History of Africa

Season 4 Episode 24: The Brother’s Coup and Malagasy Constitution

In the aftermath of the controversial coup against Radama II, the new head of state, prime minister Rainivoninahitriniony, was in a tumultuous position. He and the fellow orchestrators of the coup had committed the unprecedented act of overthrowing the mpanjaka Imerina. He attempted to legitimize the bureaucratic takeover by marrying one of Radama's wives, Rasoherina, as well as drafting a new constitution for Imerina. While the constitution would last, Rainivoninahitriniony did not, and he was himself overthrown by his brother in 1864. This brother was Rainilaiarivony, one of the top ranking generals in the Malagasy army, who proceeded to implement a de facto military dictatorship, overthrowing his brother and declaring himself prime minister. While Rasoherina remained the official head of state, Rainilaiarivony was the true power behind the throne.
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Season 4 Episode 23: Radama II

Radama II had a short reign over Madagascar, and his legacy is heavily debated. Charitable accounts of his reign paint him as a forward-thinking and humanitarian reformer, the "Renaissance Prince of Madagascar." However, more critical accounts highlight his capitulation to foreign interests and unwillingness to adhere to Merina norms of power sharing, leading to a dysfunctional government.
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Season 4 Episode 22: The Lambert Coup

Ranavalona reluctantly begins to thaw the relations between her island kingdom and her long-time French adversaries. However, when a French businessman immediately tries to take advantage of the thaw, and prepares a coup to overthrow Ranavalona, place her son in power, and create a company with a monopoly on the Malagasy economy.
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Season 4 Episode 21: How Mad was the ”Mad Queen” of Madagascar?

Ranavalona has a reputation that precedes her as Madagascar's most unhinged and cruel despot. However, while this narrative is based in some truth, it severely lacks in an understanding of the nuances of her reign. This episode examines the truth and fiction behind Ranavalona's reputation as the "mad empress" of Madagascar
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Abraham Samuel: From Lowly Pirate to King of Madagascar - FROM THE VAULT

Due to sickness, I'm releasing a premium episode from the vault while I take the time to recover. This premium episode focused on Abraham Samuel, a mixed-race Caribbean man who joined a pirate crew seeking adventure, freedom, and riches, only to suddenly find himself king of his own small country in southern Madagascar.
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Season 4 Episode 20: Progress for the Few, Misery for the Many

The economic progress made under Ranavalona's early reign was seemingly awe-inspiring. The country had rapidly transformed from a feudal state pumping endless sums of cash into perpetually failing companies, into a more coherent system of state-run capitalism. However, this economic progress came at an enormous human price and was propped up by a system of horrifically brutal exploitation.This episode will focus on unfree labor within the Merina economy, with a focus on how the Merina system justified and explained the use of enslaved and corvee labor, the effect that reliance on unfree labor had on the Merina economy, and how unfree laborers responded to their oppression.
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Season 4 Episode 19: Western Technology, Malagasy Spirit

Ranavalona hires a new group of foreign artisans like Jean Laborde and James Cameron to hasten the transformation of Madagascar into a modern, industrialized economy. Will the Merina Kingdom become the first industrialized country in Africa?
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Season 4 Episode 18: The Rise of the ”Mad Queen” of Madagascar

When Radama I died without a clear heir, his wife, Ranavalona I, allied with a group of military officers to secure her place as the new queen of Madagascar. Almost immediately, she was faced with numerous challenges, including revolts from conquered peoples, criminal lynch mobs attacking Christians, growing resentment against missionary schools, a stumbling economy, and a French invasion of the largest Malagasy port. Not to mention she has to do it all while ruling as a woman - something which had never happened before in Merina history.
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Season 4 Episode 17: The Forges of Amoronkay

An industrial revolution in Southeast Africa? Following the abolition of the slave trade in 1817, the future of the economy of Imerina was in flux. Looking for a replacement for the system of slave trading, the Merina king Radama initiates a strategy of industrialization, one of the first intentional industrialization initiatives in history. Large iron forging complexes, agricultural processing facilities, leather tanning centers, and gunpowder manufacturing facilities were all part of Radama's plan to replace the slave trade economy with one of finished good manufacturing.
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Season 4 Episode 16: The Conquest of Toamasina

Prior to his coronation, the king of Imerina, Radama, promised to his father that he would expand the kingdom towards the coast. In 1817, he accomplished this goal, conquering the largest port on Madagascar's eastern coast, Toamasina.But this was only the beginning. With a new coastal possession, Imerina was launched into a global world of international politics. Starting in 1817, Radama initiated a crusade to "modernize" his kingdom, launching radical new reforms to its systems of education, economy, industry, and architecture. In a sense, the reforms of the Merina kingdom mark the first period of history in which an African country tries to "catch up" with Europe, a phenomenon still relevant throughout Africa to this day. Imerina's fate in this quest is an informative story to follow for anyone interested in the questions of why certain countries are rich, others are poor, and how this relationship may be changed.
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