Building a new image of Africa: ‘dissident states’ and the emergence of French neo-colonialism in the aftermath of decolonisation

In 1958, the French state lost control over two of its former African territories, Guinea and Togo. This loss of control was, at first instance, complete, although the Togolese leaders soon found a working relationship with Paris. In the period between the loi-cadre and the establishment of the new government of Charles de Gaulle, such events came as a shock to the French officials. However, they had to cope with the new political circumstances, and they did this by slowly formulating a new policy instead of intervening directly. The French experience with such “dissident states” influenced strongly how those officials would in the future interpret the situation in sub-Saharan Africa. French policy-makers would begin to see Africa as a battleground between friends and foes, between pro-Communist traitors and loyal partners.