History of Madagascar

Protohistoire and history of the settlement

The island of Madagascar only seems to be occupied by the man very tardily, around the beginning of our era. All makes it possible to think that the first explorers were navigators originating in current the Indonesia. More precisely, of the south of the island of Borneo or Kalimantan where one finds always practiced by the people Daya of the interior (like in particular the My' anyan), of the narrowly related languages to those spoken in Madagascar. This navigation of the Austronesian people (or Nusantarien S) in the Indian Ocean represents during Westerner of a vast shift in population started since at least the third millennium before our era in the Pacific Ocean. It was made possible thanks to an early control of the art of the navigation, one of the chief features of which is the use of the multihull vessels and the boats with beams. According to the Chinese sources going back to the first centuries of our era, largest of these vessels could transport a thousand of passengers and hundreds of tons of goods. These first Asian occupants of Madagascar controlled the Métallurgie, including that of iron, the rice growing and the weaving of the Soie. In addition to the Rice, they transported with them many plants cultigenes of Southeast Asia like in particular the Banane, the Cocotier, the Igname, the taro, the Canne with sugar.

It also seems that these navigators indonésiens had establishments on the African coasts where started to penetrate of the populations bantoues, come from the interior of the continent. One then could put forth the assumption that the introduction of the Asian plants played a big role in the demographic explosion at the origin of this expansion bantoue.

The history of Madagascar during the first millenium of our era is still very badly known for us. One can only suppose that the island played a big role in the trade, in particular of the spices, between the Southeast Asia and the the Middle East, directly or via the African coasts. The trade of the slaves was not either absent since on the one hand, one finds mention of the presence of African slaves ( Zenj or zandj ) offered by Java are born at the court from China at the beginning of the 9th century, and other, Madagascar even started to know an Africanization of its population. This African presence in the island however seems to become massive only as from the 9th century, under the impulse of the Moslem trade. With indeed the arrival of the Islam, the Arabs supplant Indonésiens of the African coasts quickly and extend thereafter their control on the islands the Comoros and certain parts of the coasts of Madagascar. In parallel, under the joint competition of the new Chinese maritime powers (Song) and south-Indians (Chola), the Thalassocratie S indonésiennes know a fast decline, even if the Portuguese still find sailors Javanese in Madagascar when they approach there in XVIe century. All this involved the relative insulation of Madagascar which was not attended any more, of the outside, which by the Moslem tradesmen.

Today, population of Madagascar perhaps considered as the product of an interbreeding pushed between first occupants indonésiens and African.

In the linguistic plan, all the languages of Madagascar are of origin indonésiennes. But the vocabulary of African origin (Bantou) there is rather frequent.
In the biological plan, the population also is very métissée, with variations according to the areas. in some, the physical type dominating is very African, in others, like the area of the capital, the physical type indonésien is still quite present.

Kingdoms of Madagascar

It is during the first centuries of the second millenium that truly seems to set up current the Ethnie S autochtones of Madagascar, with their respective differences. The Merina undoubtedly count among made up in the past since their more former sovereigns whose names reached us (Andrianerinerina, Rapeto) would have reigned around the 12th century.

The first Europeans who discover the island in 1500 are the Portuguese, under the control of Diego Dias. But it is especially as from the 17th century that the European presence affects in a decisive way the destiny of the island by the massive introduction of the firearms and the development of the draft of the slaves. In 1665, Louis XIV makes a point of making of Madagascar the advanced base of the French Compagnie of the Eastern Indies. It results an increase from it from the disorders and the installation from warlike kingdoms, strongly related to Europeans, in particular of the pirate which are established in many areas. It is in particular the case of the kingdom Sakalava, extending on the major part of the Western littoral of the island, under the aegis of the kings Maroseraña, “with the many ports”. It was also the same on the east coast of the confederation of the Betsimisaraka, founded at the beginning of the 18th century by Ratsimilaho whose father was a Pirate English.

During this time, other kingdoms developed inside the grounds. Most important of them were, in the southern part, the kingdoms Betsileo and in the northern part, those of the Merina. The latter are definitively unified at the beginning of the 19th century by Andrianampoinimerina. Radama I {{er}} (reigning of 1810 - 1828), the son and successor of this one opens his country with the European influence exerted mainly by the missions, and, thanks to the support of the British his authority extends on the major part of the island. Thus starting from 1817, the kingdom merina becomes for the outside world, the Royaume of Madagascar.

The kingdom of Madagascar

In spite of a fold of a score of years under the reign of Ranavalona I {{Re}} (1828 - 1861), the impulse given by Radama Ier the kingdom of Madagascar continues its transformation throughout the 19th siècle.
To the Oral tradition which remains until our days the writing adds (Radama even teaches him the reading and the writing about 1820 with the Robin sergeant).
An embryo of Industrialization sets up starting from 1835 under the direction of Jean Laborde, producing soap, Porcelaine, metal tools, as well as firearms (rifles, guns, etc). In 1864 opens with Tananarive the first modern Hôpital and a medical school. Two years later appear the first newspapers. An English scientific magazine ( Antananarivo Annual ) is even published starting from 1875. In 1894, the day before the establishment of the colonial capacity, the schools of the kingdom, directed by the Protestant missions mainly , is attended by more than 200.000 pupils.
At that time of division of the world between the European imperialisms, the England accepts the claims of France to exert its influence on Madagascar and a treaty of alliance free-Madagascan is signed on December 17th, 1885 by the queen Ranavalona III.
Dissensions on the application of this treaty, serve as a pretexts for the French invasion of 1895, which meets initially only little resistance. The authority of the Prime Minister Rainilaiarivony, with the capacity since 1864, indeed became very unpopular near the population.
The intention of the French is initially to establish a simple mode of Protectorat, especially affecting the control of the economy and the foreign relations of the island. But thereafter, the bursting of the popular resistance of the Menalamba and the arrival of the general Gallieni charged “to pacify” the country in 1896 lead to the annexation and the exile of the queen with Algiers.

French colonization and the nationalist movement

The mission of " pacification" of the general Gallieni (1896 - 1905) is exerted with brutality. On the whole, the consequences of repression result in the disappearance of approximately 100.000 people, on a total population of less than 3 million inhabitants. The calm income, Galliéni endeavors to carry out its " policy of the races" , setting up in the provinces of the local administrators, instead of the Mérina administration. The Esclavage is removed. The autochtones, subjected to the mode of the Indigénat, lose straight and any specific representation. The schools undergo a forced Francization and lose a good part of their manpower. Thereafter, to leave 1901 especially, the colonial capacity starts the “development” of the new colony for the profit of the colonists and the metropolis. The transportation routes (roads, railroads, channels navigable) and agriculture develop, of the modern port S are arranged, etc

During the First World War, the French authorities mobilizes to 40.000 Malagasy combatants from which a fifth falls to the combat. Among the survivors, some were carrying the Spanish Grippe which they then will propagate in Madagascar causing the disappearance of several tens of thousands of people, in particular on the highlands from which a multitude of villages were going to be deserted. Meanwhile appeared, in 1915, a first resistance movement, that of the VVS (Vy Vato Sakelika) which undergoes a violent repression at once. This nationalist movement then developed towards the end of the year twenty pennies the impulse of Ralaimongo and Ravoahangy ( Malagasy Ligue for the accession of the natives of Madagascar to the French citizenship ). Its methods remained however legalists, in spite of the constancy of repression. In 1942, Madagascar is invaded by the British troops, which completes to undermine the prestige of France to the eyes of the natives, even if the capacity is given to the representatives of the free France.

As from 1946, the combat for the restoration of independence is carried out by the MDRM (Democratic movement of the Malagasy restoration), directed in particular by Raseta, Ravoahangy and Jacques Rabemananjara. Ravoahangy and Raseta will become the first Malagasy deputies of the French constituent Assembly. To counter it, the French encourage the development of the PADESM (Parti disinherited Madagascar), a party anti-freedom fighter gathering only the Mainti-enindreny and the Tanindrana or Coastal. The bursting of the insurrection of 1947 is subdued by a violent repression of the French colonial authorities resulting in the death from 8.000 to 12.000 people approximately and who will serve as a pretext for the dissolution of the MDRM by the French authorities. It should be noted that certain estimates, going from 80.000 to 100.000 dead, do not rest on any serious historical element, but resulting from an erroneous French military estimate of 80.000 died, including 75.000 killed by the insurrectionists and going back to 1949. According to the historian Jean Fremigacci the assessment is established as follows:

To two thousand civilians killed by the insurrectionists.
Thousand to two thousand civilians killed by French soldiers at the time of War crimes.
Five to six thousand insurgent killed with the combat.
Twenty to thirty thousand insurgent died of malnutrition or disease.

After their defeat in Indo-China in 1954 however, the French are obliged to consider the possibility of the accession of their other colonies to independence. Thus the Outline law, envisaging the transfer of the executive power to the local authorities is installation in 1956. This allows in July 1958 the access to the head of the government of Philibert Tsiranana, a former leader of the PADESM, become appointed in 1956. October 14th of the same year, the Malagasy Republic is instituted by the colonial capacity, followed on June 26th, 1960 of the proclamation of independence.

The Malagasy Republic

Under the presidency of Philibert Tsiranana (1959-1972), the French continue to exert a direct control on the administration and the army of the new republic, like on the economic activities and the cultural life. In 1972 however, the revolt of the students, massively supported by the high-school pupils and the working world of the province of Tananarive leads to the fall of the mode. The general Ramanantsoa, chief of the staff sees himself entrusting by the street the reins of the capacity. But this one does not succeed in strengthening its authority and, confronted with the aggravation of the disorders and the risk of bursting of the country, prefers to be withdrawn at the beginning of 1975 by giving up the capacity with the hands of colonel Ratsimandrava, who is assassinated at the end of one week. At the end finally of an instability of several months, a military conspiracy places at the report heading the lieutenant commander Didier Ratsiraka, which had in load the Ministry for Foreign Affairs under the government of Ramanantsoa.

As of its access to the capacity, Ratsiraka proclaims its will to found a “revolutionary” mode, near to the “socialist block”, under the aegis of a Second Republic. Many sectors of the economy are thus nationalized and a sole party, the AREMA (Avant-garde of the Malgache revolution) dominates all the political life. Discouraged, the investors withdraw themselves, involving a fast degradation of the economic activity and an aggravation of impoverishment. Disorders, each time repressed hard burst then a little everywhere, completing to demoralize the population. At the end of about fifteen years of this mode, Madagascar finds itself among the poorest countries of planet.

Resistance to the mode becomes truly effective only with beginning of the year 90, under the impulse of the movement Hery Velona (Lifeblood) which succeeds in in February 1993 making fall Ratsiraka. The new president, Albert Zafy, carries out at once an exaggerated liberalization of all the institutions within the framework of a Third Republic. But the situation, instead of improving is degraded more still. The investors are sulky Madagascar, the more so as the capacity even is paralyzed by the intrigues between the rival clans dominating the Parliament, over bottom of generalized corruption. All this leads to the dismissal of Zafy by the High Constitutional court (HCC) on September 5th, 1996, the management of the capacity being entrusted in interim to the Prime Minister Norbert Ratsirahonana.

The new presidential election which finishes on January 31st, 1997 devotes the return of Didier Ratsiraka to the capacity for five years. In 1998, this one organizes a Référendum reinforcing the presidential capacity while proceeding to the installation of the “autonomous provinces” which remain in fact under its direct control.

At the end of its mandate, Ratsiraka is again driven out capacity: at the end of 2001, Marc Ravalomanana being elected with the head of the Republic of Madagascar to the presidential election. After an arm wrestling of several months, Didier Ratsiraka leaves the Island into semi-2002 with the barons of the old mode and takes refuge in France. Marc Ravalomanana republishes his exploit at the time of the presidential election of the December 3rd 2006 while gaining with the first turn with the absolute majority in front of 13 other applicants, and is again invested president of the République of Madagascar for new a Mandat 5 years. He again calls the Madagascans with the ballot boxes for the April 4th 2007 for a referendum which has as an main object the removal of the six “autonomous provinces” and the introduction of the “areas” 22.

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