As the country gained Independence on Nov 28, 1960, the Capital city Nouakchott was founded at the site of a small colonial village, the Ksar.
President Moktar Ould Daddah, originally helpedto the post by the French, rapidly reformed Mauritania into an authoritarian one-party state in 1964,with his new constitution.
Daddah's own Parti Du Peuple Mauritanien (PPM) became the ruling organisation. The President justified this by saying that Mauritania was unready for multiparty democracy of the western style.
Under this one-party constitution, Daddah was re-elected in uncontested elections in 1966, 1971, and 1976. The country's sizable iron ore 
helped the new Govt. to construct a 675-km railway line and a mining port. The production began in 1963. The mines were run by a foreign company with approximately 3,000 local workers with good salary. But left-wing opposition to the Govt. formed a marxist union there in 1973. But Daddah survived the challenge by nationalising the the company in 1974 and withdrawing from the franc zone, sustituting the ouguiya for the
helped the new Govt. to construct a 675-km railway line and a mining port. The production began in 1963. The mines were run by a foreign company with approximately 3,000 local workers with good salary. But left-wing opposition to the Govt. formed a marxist union there in 1973. But Daddah survived the challenge by nationalising the the company in 1974 and withdrawing from the franc zone, sustituting the ouguiya for the
CFA.
In 1975, partly for nationalist reason and partly for fear of Moroccan expansionism, Mauritania invaded and annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara and renamed it as Tiris al Garbiyya. However after nearly three years of raid by Sahrawi guerrillas of the Polisorio Front Mauritanian economy began to crumble.
In 1975, partly for nationalist reason and partly for fear of Moroccan expansionism, Mauritania invaded and annexed the southern third of the former Spanish Sahara and renamed it as Tiris al Garbiyya. However after nearly three years of raid by Sahrawi guerrillas of the Polisorio Front Mauritanian economy began to crumble.
On July10, 1978, Col. Mustafa Ould Salek led a bloodless coup d' etat that ousted President Daddah. The Power was taken by another Military , due bad handling, he was pushed by a group of officers who renamed the junta the Military Committee for national Salvation and Mohammed Khouna Ould Haidallah soon emerged as its main Committee for National Recovery (CMRN) in 1979.
