Madagascar+History

HISTORY


 * The people of Madagascar are of mixed Asian and African descent. It is believed that the island was uninhabited until Indonesian seafarers arrived around the first century AD. These men then acquired African wives and slaves. More people migrated to the island from the Pacific and Africa which caused more tribes to form. In all, there were 18 separate tribal groups.[[image:madhistory.jpg align="right"]]
 * The first written history of Madagascar was around the seventh century AD, when Arabs established trading posts along the coast of the island. Contact with people from Europe did not happen until about the 1500s.
 * In the late 17th century, the French established a trading post on the east coast of the island. From about 1774-1824, Madagascar was a favorite place for Pirates to go, including American pirates. One of the pirates brought Malagascy rice back to South Carolina in the United States.
 * During the 1790s Merina rulers created a harmony over the land including the coastal areas. In 1817, the Merina rulers worked with the British governor of Mauritis and wrote a treaty that abolished the slave trade. This was an important decision for Madagascar because it was one of their main economic activities. Since Madagascar abolished the slave trade, the British supplied the island with some of their military troops as well as financial help.
 * The British influence remained strong on the island for several decades. During this time, the Merina court was converted to Presbyterianism, Congregationalism, and Anglicism.
 * In 1885, the British turned the control of the island over to the French. The French controlled every aspect of Madagascar with their military from 1895-1896 and the Merina monarchy was completely abolished.
 * Madagascar was involved in the first World War. Their troops fought in Syria, Morocco, and France. When France fell to the Germans, Madagascar was taken over by the Vichy government. The British troop took over the island again in 1942 to prevent it from getting seized by the Japanese. After the French regained their freedom, they received control of the island again. This happened in 1943.
 * In 1947, the[[image:madfrench.jpg align="left"]] French suppressed an uprising that had gone on for several months by the Malagascy people. As a result of this, the French created reform institutions in 1956, and Madagascar started to moved towards independence.
 * After several hundred years of being occupied by different countries, the Malagascy Republic was established on October 14,1958 as an autonomous state with France. In 1959, the period of porvisional government ended with the writing of a Constitution and Madagascar finally gained full independence on June 26, 1960.

The French in Madagascar.

Madagascar. (n.d.). U.S. Department of State. Retrieved December 2, 2010, from http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5460.htm# All images taken from www.images.google.com
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