ZIHE XI

Nationalism is a sentiment based on the same geographical and demographic region as well as common cultural and political backgrounds that holds a group of people together; it usually produces a feeling of patriotism and national independence. Nationalism in Madagascar had deep historical roots. As early as in 1947, Malagasy nationalists started a rebellion against French colonial rule. Before the rebellion took place, Madagascar’s first French National Assembly deputies attempted to achieve national independence through legal measures, but the initiative was turned down and returned with a harsh response, which radicalized the Malagasy nationalists and led them to launch an attack against military bases and French-owned plantations. Soon after the rebellion started, the French began to fight back against the nationalists. With a troop that tripled in size and a much stronger military force, the Malagasy nationalists suffered a great loss, with an estimated number of 100,000 casualties. The Uprising was eventually put down by the end of 1948.

(Pro-independence activists submit to French arrest during the 1947 rebellion)

The rebellion was a failure to Malagasies, and one of the biggest post-war colonial massacres. According to historian Philippe Leymarie, “It (the Madagascar Uprising) destroyed a whole generation of Madagascar’s managerial class and intensified the country’s problems. Madagascar, once proud and united, has been ruined by foreign interference and has been unable to recover its traditional equilibrium.” (Leymarie, web) Although with such severe consequences, I still think that the Madagascar Uprising had some good aspects to it; I believe it further solidified its people, strengthened their patriotism, and gave them a better idea the real capability of their country. Just like one of Madagascar’s previous prime ministers—Guy Razanamasy once said “The uprising made us realize we were Malagasies. It was the whole country, not just the Merinas.” (Razanamasy, web) In the late 1970s, a few decades later after the rebellion, people were gradually stepping out of the sorrow of loss, and began to celebrate the Uprising anniversary with pride and gratitude, as “a revolution which admitted failed, but which opened they way to future nationalst struggles.” (Fanony and Guennier, 1997) More recently, in 2012, a museum dedicated to the Madagascar Uprising was officially opened in Moramanga.

(The Malagasy Uprising against French colonial rule, which began on 29 March 1947, is commemorated by a national monument in Moramanga.)

Although celebrated in many countries, nationalism faces dangers as it rises. One of the dangers, as Zakaria explained in his book, is the conflict between nation-state identity and religious, ethnic identities that live within nation-states. Zakaria stated that the rise of nationalism in his opinion refers to a broader phenomenon—the assertion of identity; and while the religious and ethnic identities have actually had a much longer history than those of nation-state, they have stayed strong and even grown as economic interdependence deepened. This creates conflicts when it comes to governing; the central government might become increasingly unconvincing to some groups of people. Or in Zakaria’s words, “it makes purposeful national action far more difficult.” (Zakaria, pg.41)

As one of the poorest countries in the world, Madagascar faces the serious income inequality. Study shows that 77% of the population in Madagascar lives on 1.25 US dollars a day, 70% of the population is poor and 50% is extremely poor. According to a study conducted to investigate the trends in Madagascar’s income inequality from 2001-2005, there’s great income differences at the provincial level, separated by urban and rural areas. Although data shows that inequality actually decreased through out the nation, the provincial trends show a significant dispersion in inequality reduction rates. The study concluded that “what dominated inequality changes between 2001 and 2005 was the contribution from changes in inequality within provinces and within urban/rural areas. ” (Amendola, 2008)The table below better explains this key finding.