Western Kentucky University TopSCHOLAR® Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Honors College at WKU Projects Spring 5-2012 African Agency in the Rally of French Equatorial Africa, August-November 1940 Mark Reeves Western Kentucky University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses Part of the Diplomatic History Commons, European History Commons, European Languages and Societies Commons, and the Political History Commons Recommended Citation Reeves, Mark, "African Agency in the Rally of French Equatorial Africa, August-November 1940" (2012). Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects. Paper 354. http://digitalcommons.wku.edu/stu_hon_theses/354 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TopSCHOLAR®. It has been accepted for inclusion in Honors College Capstone Experience/ Thesis Projects by an authorized administrator of TopSCHOLAR®. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. AFRICAN AGENCY IN THE RALLY OF FRENCH EQUATORIAL AFRICA, AUGUST-NOVEMBER 1940 A Capstone Experience/Thesis Project Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts with Honors College Graduate Distinction at Western Kentucky University By Mark L. Reeves ***** Western Kentucky University 2012 Approved By CE/T Committee: Dr. Eric Reed ______________________ Dr. Chris Bierwirth Advisor Dr. Melinda Grimsley-Smith Department of History Copyright by Mark L. Reeves 2012 ABSTRACT From August to November 1940, the territories of French Equatorial Africa rallied to Charles de Gaulle’s self-proclaimed Free French government in London, rather than the Vichy government set up after the German defeat of France in June. While this episode concerns European actions in European-ruled colonies, African actors pervade the story, especially as soldiers.