French Togoland

Infobox Former Country
native_name = Togoland français
conventional_long_name = French Togoland
common_name = French Togoland|
continent = Africa
region = West Africa
country = Togo
era = World War I
status = Mandate
empire = France
government_type =
year_start = 1916
year_end = 1960
life_span = 1916-1960|
event_start = Togoland partitioned
date_start = December 27, 1916
event_end = Independence
date_end = April 27, 1960
event1 = League of Nations mandate
date_event1 = July 20, 1922
event2 = Autonomy
date_event2 = 1955|
event_pre = Occupation
date_pre = August 27, 1914|
p1 = Togoland
flag_p1 = Flag of the German Empire.svg
s1 = Togo
flag_s1 = Flag of Togo.svg|

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capital = Lomé
national_anthem =
common_languages = French
religion =
currency =

French Togoland was a France Mandate territory in West Africa, which later became the Togolese Republic.

Mandate territory

On August 26 1914, the German protectorate of Togoland was invaded by French and British forces and fell after five days of brief resistance. Togoland was divided into French and British administrative zones in 1916, and following the war, Togoland formally became a League of Nations mandate divided for administrative purposes between France and the United Kingdom.

After World War II, the mandate became a UN trust territory, still administered by French commissioners.

By statute in 1955, French Togoland became an autonomous republic within the French union, although it retained its UN trusteeship status. A legislative assembly elected by universal adult suffrage had considerable power over internal affairs, with an elected executive body headed by a prime minister responsible to the legislature. These changes were embodied in a constitution approved in a 1956 referendum. On September 10, 1956, Nicolas Grunitzky became prime minister of the Autonomous Republic of Togo. However, due to irregularities in the plebiscite, an unsupervised general election was held in 1958 and won by Sylvanus Olympio. On April 27, 1960, in a smooth transition, Togo severed its constitutional ties with France, shed its UN trusteeship status, and became fully independent under a provisional constitution with Olympio as president.

Post-independence history