View source for British Togoland

{{Short description|1916–1956 British territory in West Africa}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name      = Territory of British Togoland
| native_name                 = 
| common_name                 = British Togoland
| status                      = United Nations Trust Territory <!--League of Nations Mandate-->
| empire                      = British Empire
| p1                          = Togoland
| flag_p1                     = Reichskolonialflagge.svg
| flag_s1                     = Flag of the Gold Coast (1877–1957).svg
| s1                          = Gold Coast (British colony)<!--Ghana (Commonwealth realm)-->
| image_flag                  = Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
| capital                     = [[Ho, Ghana|Ho]]
| common_languages            = [[English language|English]], [[French language|French]], [[Ewe language|Ewe]], [[Gur languages|Gur]], and [[Ghana-Togo Mountain languages|Ghana-Togo]]
| government_type             = 
| era                         = 
| event_pre                   = [[West Africa Campaign (World War I)|Occupation]]
| date_pre                    = 27 August 1914
| event_start                 = Partitioning
| date_start                  = 27 December
| year_start                  = 1916
| event1                      = Admission by the Gold Coast
| date_event1                 = 27 December 1916 – 13 December 1956
| event2                      = {{nowrap|[[League of Nations mandate#Class B mandates|League of Nations mandate]]}}
| date_event2                 = 20 July 1922 – 20 April 1946
| event3                      = {{nowrap|[[United Nations Trust Territories|U. N. Trust Territory]]}}
| date_event3                 = 13 December 1946 – 6 March 1957
| event_end                   = Addition to the Gold Coast
| date_end                    = 13 December
| year_end                    = 1956
| event_post                  = Annexed to [[Dominion#"His/Her Majesty's dominions"|Her Majesty's dominions]] to form part of the [[Dominion of Ghana]]
| date_post                   = 6 March 1957
| currency                    = [[British West African pound]]
| today                       = [[Ghana]]
| image_map                   = Togoland.svg
| image_map_caption           = British Togoland (left) beside [[French Togoland]] (now [[Togo]]) (right)
| demonym                     = 
| area_km2                    = 
| area_rank                   = 
| GDP_PPP                     = 
| GDP_PPP_year                = 
| HDI                         = 
| HDI_year                    = 
}}

'''British Togoland''', officially the '''Mandate Territory of Togoland''' and later officially the '''Trust Territory of Togoland''', was a territory in [[West Africa]] under the administration of the [[United Kingdom]], which subsequently entered a union with [[Ghana]], part of which became its [[Volta Region]]. The territory was effectively formed in 1916 by the splitting of the German [[Protectorate#Germany's protectorates and protected states|protectorate]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-12-25|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Protectorate#Germany's protectorates and protected states|reason= The anchor (Germany's protectorates and protected states) [[Special:Diff/1265128262|has been deleted]].}} of [[Togoland]] into two territories, [[French Togoland]] and British Togoland, during the [[First World War]]. Initially, it was a [[League of Nations]] [[League of Nations mandate#Class B mandates|Class B mandate]]. In 1922, British Togoland was formally placed under [[British Empire|British rule]], and [[French Togoland]], now [[Togo]], was placed under [[French colonial empire|French rule]].

After the [[Second World War]], the political status of British Togoland changed. It became a United Nations [[United Nations Trust Territories|Trust Territory]] but was still administered by the United Kingdom. During the [[decolonization of Africa]], a [[1956 British Togoland status plebiscite|status plebiscite]] was organised in British Togoland in May 1956 to decide the future of the territory; 58% of the voters taking part voted to merge the territory with the neighbouring British [[Crown colony]] of the [[Gold Coast (British colony)|Gold Coast]], which was heading towards independence, rather than remain a trusteeship and await developments in [[French Togoland]]. On 13 December 1956, the [[United Nations General Assembly]] passed General Assembly resolution 1044 on "The future of Togoland under British administration". By that resolution, the UN acknowledged the outcome of the plebiscite held in the territory with a majority in favour of union with the Gold Coast. The resolution recommended that the United Kingdom effect the union of British Togoland with Gold Coast upon the independence of Gold Coast. To achieve that, the [[Ghana Independence Act 1957]] had the United Kingdom annex British Togoland to form part of Her Majesty's dominions comprising the [[Dominion of Ghana]].<ref>‘Commonwealth and Colonial Law’ by [[Kenneth Roberts-Wray]], London, Stevens, 1966. P. 789.</ref>

In a letter dated 6 March 1957, the British government informed the [[Secretary-General of the United Nations]] that with effect from midnight 6 March 1957, under the terms of the [[Ghana Independence Act 1957]], the territories previously comprised in the Gold Coast became the independent State of Ghana and that under the same Act, the union of the former Trust Territory of Togoland under British administration with the independent State of Ghana took place from the same time and date.<ref>[http://unyearbook.un.org/1956YUN/1956_P1_SEC3_CH5.pdf UN Publication entitled "The Future of the Togolands"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217051012/http://unyearbook.un.org/1956YUN/1956_P1_SEC3_CH5.pdf |date=17 December 2013 }}</ref><ref>[http://www.worldlii.org/int/other/UNGARsn/1957/8.pdf General Assembly, Eleventh Session, General Assembly resolution 1044 on "The future of Togoland under British administration"]</ref>

British Togoland's capital was [[Ho, Ghana|Ho]], which now serves as the capital of [[Volta Region]]. The region includes much of the former mandate's territory.

== United Nations trust territory ==
After [[World War II]], the mandate became a [[United Nations trust territory]] administered by the United Kingdom. Prior to the mandate and trusteeship periods, British Togoland was administered as part of the adjoining territory of the [[Gold Coast (British colony)|Gold Coast]], under the name of ''Trans-Volta Togo'' (TVT).<ref>[http://www.ghanadistricts.com/region/?r=7&sa=40&PHPSESSID=56a7bc7467f44316475c0e4af05a5e0b Volta Region] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926234201/http://www.ghanadistricts.com/region/?r=7&sa=40&PHPSESSID=56a7bc7467f44316475c0e4af05a5e0b |date=26 September 2007 }}</ref>

=== Togoland Congress ===
In 1954, the British government informed the UN that it would be unable to administer the Trust Territory after 1957. In response, in December 1955, the [[UN General Assembly]] passed a resolution advising the British government to hold a [[1956 British Togoland status plebiscite|plebiscite]] on the future of British Togoland.

On 9 May 1956, [[British Togoland status plebiscite, 1956|this plebiscite]] was held under UN supervision with the choice between formal integration with the future independent Gold Coast or continuation as a Trust Territory.

The [[Togoland Congress]] campaigned against integration. There was vocal opposition to the incorporation of [[Togoland]] from the [[Ewe people]] who voted against in British Togoland, as the Ewe wanted the unification of the [[Ewe people]] in British Togoland and [[French Togoland]] as a separate Ewe state (modern [[Togo]]).<ref name=pim>McLaughlin (1994), "The Politics of the Independence Movements".</ref>

It was reported that the vote results was 42% against from the [[Ewe people]] ([[Togoland Congress]]), and 58% for integration.

== See also ==
* [[Western Togoland]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Bourret, Florence Mabel. ''Gold Coast: A survey of the Gold Coast and British Togoland, 1919–1946.'' (Stanford University Press, 1949). [https://dspace.gipe.ac.in/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10973/36011/GIPE-023967.pdf?sequence=3 online]
* {{Cite web |url=https://research.un.org/en/docs/tc/britishtogoland |title=Research Guides: UN Documentation: Trusteeship Council: Togoland under British administration |last=Kurtas |first=Susan |date=9 October 2019 |publisher=United Nations |language=en |access-date=20 February 2020 |quote=Agreement, Petitions, Reports of Administering Power, and Reports of Visiting Missions }}

{{Commons category|British Togoland|position=left}}

{{British overseas territories}}
{{League of Nations mandates}}
{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:British Togoland| ]]
[[Category:1916 establishments in Africa]]
[[Category:1916 establishments in the British Empire]]
[[Category:1956 disestablishments in Africa]]
[[Category:British West Africa]]
[[Category:Former British colonies and protectorates in Africa|Togoland, British]]
[[Category:Former British protectorates|Togoland, British]]
[[Category:Former countries in Africa|Togoland, British]]
[[Category:Ghana and the Commonwealth of Nations]]
[[Category:League of Nations mandates|Togoland, British]]
[[Category:Togoland]]
[[Category:United Nations trust territories|Togoland, British]]