Conflict episode
Malagasy Uprising, 1947-48
An armed uprising against French colonial rule, associated with the outlawed MDRM, broke out in 1947 and was suppressed by 1948; its death toll is disputed, with estimates ranging from roughly 11,000 to 89,000.
What happened
An armed uprising against French colonial rule broke out in 1947, associated with the pro-independence Mouvement Démocratique de la Rénovation Malgache (MDRM), which French authorities outlawed. French forces suppressed the uprising by 1948. Its death toll is widely disputed: official French figures at the time cited a repression toll of 89,000, while other published estimates range from roughly 11,000 to 40,000, with some historians favouring a range of about 20,000 to 30,000; no single figure is adopted as fact.[1]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: An armed uprising against French colonial rule, associated with the outlawed pro-independence Mouvement Démocratique de la Rénovation Malgache (MDRM), broke out in Madagascar in 1947 and was suppressed by French forces by 1948; its death toll is widely disputed, with official French figures at the time citing 89,000, other published estimates ranging from roughly 11,000 to 40,000, and some historians favouring a range of about 20,000 to 30,000.
- Malagasy Uprising (Wikipedia) link, Casualties section. Source record