc Laporte, Alain Gallay: Pratiques funéraries dans le mégalihisme sénégambien. In: Afrique: Archeology & Arts. no. 9, 2013, pp. 67–84.
  3. ↑ As Takrur, Takarīr or Takarna, the West African Muslims are often still referred to in the Arabic-speaking world today; see 'Umar Al-Naqar: Takrūr - The History of a Name. In: The Journal of African History. Volume 10, Issue 3, July 1969, pp. 365-374.
  4. ↑ Plan du Fort St. Louis. Paris 1728
  5. ↑ For the period from 1864–1935 see Der Große Ploetz. 32nd edition. Herder Verlag, Freiburg 1998, p. 1157.
  6. ↑ - New Parline: the IPU's Open Data Platform (beta). In: data.ipu.org. February 19, 1945, accessed October 6, 2018 .
  7. ^ Mart Martin: The Almanac of Women and Minorities in World Politics. Westview Press Boulder, Colorado, 2000, p. 335.
  8. ↑ June Hannam, Mitzi Auchterlonie, Katherine Holden: International Encyclopedia of Women's Suffrage. ABC-Clio, Santa Barbara, Denver, Oxford 2000, ISBN 1-57607-064-6 , p. 9.
  9. ↑ The great Ploetz , 1998, p. 1631.