Philoppov, V.R. Burkina-Faso: the political crisis of 2011

Abstract: In spring of 2011, the political regime of Burkina-Faso was shaken by great social and political cataclysms. However, in spite of the fact that almost all of the classes of Burkina-Faso community were part of opposition, the government remained. Blaise Compaoré, who has been ruling the state for quarter of a century by now, managed to keep the presidential position. He came to power through treachery and denial of his youth ideals, he tortured his former colleagues, spilled blood of his friend … In order to understand the reasons for the riots of spring of 2011 and stability of the regime of B. Compaore, one needs to look at half a century of history of independency of this African state. After the 2nd World War the French colonial empire was deformed and it gradually dissolved. Trying to keep their position in the Western Africa, the French agreed to modernize the statuses of their African colonies Within the framework of this process in 1947 the Upper Volta was transformed into the oversea territory of France, and called the French Upper Volta. This status remained till December 11, 1985, when the autonomous Upper Volta Republic within the French Community was formed as a result of a referendum. In 1958 the Upper Volta expressed the wish to join the Mali Federation (Fédération du Mali), however, under the pressure from the President of the Ivory Coast (Cote’d’Ivoire), it refused to join the Federation.

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