Change in Madagascar - Borders, Politics, National Identity

   Madagascar has changed hands a few times over the many years that the Africa nation has existed. Around 1500 the Portuguese encountered Madagascar which also lead to many other European nations having an interest in the island.

   For many years, the Portuguese and other European nations tried to establish settlements on the island of Madagascar, but all their efforts failed. In the seventeenth century, Europeans described Madagascar as being a landscape of small kingdoms.[1] Eventually a settlement was established in Madagascar, specifically on Ile Sainte Marie, which became the home for at least 45 pirates. These pirates were supported by the small kingdoms in Madagascar and often married Malagasy women, sometimes even members of royal families.[2]

   Between the 18th and the 19th centuries, three main kingdoms appeared: the Merina in the central plateau, the Sakalava in the west, and Betsimisraka in the east. The Merina kingdom eventually became the primary kingdom in Madagascar. Madagascar’s 18 indigenous tribes united under the rule of the Merina kingdom.[3]

Hova and French armies on
the coast of Madagascar.
   Then with the death of the Antananarivo queen in 1883, the French began invading the coast of Madagascar and established a naval base. The Malagasy people, specifically the Hova, continued to fight against the French campaign but Antananarivo fell and Queen Ranavalona III accepted French demands.  For over 250 years the French had been trying to get their claws into Madagascar and they had finally succeeded, Madagascar was now a protectorate of France.[4]


    In May of 1942, the British returned and wrestled for control with the French.[5] Eventually, Madagascar achieved independence in 1960 with a strong presidential form of Government. The years since Madagascar’s independence have been full of political unrest. In 2009, just nine years ago, their democratically elected president was driven from power by a coup. During this time Madagascar was ruled by a military group called High Transitional Authority (HTA) which caused Madagascar to experience negative economic growth, diminished government revenues, and undermining in the political, social, and economic stability of the country. It was not until January of 2014, that Madagascar had another elected president.[6]

                                                                                                  
[1]Dewar, Robert E., and Alison F. Richard. "Madagascar: A History of Arrivals, What Happened, and Will Happen Next." Annual Review of Anthropology 41 (2012): 495-517.
[2]HOOPER, JANE. "Pirates and Kings: Power on the Shores of Early Modern Madagascar and the Indian Ocean." Journal of World History 22, no. 2 (2011): 215-42.
[3]"Madagascar." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations. . Encyclopedia.com. (April 21, 2018).
[4]Posso, R. Michael. "French Conquest of MADAGASCAR." Military History 22, no. 7 (October 2005): 46-73. Academic Search Alumni Edition, EBSCOhost (accessed May 14, 2018).
[5]Thomas, Martin. "Imperial Backwater or Strategic Outpost? The British Takeover of Vichy Madagascar, 1942." The Historical Journal 39, no. 4 (1996): 1049-074.
[6]U.S. relations with Madagascar. (2017). Washington: Superintendent of Documents. Retrieved from ProQuest Central; SciTech Premium Collection; Social Science Premium Collection.

Works Cited:
"Madagascar." Worldmark Encyclopedia of Nations. . Encyclopedia.com. (April 21, 2018). http://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/madagascar.
U.S. relations with Madagascar. (2017). Washington: Superintendent of Documents. Retrieved from ProQuest Central; SciTech Premium Collection; Social Science Premium Collection. Retrieved from http://ezproxy.liberty.edu/login?url=https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/docview/1910738929?accountid=12085.
Dewar, Robert E., and Alison F. Richard. "Madagascar: A History of Arrivals, What Happened, and Will Happen Next." Annual Review of Anthropology 41 (2012): 495-517. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23270724.

HOOPER, JANE. "Pirates and Kings: Power on the Shores of Early Modern Madagascar and the Indian Ocean." Journal of World History 22, no. 2 (2011): 215-42. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23011710.

Posso, R. Michael. "French Conquest of MADAGASCAR." Military History 22, no. 7 (October 2005): 46-73. Academic Search Alumni Edition, EBSCOhost (accessed May 14, 2018).


Thomas, Martin. "Imperial Backwater or Strategic Outpost? The British Takeover of Vichy Madagascar, 1942." The Historical Journal 39, no. 4 (1996): 1049-074. http://www.jstor.org/stable/2639867.

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