Republic of Upper Volta

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Republic of Upper Volta République de Haute-Volta (French)
1958–1984
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: "Unité – Travail – Justice" (in French) "Unity – Work – Justice"
Anthem: "Hymne National Voltaïque"
Capital	Ouagadougou
Common languages	French
Demonym(s)	Upper Voltese
Government	One-party presidential republic (1960–1966) Military dictatorship (1966–1984)
President
• 1959–1966	Maurice Yaméogo
• 1966–1980	Sangoulé Lamizana
• 1980–1982	Saye Zerbo
• 1982–1983	Jean-Baptiste Ouédraogo
• 1983–1984	Thomas Sankara
High Commissioner
• 1958–1959	Max Berthet
• 1959–1960	Paul Masson
Prime Minister
• 1971–1974	Gérard Kango Ouédraogo
• 1983	Thomas Sankara
Historical era	Cold War
• Self-governing colony	11 December 1958
• Independence	5 August 1960
• Coup d'état	3 January 1966
• Coup d'état	25 November 1980
• Coup d'état	7 November 1982
• Coup d'état	3 August 1983
• Renamed	4 August 1984
Currency	CFA franc
Preceded by Succeeded by French Upper Volta Burkina Faso
Today part of	Burkina Faso

Part of a series on the
History of Burkina Faso
Bura Bura-Asinda Prehistoric c. 3rd–13th century Mossi Kingdoms c. 11th century – 1896 Kong Empire c. 1710 – 1898 French Upper Volta 1919–1932 1947–1958 Republic 1958–1984
Burkina Faso (1984–present)
Agacher Strip War 1985 Assassination of Sankara 1987 Compaoré rule 1987–2014 Burkinabè revolution 2014 Transitional period 2014–2015 Burkinabé coup d'état 2015 2015 elections and aftermath 2015–present
v t

The Republic of Upper Volta (French: République de Haute-Volta, now Burkina Faso) was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing colony within the French Community.^[1][2] Before attaining autonomy it had been French Upper Volta and part of the French Union. On 5 August 1960, it attained full independence from France.^[3] On 4 August 1984, it changed its name to Burkina Faso.

Name and flag[]

Map showing the Volta River in Upper Volta

The name Upper Volta indicated that the country contains the upper part of the Volta River. The colors of the national flag corresponded to the names of its three main tributaries: the Black Volta, the White Volta and the Red Volta.^[4] The flag was identical to that of the German Empire.

History[]

Upper Volta obtained independence on 5 August 1960. The first president of the country, Maurice Yaméogo, is at the head of the Alliance for Democracy and the Federation / African Democratic Rally. The 1960 Constitution establishes the election by direct universal suffrage of the President and the National Assembly for a term of five years. Shortly after coming to power, Yaméogo banned all political parties other than the Alliance for Democracy.

Thomas Sankara came to power through a military coup d'état on 4 August 1983.^[5] After the coup, he formed the National Council for the Revolution (CNR), with himself as president. Under the direction of Sankara, the country changed its name on 4 August 1984, from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, which means "Land of Incorruptible People".^[6]

Policy[]

From 1958 to 1960, the Republic of Upper Volta was led by a High Commissioner:

• (11 December 1958 to February 1959),
• Paul Masson (February 1959 to 5 August 1960).

From 1971 to 1987, the Republic of Upper Volta was led by a Prime Minister:

• Gérard Kango Ouedraogo (13 February 1971 to 8 February 1974)
• Thomas Sankara (4 August 1983 to 14 October 1987)

Symbols[]

Flag[]

The three colors of the national flag of Upper Volta come from the fact that the Volta has three parts: the Black Volta, the White Volta, and the Red Volta.

National Hymn[]

This anthem has been replaced since 1984 by a new anthem, the Ditanyè.

See also[]

• History of Burkina Faso
• List of governors of Upper Volta
• List of heads of state of Burkina Faso
• List of heads of government of Burkina Faso

References[]

Coordinates: 12°16′N 2°4′W / 12.267°N 2.067°W / 12.267; -2.067