How did the Pacte Colonial shape France’s relationship with Martinique?

The Pacte Colonial was a body of principles established in 1674 when Martinique became part of the French crown domain. It defined the relationship between France and its colony through the guiding statement: "The mother country founds and maintains the colonies; the colonies enrich the mother country."1

This framework institutionalized an extractive economic relationship designed to benefit France. Under these principles, Martinique served as a source of wealth for the metropole, while the French state provided the administrative and military structure to maintain the island as a colonial possession. This system facilitated the development of plantation economies, which relied heavily on the slave trade to produce goods for the benefit of the French crown.1