Conscription and Maintenance of the French Colonial Empire in West Africa from 1857-1960

Abstract

Older historical accounts of the French colonial period, particularly surrounding France’s 20th century objectives to civilize and economically exploit Africa, fail to capture the full breadth and complexity of France’s late-colonial administrative strategies. To challenge the validity of traditional narratives, this essay utilizes the 1919 Conscription Act to examine how conscription was implemented within French West Africa’s existing administrative framework during the pre-WWI era. From there, it analyzes how conscription of the Senegalese Tirailleurs evolved into a core theme of colonial administration during the interwar period and ultimately shaped the fate of French colonial empire after WWII. Given that no single colonial priority held uniform significance across all territories, it follows that a regionally specific priority, such as conscription in French West Africa, cannot be overgeneralized to all French colonies. In other words, current research paradigms and historiographic approaches to French colonial history must be adjusted accordingly to reflect this new truth. By uncovering alternative possibilities that have been suppressed within traditional narratives, the essay hopes to resolve the contradictions inherent in older accounts, thereby deepening our understanding of France’s late-colonial administrative strategies.