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What are the factors that undermined the application of the French policy of assimilation in West Africa?

What are the factors that undermined the application of the French policy of assimilation in West Africa?

Answers

Eric
a) There was opposition by local people who did not want the French to interfere with their culture.
b) The Traditional African rulers resisted the policy since they did not want to lose their authority and
influence over the assimilated people.
c) The French traders in West Africa also opposed the system they viewed assimilated Africans as a
potential threat to their commercial monopoly in the region.
d) The policy of assimilation ran the risk of undermining the very foundation of French colonialism, as
it was not possible to exploit Africans who had attained the assimile status.
e) Missionary school system of education undermined the French policy of assimilation since there
was segregation in provision of mission education.
f) Nationalism conflicted with the policy of assimilation.
g) Assimilation was becoming too expensive to the French government especially because West
African colonies were not self-supporting yet.
h) The vastness of the French colonies made it difficult to supervise the implementation of the policy.
i) Muslims resisted fiercely the French attempt to convert them to Christianity.
j) Racial discrimination against the indigenous people also contributed to the failure of the system.
This is because many Frenchmen never accepted assimilated Africans as their equals.
k) The French citizens in the motherland opposed the policy as they feared being outnumbered in the
chamber of deputies.
ericmunguti answered the question on September 19, 2018 at 08:45

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