Fulbert Youlou (19 July 1917 – 6 May 1972) was Prime Minister of the Republic of the Congo from 8 December 1958 to 21 November 1959, succeeding Jacques Opangault and preceding Alphonse Massamba-Debat; he also served as President of the Congo from 15 August 1960 to 15 August 1963, preceding Massamba-Debat. Youlou, the first president of an independent Congo, was known for his corruption, his anti-communism, and his authoritarianism, and he was overthrown in a French-sanctioned coup in 1963.
Biography[]
Fulbert Youlou was born in Madibou, French Equatorial Africa on 8 December 1958 to a Catholic Bakongo family. Youlou, a Catholic priest for years, developed an interest in politics, and he founded the Christian liberal Democratic Union for the Defense of African Interests (UDDIA) in 1956. The party placed second in the 1957 elections, and Youlou was catapulted to the prime ministership in 1958 after the UDDIA won a sweeping victory in the elections and declared Congolese independence. In 1959, Youlou refused to hold legislative elections, and political violence with democracy activists led to Youlou eliminating the parliamentary opposition and esconcing himself in power. Youlou oversaw the elimination of the Congolese far-left with the help of former officials of Vichy France, and he became the Congo's first president in 1960. In March 1961, Youlou passed a new constitution that strengthened his regime, and he won the 1961 election with an improbable 97.56% of the vote. Youlou established relations with President Joseph Kasa-Vubu of Congo-Leopoldville and President Moise Tshombe of Katanga, and he toyed with the idea of creating a large Bakongo state that united the two Congos, as well as planning the destruction Patrice Lumumba's communist movement. However, Youlou also established relations with the Guinean revolutionary leader Ahmed Sekou Toure, despite his anti-communist views.
In 1962, Youlou announced his plans to formalize the creation of a one-party state in the Congo, and the unions objected to Youlou's consolidation of power. On 13 August 1963, the military launched a coup against Youlou, and Youlou appealed to President Charles de Gaulle to send in nearby French Army troops to help him retake the presidential palace. However, De Gaulle disliked Youlou, and he refused to commit any troops. Youlou was forced to resign, and he died in exile in Madrid, Spain in 1972 at the age of 54.