The effect of the nature of the decolonisation process on postcolonial trade: a comparative study of Senegal’s peaceful path to independence and the Algerian war of independence

This dissertation in global economic history analyses the differences in the effect of violent and peaceful decolonisation processes on postindependence trade between former colony and coloniser. Prior studies concerned with the effect independence had on trade have not adequately treated decolonisation as a process that spans the colonial and postcolonial period and have insufficiently differentiated its impact according to the nature of the decolonisation process. This dissertation advances our understanding of the economic implications of decolonisation by providing a comparative analysis of the independence processes of Algeria and Senegal. The findings suggest that the violent nature of the Algerian decolonisation has led to an abrupt reduction in the relative importance of trade with its former coloniser France. Senegal on the other hand, due to its peaceful decolonisation process, reduced the French share in its imports and exports slower than Algeria. While previous studies have not linked the course of the decline in colony-metropole trade to historical developments, this dissertation demonstrates that post-independence economic policy, and bilateral ties as well as the disruption of networks and the influence of French migrants, which varied according to the nature of the independence process, shaped how rapidly Senegal and Algeria reduced their trade with France. This dissertation extends prior studies on the impact of independence on trade by proposing a novel conceptual approach that considers wars of independence as a factor influencing and even accelerating the mechanisms that also cause the postcolonial trade decline in peaceful independence processes.