Imperialsim in Madagascar

Imperialism in Madagascar

When someone is talking about Madagascar usually they are talking about the huge cockroaches people have to eat on Fear Factor but there is so much more to the country than that. During a time when land was being snatched up and claimed by many Euro-Asia countries little had any right or reason to have the land. This time of imperialism effected economic markets, religion, and many other things pertaining to the Malagasy.

Throughout the centuries countries and mankind have always wanted one thing: power. This power can be in many forms such as money, property, friends, or technology. During the 1800s to 1914 many countries found land in Africa that had “primitive” or “incompetent” inhabitants so they claimed the country as theirs and took control of it to get more power. I believe France wanted Madagascar because it had found that the country’s land was inadequate for further growth so to posses more land they saw Madagascar and what it had to offer them, and protectorated it.

During the 1600s the Portuguese, the English, and the French, successful or not, tried to colonize Madagascar. This was the first attempt of any kind to penetrate Madagascar. In 1869 the French attained and expanded their political influence in Madagascar. In 1896, after a native rebellion they won the French achieved control and made all of Madagascar a French colony.

In 1810, during King Radama I’s reign, the British introduced Christianity. The Protestant London Missionary Society was welcomed and converted many willing natives. This period lasted until 1835 when in 1828 Radama was succeeded, by his wife Ranavalona I, and Christianity was declared illegal. In addition all Europeans were to leave the country and trade was stopped. This era ended in 1863 when Queen Rasoherina lifted the anti-European policy and missionaries and traders were received once more.

Throughout the French’s control of Madagascar there were several rebellions with at least 15,000 natives killed altogether. The first native rebellion lasted from 1894 until 1896 when a high government official organized a resistance to the French which ended with the French exiling the queen and gaining complete power over the nation. The second was in 1916 when the French uncovered a secret nationalist society that was outlawed and hundreds of its members were taken prisoner. The largest revolt was in 1947 and lasted nearly two years. This was a major uprising against the French, who crushed the rebellion, killing between 11,000 and 80,000 Malagasy (according to different estimates).