Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
nally imposed their rule by invasion in 1895. For a year the country was a full protectorate
and in 1896 Madagascar became a French colony. A year later Queen Ranavalona III was
exiled to Algeria and the monarchy abolished.
The first French Governor-General of Madagascar, Joseph Simon Gallieni, was an able
andrelativelybenignadministrator.HesetouttobreakthepoweroftheMerinaaristocracy
and remove the British influence by banning the teaching of English. French became the
official language.
BRITISH MILITARY TRAINING AND THE TWO WORLD WARS
Britain has
played an important part in the military history of Madagascar. During the wars which pre-
cededcolonisationBritishmercenariestrainedtheMalagasyarmytofighttheFrench.Dur-
ing World War I 46,000 Malagasy were recruited for the Allies and over 2,000 killed. In
1942, when Madagascar was under the control of the Vichy French, the British invaded
Madagascar to forestall the possibility of the Japanese Navy making use of the great har-
bour of Diego Suarez (see box on
Click Here
).
In 1943 Madagascar was handed back to France under a Free French Government. A
MalagasyuprisingagainsttheFrenchin1947wasbloodilyrepressed(some80,000aresaid
to have died) but the spirit of nationalism lived on and in 1960 the country achieved full
independence.
MADAGASCAR AND THE JEWS OF EUROPE
John Grehan
During the latter years of the 1930s, German Nazis, as well as many anti-Semites
across Europe, wanted to rid the continent of all Jews. Their solution to the 'Jewish
Question' was the wholesale deportation of European Jews to Madagascar. What be-
came known as 'The Madagascar Plan' was first discussed as early as November
1938, a year before the outbreak of World War II. (As Madagascar was a French
colonyonecanonlywonderatwhatdegreeofcollusiontherewasbetweentheFrench
and German governments over this proposal at that time.)
The annexation of Poland in 1939 brought yet more Jews under German adminis-
tration. This led to a revival of The Madagascar Plan and prompted the President of
the Academy of German Law - Hans Franc - to suggest that as many as three million
Jews should be shipped to Madagascar. This would have meant the German occupa-
tion of the island and this was certainly discussed in 1940 within days of the fall of
France. Indeed, Franz Rademacher of the German Foreign Office drew up firm ar-
rangements for installing the Jews in Madagascar in September 1940, and he planned
to visit the island to 'map out' the details.
