Editing History of Togo (section)

==Colonial rule==
===German Togoland===
[[Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 137-003033, Togo, Lomé, Verladen von Baumwollballen.jpg|thumb|Cotton is loaded onto a ship in the German colony of Togoland, 1885]]
{{Main|Togoland}}
The [[German Empire]] established the protectorate of [[Togoland]] (in what is now the nation of [[Togo]] and most of what is now the [[Volta Region]] of Ghana) in 1884 during the period generally known as the "[[Scramble for Africa]]". [[Gustav Nachtigal]], Germany's Commissioner for West Africa who oversaw both the inclusion of Togoland as well as [[Kamerun]] into the German colonial empire, had negotiated with King Mlapa III to gain control of the coast of what would eventually become Togoland, particularly the cities of [[Lomé]], [[Sebe]] and [[Aného]]. France, at the time controller of neighboring [[Benin]], recognized German rule in the region on 24 December 1885.

The colony was established in part of what was then the [[Slave Coast of West Africa|Slave Coast]] and German control was gradually extended inland. Because it became Germany's only self-supporting colony and because of its extensive rail and road infrastructure—Germany had opened Togo's first rail line between Lomé and Aného in 1905—Togoland was known as its model possession.<ref name=WDL1>{{cite web|title=Togo under the German Flag|year=1899|url=http://www.wdl.org/en/item/684|publisher=[[World Digital Library]]|access-date=18 February 2013}}</ref>

At the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in 1914 the colony was drawn into the conflict. It was invaded and quickly overrun by British and French forces during the [[Togoland campaign]] and placed under military rule. In 1916 the territory was divided into separate British and French administrative zones, and this was formalized in 1922 with the creation of [[British Togoland]] and [[French Togoland]].

===League of Nations mandates===
{{main|Togoland Campaign}}

[[Image:Flag of Togo (1957-1958).svg|thumb|Flag of the Autonomous Republic of Togo (1957–1958)]]
On August 8, 1914, French and British forces invaded Togoland and the German forces there surrendered on 26 August. In 1916, Togoland was divided into French and British administrative zones. Following the war, Togoland formally became a [[League of Nations]] mandate divided for administrative purposes between France and the United Kingdom. After World War I, newly founded [[Czechoslovakia]] was also interested in this [[Czechoslovak Togo|colony]] but this idea did not succeed. Lome was initially allocated to the British zone but after negotiations transferred to France 1 October 1920.

After World War II, the mandate became a [[United Nations|UN]] trust territory administered by the United Kingdom and France. During the mandate and trusteeship periods, western Togo was administered as part of the [[British Gold Coast]]. In December 1956, the residents of British Togoland voted to join the Gold Coast as part of the new independent nation of Ghana.

[[Image:Togoland.svg|thumb|British Togoland shown in pale green, which joined with Ghana]] 
In the [[French Togoland Representative Assembly election, 1946|Representative Assembly elections]] in 1946, there were two parties, the [[Party of Togolese Unity|Committee of Togolese Unity]] (CUT) and the [[Togolese Party of Progress]] (PTP). The CUT was overwhelmingly successful, and Sylvanus Olympio, the CUT leader became Council leader. However, the CUT was defeated in the [[French Togoland Representative Assembly election, 1951|1951 Representative Assembly elections]] and the [[French Togoland Territorial Assembly election, 1952|1952 Territorial Assembly elections]], and refused to participate in further French supervised elections because it claimed that the PTP was receiving French support.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Togo-POLITICAL-PARTIES.html |title=Political parties – Togo – issues, system, power |publisher=Nationsencyclopedia.com |access-date=2013-10-31}}</ref> By statute in 1955, French Togoland became an autonomous republic within the French union, although it retained its UN trusteeship status. Following [[French Togoland Territorial Assembly election, 1955|elections to the Territorial Assembly]] on 12 June 1955, which were boycotted by CUT, considerable power over internal affairs was granted, with an elected executive body headed by a prime minister responsible to the legislature. These changes were embodied in a constitution approved in a [[French Togoland autonomy referendum, 1956|1956 referendum]]. On 10 September 1956, [[Nicolas Grunitzky]] became Prime Minister of the Republic of Togo. The situation escalated further on 21 June 1957, when the local population of the Pya-Hodo, [[Kozah Prefecture|Kozah]], took advantage of the visit of the United Nations mission, to express its frustration with the French colonial administration. Faced with the anger of the demonstrators, protesting against the arrest of the Togolese nationalist, [[Bouyo Moukpé]], the colonial army [[Pya-Hodo Massacre|fired on the crowd]] that frequented the Hoda market, killing 20 and injuring many.<ref>[https://www.bibliomonde.fr/lalmanach/21-juin-togo-massacre-de-pya-hodo-1957 21 juin : les Togolais célèbrent les martyrs de la lutte pour l’indépendance], retrieved on 04-12-2023</ref> Due to irregularities in the plebiscite, a [[French Togoland parliamentary election, 1958|UN-supervised parliamentary election]] was held on 27 April 1958, the first held in Togo with [[universal suffrage]], which was won by the opposition pro-independence CUT and its leader [[Sylvanus Olympio]], who became prime minister. On 13 October 1958 the French government announced that full independence would be granted.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Togo.aspx |title=Togo Facts, information, pictures &#124; Encyclopedia.com articles about Togo |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia.com |access-date=2013-10-31}}</ref> On 14 November 1958 the United Nations’ General Assembly took note of the French government's declaration according to which Togo which was under French administration would gain independence in 1960, thus marking an end to the trusteeship period.<ref>{{cite web|title=The future of Togoland under French administration|url=https://undocs.org/A/RES/1253(XIII)|website=undocs.org|publisher=United Nations|access-date=17 March 2017|language=en|id=A/RES/1253(XIII) }}</ref> On 5 December 1959 the United Nations’ General Assembly resolved that the UN Trusteeship Agreement with France for Cameroon would end when Togo became independent on 27 April 1960.<ref>{{cite web|title=Date of the independence of the Trust Territory of Togoland under French administration|url=https://undocs.org/A/RES/1416(XIV)|website=undocs.org|publisher=United Nations|access-date=17 March 2017|id=A/RES/1416(XIV)|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318083301/http://undocs.org/A/RES/1416(XIV)|archive-date=18 March 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 27 April 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.