French West Africa in the First World War

TLDR: The first world war was a period of peculiar importance for French West Africa as discussed by the authors, and the contribution of African troops to the Allied victory was emphasized by colonial historians, and two American writers, in 1934 and I978, attempted general accounts of their role; critics of colonialism soon discovered that the raising of these forces provoked formidable revolts against French rule.

Abstract: In a general way, we have always known that the first world war was a period of peculiar importance for French West Africa. Colonial historians emphasized the contribution of African troops to Allied victory, and two American writers, in 1934 and I978, attempted general accounts of their role;' critics of colonialism soon discovered that the raising of these forces provoked formidable revolts against French rule.2 Senegalese patriots noted how Blaise Diagne used wartime conditions to confirm the citizen rights of the originaires, but criticized his readiness to help Clemenceau resume the recruitment of sujets in I9I8.3 Drs Andrew and KanyaForstner have recently reminded us of how the war saw 'the climax of French imperial expansion' ;4 the brief Governor-Generalship of Van Vollenhoven has inspired both hagiography and controversy concerning the methods and priorities of French colonial government.5 As in recent years historians have turned to assess the importance of the war for African history,6 a number of well-researched monographs have appeared, but Marc Michel's long-awaited book at last makes it possible to assess the subject as a whole. It is a masterly work, which has all the merits of the French doctoral thesis massive documentation, systematic presentation, concern to relate particulars to broad general themes but is more lucidly and concisely presented than we are always entitled to expect. Dr Michel's sub-title distinguishes his two themes of contributions and reactions. The contributions to the French war effort required from the peoples of A.O.F. were both military and economic; in each case more was expected than from Equatorial Africa, 'judged too backward, underadministered and under-populated to provide appreciable aid to the Mother Country', (p. viii). The idea that African soldiers might not merely assist in the control and expansion of the French empire, but help make up the number of French conscripts lost under the military law of 1905, originated with Charles Mangin, veteran of Fashoda, protege of Archinard, and author of La force noire. In I9I0 Mangin and four colleagues surveyed the manpower resources of A.O.F. providing detailed (though highly dubious) population estimates for each cercle, and deducing possible quotas of recruits. Michel's careful scrutiny shows this survey while providing important unwitting testimony on such matters as the uneven progress of pacification, the ethnic stereotypes of French administrators, the interest of southern Dahomeans in trading military