French Community - Members

Members

By early 1959, the members of the French Community were as follows:

• The French Republic, which was "one and indivisible". All the inhabitants were French citizens and took part in the election of the president of the republic and of the French Parliament. It was made up of:
  • European France, including Corsica (the metropole).
  • Algeria and Sahara. These areas, considered an integral part of France, were divided into departments, 13 in Algeria and 2 in Sahara. All the inhabitants were French citizens, but the Muslims preserved their own juridical status. All sent representatives to the French assemblies and elected municipalities.
  • The overseas departments. Their administration and legislation was in principle those of the metropole, but each of them could receive an individual constitution.
    • French Guiana
    • Guadeloupe and dependencies
    • Martinique
    • Réunion
  • The overseas territories. They had their own individual organisation with a territorial assembly elected by universal suffrage; the assembly appointed a governing council, its president being the governor appointed by the central power. The French Southern and Antarctic Territories, with no permanent population, were administered directly from Paris.
    • Comoro Islands
    • French Polynesia
    • French Somaliland
    • French Southern and Antarctic Territories
    • New Caledonia and dependencies
    • Saint Pierre and Miquelon
• The member states, which were initially:
  • Central African Republic
  • Chad
  • Congo
  • Dahomey
  • Gabon
  • Ivory Coast
  • Malagasy Republic
  • Mauritania
  • Niger
  • Senegal
  • Sudanese Republic
  • Upper Volta

Although there was only one citizenship of the Community, the territories that became Community member states did not form part of the French Republic, and were granted broad autonomy. They worked out their own constitutions and could create unions among themselves. The Community’s jurisdiction as a whole was limited to foreign policy, defence, the currency, a common economic and financial policy and policy on strategic matters and, except for special agreements, control of justice, higher education, external and public transport and telecommunications. Agreements of Association could also be made by the Community with other states.

Associated with the Community were the United Nations trust territories of French Cameroun and French Togoland, and the Anglo-French condominium of the New Hebrides.