Originally, the land of present-day Benin was occupied by several kingdoms. The most prominent were called Danhomé (Abomey), Xogbonou (Porto-Novo), Allada, Nikki, Kouandé, Kandi, etc.

 

The first rulers of Abomey and Porto-Novo came from the Adja-Fon migration, which came from neighboring Togo (Tado). The other peoples came from present-day Nigeria, Niger, or Burkina Faso. Thus, the country was once a center of ancient and brilliant civilizations, built around these kingdoms: city-states.

 

These well-structured political entities were endowed with functional urban centers. They had developed a local trade, based on the slave trade from the 17th century, then on the oil palm trade after the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.

 

This slave-trading economy favored the establishment, along the coast (nicknamed the "Slave Coast"), of trading posts controlled by the English, the Danish, the Portuguese, and some French. In 1704, France was authorized to build a port at Ouidah, while in 1752, the Portuguese discovered Porto-Novo.

 

In 1863, the first French protectorate was established with King Toffa of Porto-Novo, who sought assistance in the face of the claims of the King of Abomey and attacks by the English established in Lagos. The same year, Glèlè, King of Abomey, authorized the French to establish a presence in Cotonou. In 1882, the sovereign of the Kingdom of Porto-Novo signed a new protectorate agreement with France, which sent a "French resident" to assist the king.

 

In 1894, the French, having conquered the local kings, created the colony of Dahomey and its dependencies. The territory took the name of the most dominant kingdom and the one most resistant to foreign occupation: Dahomey, with its legendary King Behanzin.

 

Proclaimed a Republic on December 4, 1958, Benin gained international sovereignty on August 1, 1960, under the name Dahomey. The country is known for the "exemplary" nature of its democratic process, which began in February 1990 following the National Conference of Vital Forces. Since then, several presidential, legislative, and local elections have marked the devolution of political power. In fifteen years, political liberalism has generated three changes of leadership.

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It has truly experienced two waves of democratization, culminating in elections from which governments emerged. The first dates back to the dawn of independence with the general elections of December 1960. This period remains marked by the incomplete term of the President of the Republic, swept away by a military coup in 1963. Furthermore, political life suffered from monolithicism, as the new president very quickly inspired the merger of political parties into a single official one: the Dahomean Unity Party (PDU). The second wave of democratization has been underway since February 1990. Its distinctive feature is that it is long-term and allows for the stability of democratic institutions.

 

More broadly, the country's contemporary political history can be divided into three major periods: the period of political instability, the military-Marxist period, and the period of democratic renewal.

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Political instability marked the first twelve years of independence. A series of coups d'état followed one another until 1970, earning the country the nickname "the sick child of Africa." The founding act of this instability was the putsch by Colonel Christophe Soglo, who overthrew Hubert Maga, the democratically elected father of independence, on October 28, 1963.

 

Indeed, with the new Constitution adopted in November 1960, the general elections held on December 11 confirmed Hubert Maga's continued power. But taking advantage of the social unrest in the country, the army seized power in 1963. Three months later, the country was handed over to a civilian government.

 

Sourou Migan Apithy became President of the Republic and Justin Ahomadégbé his Prime Minister and Vice President. A new constitution was adopted by referendum on January 5, 1964. But these two government leaders were unable to agree. On December 1, 1965, the army forced them to resign. Nevertheless, civilians retained power. It fell to the President of the National Assembly, Taïrou Congacou. Dissatisfied with his leadership, Christophe Soglo, now a general, once again propelled the army to the forefront.

 

 

On December 22, 1965, he proclaimed himself de facto President of the Republic. He, in turn, was overthrown by young military officers on December 17, 1967. Commander Maurice Kouandété, the mastermind of the coup, entrusted the country's destiny to the Army Chief, Lieutenant Colonel Alphonse Alley, three days later.

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In May 1968, presidential elections were organized by the officers in order to once again hand control of Dahomey to a civilian authority. However, the three leaders

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