French_Dahomey
French Dahomey
French colony in West Africa (1894–1958); now Benin
French Dahomey, officially the Colony of Dahomey and Dependencies (French: Colonie du Dahomey et dépendances), was a French colony and part of French West Africa from 1894 to 1958.[1] After World War II, by the establishment of the French Fourth Republic in 1947, Dahomey became part of the French Union with increased autonomy. On 4 October 1958 the French Fifth Republic was established, and the French Union became the French Community. The colony became the self-governing Republic of Dahomey within the Community, and two years later on 1 August 1960, it gained full independence, renamed to Benin in 1975.