The political history of Ivory Coast

Ivory Coast
During the Middle Ages, the region that is now known as the Ivory Coast was the center of several important trade routes in Africa , linking the two great empires that then existed: Ghana and Mali. European merchants had been present in the region since the 15th century, but it was not until the 19th century that the French undertook a penetration of the region.

The territory was later incorporated into the so-called French West Africa until it achieved independence in August 1960. The leadership of the country passed into the hands of Félix Houphouët-Boigny , a quirky politician who dominated the country’s political life for 30 years. Houphouët-Boigny maintains close ties with the West (especially France) and also with South Africa.
Ivory Coast
During his time in office, the Ivory Coast was known to be the most prosperous and stable country in the West African region. It also hosted the largest French community in Francophone Africa. His reign was rocked by the economic recession in the 1980s , when the prices of the basic products of the main exports (cocoa and coffee) plummeted.

The first multi-party elections since independence were held in 1990, where Houphouët-Boigny easily beat veteran opposition leader Laurent Gbagbo. Houphouët-Boigny died in December 1993 and was replaced by the former president of the National Assembly, Henri Konan Bédié. The delicate ethnic and regional balance that Houphouët-Boigny had nurtured, along with its welcoming of migrant workers, was soon compromised. Bedie introduced the concept of "ivoirité" (Côte d’Ivoire nationalism) into political discourse, which soon acquired xenophobic overtones.