protectorate · West Africa
French Togoland
Origins
After the Allied conquest of German Togoland in 1914, France took the larger eastern part, including the capital Lome and the railways, in the division of 1916. The League of Nations confirmed it as a French mandate in 1922, and after 1946 it was a United Nations trust territory.
Rule and society
France governed the territory separately from French West Africa, though often with shared officials, and promoted cocoa, coffee, cotton and later phosphates. Its trust status allowed Togolese to petition the United Nations. The Committee of Togolese Unity, led by Sylvanus Olympio, campaigned for independence and Ewe unity, while Nicolas Grunitzky led parties closer to France.
Decline and legacy
In 1956 France made it an autonomous republic with Grunitzky as prime minister, but UN-supervised elections in 1958 brought Olympio to power. Togo became independent on 27 April 1960, and Olympio was assassinated in 1963.
Lineage
On the connections map
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- French Togoland was a protectorate of French Empire1916 CE – 1960 CE
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). French Togoland. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-togoland
- MLA
- “French Togoland.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-togoland. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “French Togoland.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-togoland.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘French Togoland’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/french-togoland (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻