Republic of Upper Volta
The Republic of Upper Volta was a landlocked West African country established on 11 December 1958 as a self-governing state within the French Community. Before becoming autonomous, it had been part of the French Union as the French Upper Volta. On 5 August 1960, it gained full independence from France. On 4 August 1984, it changed its name to Burkina Faso.
Etymology
The name Upper Volta indicated that the country contains the upper part of the Volta River.History
Upper Volta obtained independence on 5 August 1960, with Maurice Yaméogo of the Voltaic Democratic Union-African Democratic Rally becoming the country's first president. A constitution was ratified the same year, establishing presidential elections by direct universal suffrage and a National Assembly, both with five-year terms. Shortly after coming to power, Yaméogo banned all political parties other than the UDV-RDA, as a result of a deep authoritarian streak that began prior to his presidency. Between the time he became prime minister of Upper Volta while it was still a French colony and independence two years later, opposition parties were subjected to increased harassment.On 3 January 1966, Yaméogo was overthrown in a [1966 Upper Voltan 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état|coup d'état|coup] d'état led by army chief Sangoulé Lamizana. Although multiparty democracy was nominally restored four years later, Lamizana dominated the country's politics until he was himself overthrown in 1980.
After a series of short-term presidencies, Thomas Sankara then came to power through yet another military coup d'état on 4 August 1983. After the coup, he formed the National Council for the Revolution, with himself as president. Under the direction of Sankara, the country changed its name on 4 August 1984, from Upper Volta to Burkina Faso, which means "Land of Incorruptible People".
Politics
From 1958 to 1960, the Republic of Upper Volta was led by a high commissioner:- Max Berthet,
- Paul Masson.