1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,000 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class. It's a production of I 2 00:00:02,080 --> 00:00:06,840 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hey everyone, it's Eves and welcome to another 3 00:00:06,880 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: episode of This Day and History Class, a podcast that 4 00:00:09,960 --> 00:00:12,720 Speaker 1: brings you a little nugget of history every single day. 5 00:00:14,960 --> 00:00:26,600 Speaker 1: Today is March. The day was March twenty nine nine 6 00:00:28,600 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: Malagassi nationalists launched an uprising against the French colonial government 7 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:38,000 Speaker 1: in Madagascar. The Malagassi are people of Indonesian and African 8 00:00:38,040 --> 00:00:43,360 Speaker 1: origin who live in Madagascar. Malagassi rulers had long attempted 9 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:48,320 Speaker 1: to resist British and French influence in Madagascar, but France 10 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:53,479 Speaker 1: annexed Madagascar by force in eighteen ninety six. In August 11 00:00:53,520 --> 00:00:56,040 Speaker 1: of that year, the island off of the southeast coast 12 00:00:56,040 --> 00:01:00,200 Speaker 1: of Africa officially became a French colony. Once the French 13 00:01:00,200 --> 00:01:04,120 Speaker 1: were in power, they took over administration and the economy, 14 00:01:05,240 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: but resistance to French rule continued. Upon French colonization. The 15 00:01:09,959 --> 00:01:14,360 Speaker 1: Minal Lamba Rebellion, for instance, began in eighteen nine as 16 00:01:14,440 --> 00:01:20,200 Speaker 1: people in central Madagascar fought European influence. More opposition to 17 00:01:20,240 --> 00:01:24,120 Speaker 1: French rule emerged across the colony, but the French quailed 18 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:28,640 Speaker 1: a lot of the opposition still nationalist groups formed as 19 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:34,160 Speaker 1: people grew more opposed to foreign influence. Madagascar was occupied 20 00:01:34,200 --> 00:01:37,479 Speaker 1: by the British and South Africans in nineteen forty two, 21 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:40,960 Speaker 1: and during the Second World War the living conditions of 22 00:01:40,959 --> 00:01:46,319 Speaker 1: the Malagassi got even worse. Workers were exploited through forced labor. 23 00:01:46,880 --> 00:01:50,840 Speaker 1: Rice was requisitioned for the war, leading to famine, and 24 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:55,320 Speaker 1: tens of thousands of Malagazis were conscripted into the French army. 25 00:01:56,360 --> 00:02:02,000 Speaker 1: So nationalist sentiment continued to grow. In early nineteen forty six, 26 00:02:02,360 --> 00:02:06,400 Speaker 1: after World War Two ended, two Malagasy nationalists who were 27 00:02:06,440 --> 00:02:10,880 Speaker 1: elected to represent Madagascar at the first French Constituent Assembly, 28 00:02:11,240 --> 00:02:15,000 Speaker 1: as well as a Malagassi writer, formed the Democratic Movement 29 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:20,280 Speaker 1: from Malagassi Renewal and Paris. The political party advocated Malagasy 30 00:02:20,360 --> 00:02:23,799 Speaker 1: self government within the French Union. Two of the leaders 31 00:02:23,840 --> 00:02:27,760 Speaker 1: of the party proposed legislation in the first Constituent Assembly 32 00:02:27,800 --> 00:02:31,600 Speaker 1: of the Fourth French Republic that would make Madagascar politically 33 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:36,120 Speaker 1: independent from France. The legislation was strongly opposed by the 34 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:42,200 Speaker 1: French government. Colonial Secretary Marius Mute declared a war against 35 00:02:42,200 --> 00:02:46,880 Speaker 1: the Malagasi independence movement. The US government criticized the actions 36 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: of the French, but the conflict escalated as nationalists were 37 00:02:51,080 --> 00:02:55,760 Speaker 1: moved to action. The Party of the Marginalized of Madagascar 38 00:02:56,000 --> 00:02:59,520 Speaker 1: formed in June of nineteen forty six in opposition to 39 00:02:59,560 --> 00:03:03,440 Speaker 1: the democ Radic Movement for Malagasi Renewal. A lot of 40 00:03:03,440 --> 00:03:06,680 Speaker 1: the members of the party were from coastal communities and 41 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:09,880 Speaker 1: were the descendants of people who were formerly enslaved by 42 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: the Marina people. The Marina people are a Malagasi ethnic 43 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,600 Speaker 1: group whose rulers had a lot of political power in 44 00:03:16,680 --> 00:03:21,680 Speaker 1: Madagascar in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The Party 45 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,640 Speaker 1: of the Marginalized Madagascar had Francis support and was not 46 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:31,160 Speaker 1: nationalist at first, though it eventually supported gradual independence. On 47 00:03:31,240 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 1: March seven, ninety seven, the leaders of the Democratic Movement 48 00:03:35,360 --> 00:03:39,280 Speaker 1: for Malagasi Renewal called for the Malagazi people to remain 49 00:03:39,360 --> 00:03:43,520 Speaker 1: peaceful so that they could secure a path to Madagascar's independence, 50 00:03:44,120 --> 00:03:47,720 Speaker 1: but on the evening of March twenty nine, Malagazi nationalists 51 00:03:47,720 --> 00:03:51,200 Speaker 1: executed surprise attacks on the eastern and southern part of 52 00:03:51,240 --> 00:03:56,440 Speaker 1: the island. They attacked a French military garrison, plantations and 53 00:03:56,560 --> 00:03:59,880 Speaker 1: other places, and they arrested people who had sided with 54 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,760 Speaker 1: the colonial authority. The uprising soon gained more supporters and 55 00:04:04,800 --> 00:04:09,000 Speaker 1: spread north on the island, but the conflict turned extremely violent. 56 00:04:09,960 --> 00:04:13,960 Speaker 1: France acted with force against insurgents, who were armed mainly 57 00:04:13,960 --> 00:04:18,520 Speaker 1: with spears and knives. The French government dissolved the Democratic 58 00:04:18,560 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: movement from Malagassi Renewal and its leaders were sentenced to death, 59 00:04:23,200 --> 00:04:26,640 Speaker 1: later commuted to life imprisonment. By the end of nineteen 60 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:31,839 Speaker 1: forty eight, French forces had effectively suppressed the uprising. The 61 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,479 Speaker 1: death toll is disputed, but some tens of thousands of 62 00:04:35,520 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: Malagassi combatants and civilians were killed. Around five hundred and 63 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 1: fifty French civilians and government troops were killed. Madagascar, then 64 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:51,880 Speaker 1: known as the Malagasi Republic, gained full independence in nineteen sixty. 65 00:04:52,920 --> 00:04:55,600 Speaker 1: I'm Eve Jeffcote and hopefully you know a little more 66 00:04:55,640 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: about history today than you did yesterday. And if you 67 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:01,440 Speaker 1: want to say us and know on social media, you 68 00:05:01,480 --> 00:05:04,680 Speaker 1: can hit us up on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram at 69 00:05:04,960 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: t D I HC podcast. You can also send us 70 00:05:08,880 --> 00:05:12,679 Speaker 1: a message via email at this Day at I heart 71 00:05:12,720 --> 00:05:16,360 Speaker 1: media dot com. Thanks again for listening to the podcast. 72 00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:24,719 Speaker 1: Hope you're staying safe and see you again. Tomorrow. For 73 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:27,479 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, 74 00:05:27,560 --> 00:05:30,120 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.