Madagascar: Political background

The following pages provide a brief overview of the main features of the Madagascar's political past:

• Earliest settlement and Indian Ocean integration (100-1640)
• Slavery and early state formation (1642-1750)
• Origin and rise of the Merina Kingdom (c1650-1828)
• Late Merina Kingdom (1828-1896)
• Early French Colonialism (1896-1945)
• Late French Colonialism (1945-1960)
• Tsiranana government (1960-1972)
• Socialist experiments (1972-1979)
• Authoritarian capitalism (1979-1993)
• Zafy and Ratsiraka governments (1992-2002)
• Ravalomanana government (2002-2006)