When ending the slave trade became the crucial issue in the 1840s and 1850s, there developed two distinct factions which historian John C. Yoder has called the "Elephant" and the "Fly" parties. Ghezo was the head of the Elephant faction which supported opposition to the British demands to end the slave trade and was supported by key officials and the representatives of de Sousa. The Fly faction, in contrast, supported ending the slave trade and accommodating British demands. The Fly faction grew more powerful with the British naval blockade of 1852 and Ghezo eventually agreed to end the slave trade; however, the Elephant faction and the interests of de Souza's family remained important for the rest of his reign. Historian Robin Law largely believes that the elite factionalism to Ghezo developed in 1856 when he had reduced the slave trade. In that year, a faction for the resumption of the slave trade formed, headed by the "Migan" and "Yovogan" (governor of Whydah) which pushed Ghezo toward resuming the slave trade in 1857.