French Madagascar
| Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies | |||||
| Colonie de Madagascar et dépendances | |||||
| French colony | |||||
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Anthem La Marseillaise • Ry Tanindrazanay malala ô! (instrumental only) |
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 Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies in 1930
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| Capital | Tananarive | ||||
| Languages | French · Malagasy · Comorian · Arabic | ||||
| Religion | Christianity · Islam · Traditional beliefs | ||||
| Government |
Colony (1897–1946) Overseas territory (1946–1958) |
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| Governor-General | |||||
| • | 1897–1905 | Joseph Gallieni | |||
| • | 1946–1948 | Jules Marcel de Coppet | |||
| High Commissioner | |||||
| • | 1948–1950 | Pierre Gabriel de Chevigné | |||
| • | 1953–1958 | André Soucadaux | |||
| Prime Minister | |||||
| • | 1957–1958 | Philibert Tsiranana | |||
| Historical era | New Imperialism | ||||
| • | Established | February 28, 1897 | |||
| • | Autonomy | October 14, 1958 | |||
| Area | |||||
| • | 1936 | 597,126 km² (230,552 sq mi) | |||
| • | 1950 | 594,890 km² (229,688 sq mi) | |||
| Population | |||||
| • | 1936 est. | 3,900,000 | |||
| Density | 6.5 /km² (16.9 /sq mi) | ||||
| • | 1950 est. | 4,182,000 | |||
| Density | 7 /km² (18.2 /sq mi) | ||||
| Currency |
French franc (1897–1925) Malagasy franc (1925–1945) Madagascar-Comores CFA franc (1945–1958) |
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| Today part of |
 Madagascar Comoros France
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The Colony of Madagascar and Dependencies (French: Colonie de Madagascar et dépendances) was a French colony off the coast of Southeast Africa between 1897 and 1958.
The Franco-Hova Wars (1883–1896) resulted in the fall of the Merina Kingdom and the establishment of a French protectorate (1896) that became a colony one year later.
Nationalist sentiment against French colonial rule emerged among a group of Merina intellectuals. The group, based in Antananarivo, was led by a Malagasy Protestant clergyman, Pastor Ravelojoana, who was especially inspired by the Japanese model of modernization. A secret society dedicated to affirming Malagasy cultural identity was formed in 1913, calling itself Iron and Stone Ramification (Vy Vato Sakelika, VVS). Although the VVS was brutally suppressed, its actions eventually led French authorities to provide the Malagasy with their first representative voice in government.
Malagasy veterans of military service in France during World War I bolstered the embryonic nationalist movement. Throughout the 1920s, the nationalists stressed labor reform and equality of civil and political status for the Malagasy, stopping short of advocating independence. For example, the French League for Madagascar under the leadership of Anatole France demanded French citizenship for all Malagasy people in recognition of their country's wartime contribution of soldiers and resources. A number of veterans who remained in France were exposed to French political thought, most notably the anti-colonial and pro-independence platforms of socialist parties. Jean Ralaimongo, for example, returned to Madagascar in 1924 and became embroiled in labor questions that were causing considerable tension throughout the island.
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Wikipedia