The mission of “pacification” of the general Gallieni (1896-1905) is exerted with brutality. On the whole, the consequences of repression result in the disappearance of approximately 100.000 people, on a total population of less than 3 million inhabitants. Calms returned, Galliéni endeavours to carry out its “policy of the races”, setting up in the provinces of the local administrators, instead of the Mérina administration. Slavery is removed. The autochtones, subjected to the mode of the indigénat, lose straight and any specific representation. The schools undergo a forced Francization and lose a good part of their manpower. Thereafter, to leave 1901 especially, the colonial capacity starts the “development” of the new colony for the profit of the colonists and the metropolis. The transportation routes (roads, railroads, channels navigable) and agriculture develop, of the modern ports are arranged, etc
During the First World War, the French authorities mobilize to 40.000 Malagasy combatants from which a fifth falls to the combat. Among the survivors, some were carrying the Spanish influenza which they then will propagate in Madagascar causing the disappearance of several tens of thousands of people, in particular on the highlands whose multitude of villages were going to be deserted. Meanwhile appeared, in 1915, a first movement of resistance, that of the VVS (Vy Vato Sakelika) which undergoes a violent repression at once. This nationalist movement then developed towards the end of the Twenties pennies the impulse of Ralaimongo and Ravoahangy (Malagasy League for the accession of the natives of Madagascar to the French citizenship). Its methods remained however legalists, in spite of the constancy of repression. In 1942, Madagascar is invaded by the British troops, which completes to undermine the prestige of France to the eyes of the natives, even if the capacity is given to the representatives of free France. Memorial of the insurrection of 1947. Memorial of the insurrection of 1947.
Since 1946, the combat for the restoration of independence is carried out by the MDRM (democratic Movement of the Malagasy restoration), directed in particular by Raseta, Ravoahangy and Jacques Rabemananjara. Ravoahangy and Raseta will become the first Malagasy deputies of the French constituent Assembly. To counter it, the French encourage the development of the PADESM (Left disinherited Madagascar), a party anti-freedom fighter gathering only Mainti-enindreny and Tanindrana or Coastal. The bursting of the insurrection of 1947 is subdued by a violent repression of the French colonial authorities resulting in the death from 8.000 to 12.000 people approximately and who will serve as a pretext for the dissolution of the MDRM by the French authorities. It should be noted that certain estimates, going from 80.000 to 100.000 dead, do not rest on any serious historical element, but resulting from an erroneous French military estimate of 80.000 died, including 75.000 killed by the insurrectionists and going back to 1949 [1]. According to the historian Jean Fremigacci [2] the assessment is established as follows:
* Up to two thousand civil killed by the insurrectionists. * Thousand to two thousand civil killed by French soldiers at the time of war crimes. * Five to six thousand insurgent killed with the combat. * Twenty to thirty thousand insurgent died of malnutrition or disease.
After their defeat in Indo-China in 1954 however, the French are obliged to consider the possibility of the accession of their other colonies to independence. Thus the outline law, envisaging the transfer of the executive power to the local authorities is installation in 1956. This gives in July 1958 access to the head of the government of Philibert Tsiranana, a former leader of the PADESM, become appointed in 1956. On October 14 of the same year, the Malagasy Republic is instituted by the colonial capacity, followed on June 26, 1960 of the proclamation of independence.
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