AHC: More Independent African States at the Expense of the French Empire

Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
The challenge is to slow and then halt French colonial expansion in northern, western, and central Africa after 1870 and which results in more independent African states. It cannot be due to the actions of other European powers in Africa. The POD must be after 1848.
 
Only one possibility : France decide that it don't need more colonies in 1870. The africans "states" of this era can't resist without help from other european powers.
 

Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
Only one possibility : France decide that it don't need more colonies in 1870. The africans "states" of this era can't resist without help from other european powers.

Badly worded. I mean those areas are not annexed by another European power. Which would of course be the case if they're independent anyway. I was being redundant.

Were there any anti-colonialism political forces in France at the time or potential ones?
 
Badly worded. I mean those areas are not annexed by another European power. Which would of course be the case if they're independent anyway. I was being redundant.

Were there any anti-colonialism political forces in France at the time or potential ones?

Well French history during the late nineteenth century isn't my strong suit but I doubt it. By that time, colonies had become a symbol and sign of prestige. If France didn't take colonize these territories someone else would and they could be a threat, or that would be the train of thought.
 
No Franco-Prussian war. Or if it must happen France wins it or at the least its a very moderate Prussian victory which doesn't screw up either side's economy too much, keep things ticking over elsewhere too and avoid the long depression.
Keep the political situation in Europe and world economy mostly stable you stop the scramble for Africa (well, until the next crisis).
 

Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
Were there any anti-colonialism political forces in France at the time or potential ones?

To answer my own question, there's the possibility of Paul Déroulède, who was anti-colonialist because he wanted France to focus on revanchism. He's a bit late in coming to prominence, but it still might preserve a few African states. He was an escaped POW from Sedan, a right-wing republican, a member of the Chamber of Deputies, the head of a nationalist and anti-semitic political movement, and tried to instigate a coup and continued to conspire before he was banished, so an interesting character in his own right.
 
To answer my own question, there's the possibility of Paul Déroulède, who was anti-colonialist because he wanted France to focus on revanchism. He's a bit late in coming to prominence, but it still might preserve a few African states. He was an escaped POW from Sedan, a right-wing republican, a member of the Chamber of Deputies, the head of a nationalist and anti-semitic political movement, and tried to instigate a coup and continued to conspire before he was banished, so an interesting character in his own right.
That doesn't solve the other colonial powers simply gobbling it up.
 

Rush Tarquin

Gone Fishin'
That doesn't solve the other colonial powers simply gobbling it up.

I've been putting up AHCs as piecemeal plausibility checks and to get new ideas on fuzzy areas of a backstory TL I'm doing:

Britain will be in the grips of revolution, Germany won't exist, and Spain will be a divided state, so Africa will be France's to lose in the TL. Italy might be a competitor longer term, but for this period I need internal reasons for France to not go for it or geopolitical reasons outside of Africa (the latter may already exist in the situation in Europe outlined above).

I didn't outline my scenario because I didn't want to derail the discussion and also wanted to see if anyone had less drastic ideas for smaller variations on OTL.
 
I'm not sure exactly where to run with this, but the Voulet-Chamoine mission http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voulet-Chanoine_Mission could lead to an independent outlaw state in the remotest part of West Africa.

Basically, Voulet and Chanoine were young French officers who were put in charge of an expedition to close up the territorial gaps in French West Africa. It turned out that they were total psychopaths who went on a killing rampage throughout the region. They even killed a French colonial governor from Timbuktu who set out on an expedition of his own to rein them in.

There could be no going back after that, and Voulet talked of setting up as an independent ruler. What if his men had backed him up, and other fortune hunters had followed? Any chance of native allies?
 
The Samori toure sends gunsmiths to liberia in exchange for a trading alliance with liberia. Haiti sends limited funding to pay for materials in weapon manufacturing in liberia. Liberia sells beech loaders to the collapsing Ashante empire who are at war with the british.

Following Samori toure's death the remnants of the Wassoulou Empire's Samorian army and their civilian aids and surviving Ashante warriors ask for asylum in liberia bringing trained warriors. Liberia signs treaties with the new immigrated peoples that state the ceeding of territory formerly claimed by both groups. This territory is in guinea and cote ivoire regions.

Of the two Liberian naval gunboats the Gorronomah does not sink in 1901.

The Ashante and Samori immigrants conflict with local Gola and Dei peoples.

The weapon industry in liberia pushes liberia to prospect for local materials for production, leading to the openning of a iron ore mine. Selling arms to coastal tribes resisting colonial incursions brings gold and diamonds into Liberia.

Liberia expands its coastal defence as british and french authorities threaten conflict over the arming of tribes.
 
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