Fort-de-France Other News
History part II
Apr 25, 2007 16:46:35
History of Martinique Part II In 1902, a blast from Mont Pelée (a still-active volcano) laid waste to Saint-Pierre with a burst of superheated gas and burning ash 40 times stronger than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Only one of the town's 30,000 residents survived (and he was in jail). Saint-Pierre, long regarded as the most cultured city in the French West Indies, was eventually rebuilt. However, the capital was moved permanently to Fort-de-France and Saint-Pierre has never been more than a shadow of its former self. During WWII, Martinique fell under the administration of the Vichy government when France was partitioned following the Nazi invasion. When the Nazis got bored of Paris and invaded the south, they also took control of the colonies. In 1946 Martinique became an overseas department of France, with a status similar to those of metropolitan departments, and when in 1958 they were given the choice between integrating with the mainland French community or striking it alone, they opted for the security of the former option. In 1974 it was further assimilated into the political fold as a region of France. Martinique's administrative status was promoted to that of a region, and nine years later a regional council was instituted.
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