మారిషస్

The island of Mauritius was uninhabited before its first recorded visit during the Middle Ages by Arab sailors, who named it Dina Arobi.

In 1507, Portuguese sailors came to the uninhabited island and established a visiting base. Diogo Fernandes Pereira, a Portuguese navigator, was the first European known to land in Mauritius. He named the island "Ilha do Cirne". The Portuguese did not stay long as they were not interested in these islands.[7]

In 1598 a Dutch squadron under Admiral Wybrand van Warwyck landed at Grand Port and named the island "Mauritius" after Prince Maurice of Nassau (Dutch: Maurits van Nassau) of the Dutch Republic. The Dutch inhabited the island in 1638, from which they exploited ebony trees and introduced sugar cane, domestic animals and deer. It was from here that Dutch navigator Abel Tasman set out to discover the western part of Australia. The first Dutch settlement lasted twenty years. Several attempts were subsequently made, but the settlements never developed enough to produce dividends, causing the Dutch to abandon Mauritius in 1710.[7][8]

ఇప్పటికే ఐల్ బౌర్బాన్ (ప్రస్తుతం రీయూనియన్) ను నియంత్రిస్తున్న ఫ్రాన్సు 1715 లో మారిషసు మీద నియంత్రణను తీసుకుంది. దాని పేరును ఐలె డి ఫ్రాంసుగా మార్చింది. 1723 లో బానిసలను "వస్తువుల" గా వర్గీకరించడానికి కోడ్ నోయిర్ స్థాపించబడింది. యజమాని తన "వస్తువులను" కోల్పోయే సందర్భంలో భీమా డబ్బు, నష్ట పరిహారాన్ని పొందగలిగేలా ఈ సంస్థ స్థాపించబడింది.[9]1735 లో ఇక్కడకు చేరుకున్న ఫ్రెంచి గవర్నరు బెర్ట్రాండు-ఫ్రాంకోయిసు మాయ డే లా బౌర్డొనాయిసు చక్కెర ఉత్పత్తి మీద దృష్టి కేంద్రీకరించి సుసంపన్న ఆర్థిక వ్యవస్థను అభివృద్ధి చేసాడు. మాహె డి లా బోర్డన్ననైసు పోర్టు లూయిసును స్థాపించి నౌకా స్థావరం, నౌకా నిర్మాణ కేంద్రంగా అభివృద్ధి చేసాడు. [7]

అతని పాలనలో అనేక భవనాలు నిర్మించబడ్డాయి. వీటిలో చాలా వరకు ఇప్పటికీ నిలిచి ఉన్నాయి. వీటిలో ప్రభుత్వ గృహం, చెటేవు డి మోసై ప్లాయిసరు, పోలీసు బలగాల ప్రధాన కార్యాలయ విభాగం బారక్సు ఉన్నాయి. ఈ ద్వీపం ఫ్రెంచి ఈస్టు ఇండియా కంపెనీ పరిపాలనలో ఇది 1767 వరకు కొనసాగింది.[7]

1767 నుండి 1810 వరకు (ఫ్రెంచి విప్లవం సమయంలో కొంతకాలం మినహా) నివాసులు ఫ్రాన్సు నుండి స్వతంత్ర ప్రభుత్వాన్ని ఏర్పాటు చేసినప్పటికీ ఈ ద్వీపాన్ని ఫ్రెంచి ప్రభుత్వం నియమించిన అధికారులు నియంత్రించారు. జాకుసు-హెన్రీ బెర్నార్డిను డి సెయింటు-పియర్రు ఈ ద్వీపంలో 1768 నుండి 1771 వరకు నివసించి తిరిగి ఫ్రాన్సుకు వెళ్ళాడు. ఇక్కడ అతను పాల్ ఎట్ వర్జిని అనే ఒక ప్రేమ కథను వ్రాశాడు. ఇది ఫ్రెంచి భాష మాట్లాడే ఐల్ డి ఫ్రాన్సులో ప్రాబల్యత సంతరించుకుంది. ప్రసిద్ధ ఫ్రెంచి గవర్నర్లు వికోమెటు డి సౌలియకు (పోర్ట్ లూయిస్లో చౌస్సీని నిర్మించారు. [10] సవన్నే జిల్లాలో స్థిరనివాసానికి రైతులను ప్రోత్సహించారు) ఆంటోనీ బ్రుని డి'ఎర్రేక్సాయెక్సు హిందూ మహాసముద్రంలో ఫ్రెంచి భారతదేశంలో పాండిచ్చేరికి బదులుగా మారిషస్లో తమ ప్రధాన కార్యాలయాన్ని కలిగి ఉండాలి అని కోరుకున్నాడు.[11] ఫ్రెంచి విప్లవ యుద్ధాలలో విజయవంతమైన జనరలుగా ఉన్న చార్లెసు మాథ్యూ ఇసిడోరు డీకాను మొదటి నెపోలియనుకు ప్రత్యర్థిగా ఉన్నాడు. 1803 ఆయన నుండి 1810 వరకు ఇస్లే డి ఫ్రాన్సు, రీయూనియను గవర్నర్గా పరిపాలించాడు. బ్రిటిషు నౌకాదళ కార్టోగ్రాఫరు, అన్వేషకుడు మాథ్యూ ఫ్లిండర్సు ద్వీపంలో జనరలు డీకను నెపోలియను ఆదేశంతో ఈ ద్వీపంలో నిర్బంధించబడ్డాడు. నెపోలియన్ యుద్ధాల సందర్భంగా మారిషసు బ్రిటీషు వాణిజ్య నౌకలపై విజయవంతంగా దాడులను నిర్వహించిన ఫ్రెంచి కార్సైసుకుపునాదిగా మారింది. 1810 వరకు దాడులు కొనసాగాయి. ఈ ద్వీపాన్ని స్వాధీనం చేసుకునేందుకు కమోడోర్ జోస్యసు రోలే, ఆర్.ఎన్, ఒక ఆంగ్లో-ఐరిషు నాయకత్వంలో ఒక రాయలు నేవీ పంపబడింది. గ్రాండు పోర్టు యుద్ధంలో బ్రిటీష్వారి మీద ఫ్రెంచి నౌకాదళం సాధించినప్పటికీ ఫ్రెచి బ్రిటిషు మీద సాధించిన ఏకైక విజయంగా ఇది మిగిలిపోయింది. మూడు నెలలు తర్వాత కాప్ మాలెయ్యూక్సులో బ్రిటీషు ల్యాండింగు చేయకుండా ఫ్రెంచి నిరోధించలేకపోయింది. దాడి చేసిన ఐదవ రోజున 1810 డిసెంబరు 3 న ద్వీపం లొంగిపోయింది.[11] స్థిరనివాసులకు వారి ఆస్థులు, భూమి మీద హక్కు, ఫ్రెంచి భాషను ఉపయోగించడానికి, సివిలు, క్రిమినలు నేరాలకు ఫ్రెంచి చట్టం అనుసరించడానికి అనుమతించబడింది.[7]

The Battle of Grand Port between French and British naval forces, 1810

The British administration, which began with Sir Robert Farquhar as Governor, led to rapid social and economic changes. However, it was tainted by the Ratsitatane episode. Ratsitatane, nephew of King Radama of Madagascar, was brought to Mauritius as a political prisoner. He managed to escape from prison and plotted a rebellion that would free the island's slaves. He was betrayed by an associate and was caught by the British forces, summarily judged, and condemned to death. He was beheaded at Plaine Verte on 15 April 1822, and his head was displayed as a deterrent against future uprisings among the slaves.[12]

In 1832, Adrien d'Épinay launched the first Mauritian newspaper (Le Cernéen) which was not controlled by the government. In the same year, there was a move by the procureur-general to abolish slavery without compensation to the slave owners. This gave rise to discontent, and, to check an eventual rebellion, the government ordered all the inhabitants to surrender their arms. Furthermore, a stone fortress, Fort Adelaide, was built on a hill (now known as the Citadel hill) in the centre of Port Louis to quell any uprising.[10]

Slavery was abolished in 1835, and the planters ultimately received two million pounds sterling in compensation for the loss of their slaves who had been imported from Africa and Madagascar during the French occupation. The abolition of slavery had important impacts on Mauritius's society, economy and population. The planters brought a large number of indentured labourers from India to work in the sugar cane fields. Between 1834 and 1921, around half a million indentured labourers were present on the island. They worked on sugar estates, factories, in transport and on construction sites. Additionally, the British brought 8,740 Indian soldiers to the island.[7] Aapravasi Ghat, in the bay at Port Louis and now a UNESCO site, was the first British colony to serve as a major reception centre for indentured servants.

An important figure of the 19th century was Rémy Ollier, a journalist of mixed origin. In 1828, the colour bar was officially abolished in Mauritius, but British governors gave little power to coloured persons, and appointed only whites as leading officials. Rémy Ollier petitioned to Queen Victoria to allow coloureds in the council of government, and this became possible a few years later. He also made Port Louis become a municipality so that the citizens could administer the town through their own elected representatives. A street has been named after him in Port Louis, and his bust was erected in the Jardin de la Compagnie in 1906.[11] In 1885 a new constitution was introduced to Mauritius. It created elected positions on the governing council, but the franchise was restricted mainly to the French and Creole classes.

Champ de Mars Racecourse, Port Louis, 1880

The labourers brought from India were not always fairly treated, and a German, Adolph von Plevitz, made himself the unofficial protector of these immigrants. He mixed with many of the labourers, and in 1871 helped them to write a petition which was sent to Governor Gordon. A commission was appointed to look into the complaints made by the Indian immigrants, and in 1872 two lawyers, appointed by the British Crown, were sent from England to make an inquiry. This Royal Commission recommended several measures that would affect the lives of Indian labourers during the next fifty years.[11]

In November 1901, Mahatma Gandhi visited Mauritius, on his way from South Africa to India. He stayed on the island for two weeks, and urged the Indo-Mauritian community to take an interest in education and to play a more active role in politics. Back in India, he sent over a young lawyer, Manilal Doctor, to improve the plight of the Indo-Mauritians. During the same year, faster links were established with the island of Rodrigues thanks to the wireless.[13]

In 1903, motorcars were introduced in Mauritius, and in 1910 the first taxis, operated by Joseph Merven, came into service. The electrification of Port Louis took place in 1909, and in the same decade the Mauritius Hydro Electric Company (managed by the Atchia Brothers) was authorised to provide power to the towns of upper Plaines Wilhems.

The 1910s were a period of political agitation. The rising middle class (made up of doctors, lawyers, and teachers) began to challenge the political power of the sugar cane landowners. Dr. Eugène Laurent, mayor of Port Louis, was the leader of this new group; his party, Action Libérale, demanded that more people should be allowed to vote in the elections. Action Libérale was opposed by the Parti de l'Ordre, led by Henri Leclézio, the most influential of the sugar magnates.[11] In 1911 there were riots in Port Louis due to a false rumour that Dr. Eugène Laurent had been murdered by the oligarchs in Curepipe. Shops and offices were damaged in the capital, and one person was killed. In the same year, 1911, the first public cinema shows took place in Curepipe, and, in the same town, a stone building was erected to house the Royal College.[13] In 1912, a wider telephone network came into service, and it was used by the government, business firms, and a few private households.

World War I broke out in August 1914. Many Mauritians volunteered to fight in Europe against the Germans and in Mesopotamia against the Turks. But the war affected Mauritius much less than the wars of the eighteenth century. On the contrary, the 1914–1918 war was a period of great prosperity because of a boom in sugar prices. In 1919 the Mauritius Sugar Syndicate came into being, and it included 70% of all sugar producers.

The 1920s saw the rise of a "retrocessionism" movement which favoured the retrocession of Mauritius to France. The movement rapidly collapsed because none of the candidates who wanted Mauritius to be given back to France was elected in the 1921 elections. Due to the post-war recession, there was a sharp drop in sugar prices. Many sugar estates closed down, and it marked the end of an era for the sugar magnates who had not only controlled the economy, but also the political life of the country. Raoul Rivet, the editor of Le Mauricien newspaper, campaigned for a revision of the constitution that would give the emerging middle class a greater role in the running of the country. The principles of Arya Samaj began to infiltrate the Hindu community, who clamoured for more social justice.[13]

The 1930s saw the birth of the Labour Party, launched by Dr. Maurice Curé. Emmanuel Anquetil rallied the urban workers while Pandit Sahadeo concentrated on the rural working class. The Uba riots of 1937 resulted in reforms by the local British government that improved labour conditions and led to the un-banning of labour unions.[14][15] Labour Day was celebrated for the first time in 1938. More than 30,000 workers sacrificed a day's wage and came from all over the island to attend a giant meeting at the Champ de Mars.[16]

At the outbreak of World War II in 1939, many Mauritians volunteered to serve under the British flag in Africa and the Near East, fighting against the German and Italian armies. Some went to England to become pilots and ground staff in the Royal Air Force. Mauritius was never really threatened, but several British ships were sunk outside Port Louis by German submarines in 1943.

During World War II, conditions were hard in the country; the prices of commodities doubled, but the salaries of workers increased only by 10 to 20 percent. There was civil unrest, and the colonial government crushed all trade union activities. However, the labourers of Belle Vue Harel Sugar Estate went on strike on 27 September 1943. Police officers eventually fired on the crowd, and killed three labourers including a boy of ten and a pregnant woman, Anjaly Coopen.[17][18]

The first general elections were held on 9 August 1948 and were won by the Labour Party. This party, led by Guy Rozemont, bettered its position in 1953, and, on the strength of the election results, demanded universal suffrage. Constitutional conferences were held in London in 1955 and 1957, and the ministerial system was introduced. Voting took place for the first time on the basis of universal adult suffrage on 9 March 1959. The general election was again won by the Labour Party, led this time by Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam.[19]

A Constitutional Review Conference was held in London in 1961, and a programme of further constitutional advance was established. The 1963 election was won by the Labour Party and its allies. The Colonial Office noted that politics of a communal nature was gaining ground in Mauritius and that the choice of candidates (by parties) and the voting behaviour (of electors) were governed by ethnic and caste considerations.[19] Around that time, two eminent British academics, Richard Titmuss and James Meade, published a report of the island's social problems caused by overpopulation and the monoculture of sugar cane. This led to an intense campaign to halt the population explosion, and the decade registered a sharp decline in population growth.

At the Lancaster Conference of 1965, it became clear that Britain wanted to relieve itself of the colony of Mauritius. In 1959, Harold Macmillan had made his famous Winds of Change Speech where he acknowledged that the best option for Britain was to give complete independence to its colonies. Thus, since the late Fifties, the way was paved for independence.[20]

Later in 1965, after the Lancaster Conference, the Chagos Archipelago was excised from the territory of Mauritius to form the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). A general election took place on 7 August 1967, and the Labour Party and its two allies obtained the majority of seats. In January 1968, six weeks before the declaration of independence the 1968 Mauritian riots occurred in Port Louis leading to the deaths of 25 people.[21][22]

Elizabeth II was Queen of Mauritius from 1968 to 1992.

Mauritius adopted a new constitution and independence was proclaimed on 12 March 1968. Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam became the first prime minister of an independent Mauritius with Queen Elizabeth II remaining head of state as Queen of Mauritius. In 1969, the opposition party Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM) led by Paul Bérenger was founded. Later in 1971, the MMM, backed by unions, called a series of strikes in the port which caused a state of emergency in the country.[23] The coalition government of the Labour Party and the PMSD (Parti Mauricien Social Démocrate) reacted by curtailing civil liberties and curbing freedom of the press.[13] Two unsuccessful assassination attempts were made against Paul Bérenger. The second one led to the death of Azor Adélaïde, a dock worker and activist, on 25 November 1971.[24] General elections were postponed and public meetings were prohibited. Members of the MMM including Paul Bérenger were imprisoned on 23 December 1971. The MMM leader was released a year later.[25]

In May 1975, a student revolt that started at the University of Mauritius swept across the country.[26] The students were unsatisfied with an education system that did not meet their aspirations and gave limited prospects for future employment. On 20 May, thousands of students tried to enter Port-Louis over the Grand River North West bridge and clashed with police. An act of Parliament was passed on 16 December 1975 to extend the right to vote to 18-year-olds. This was seen as an attempt to appease the frustration of the younger generation.[12]

The next general election took place on 20 December 1976. The Labour Party won 28 seats out of 62[27] but Prime Minister Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam managed to remain in office, with a two-seat majority, after striking an alliance with the PMSD of Gaetan Duval.

In 1982 an MMM government led by Prime Minister Anerood Jugnauth and Paul Bérenger as Minister of Finance was elected. However, ideological and personality differences emerged within the MMM leadership. The power struggle between Bérenger and Jugnauth peaked in March 1983. Jugnauth travelled to New Delhi to attend a Non-Aligned Movement summit; on his return, Bérenger proposed constitutional changes that would strip power from the Prime Minister. At Jugnauth's request, PM Indira Gandhi of India planned an armed intervention involving the Indian Navy and Indian Army to prevent a coup under the code name Operation Lal Dora.[28][29][30]

The MMM government split up nine months after the June 1982 election. According to an Information Ministry official the nine months was a "socialist experiment".[31] The new MSM party, led by Anerood Jugnauth, was elected in 1983. Gaëtan Duval became the vice-prime minister. Throughout the decade, Anerood Jugnauth ruled the country with the help of the PMSD and the Labour Party.

That period saw a growth in the EPZ (Export Processing Zone) sector. Industrialisation began to spread to villages as well, and attracted young workers from all ethnic communities. As a result, the sugar industry began to lose its hold on the economy. Large retail chains began opening stores in 1985 and offered credit facilities to low income earners, thus allowing them to afford basic household appliances. There was also a boom in the tourism industry, and new hotels sprang up throughout the island. In 1989 the stock exchange opened its doors and in 1992 the freeport began operation.[13] In 1990, the Prime Minister lost the vote on changing the Constitution to make the country a republic with Bérenger as President.[32]

On 12 March 1992, twenty-four years after independence, Mauritius was proclaimed a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.[7] The last governor general, Sir Veerasamy Ringadoo, became the first president.[33] This was under a transitional arrangement, in which he was replaced by Cassam Uteem later that year.[34] Political power remained with the prime minister.

Despite an improvement in the economy, which coincided with a fall in the price of petrol and a favourable dollar exchange rate, the government did not enjoy full popularity. As early as 1984, there was discontent. Through the Newspapers and Periodicals Amendment Act, the government tried to make every newspaper provide a bank guarantee of half a million rupees. Forty-three journalists protested by participating in a public demonstration in Port Louis, in front of Parliament. They were arrested and freed on bail. This caused a public outcry and the government had to review its policy.[13]

There was also dissatisfaction in the education sector. There were not enough high-quality secondary colleges to answer the growing demand of primary school leavers who had got through their CPE (Certificate of Primary Education). In 1991, a master plan for education failed to get national support and contributed to the government's downfall.[13]

Navin Ramgoolam was elected as prime minister in 1995. In February 1999, the country experienced a brief period of civil unrest. President Cassam Uteem and Cardinal Jean Margéot toured the country and, after four days of turmoil, calm was restored.[35] A commission of enquiry was set up to investigate the root causes of the social disturbance. The resulting report delved into the cause of poverty and qualified many tenacious beliefs as perceptions.[36]

Anerood Jugnauth of the MSM returned to power in 2000 after making an alliance with the MMM. In 2002, the island of Rodrigues became an autonomous entity within the republic and was thus able to elect its own representatives to administer the island. In 2003, the prime ministership was transferred to Paul Bérenger of the MMM, and Anerood Jugnauth went to Le Réduit to serve as president. Berenger was the first Franco-Mauritian premier in the country's history. In 2005, Navin Ramgoolam and the Labour Party returned to power. Ramgoolam lost power in 2014. He was succeeded by Anerood Jugnauth.

On 21 January 2017, Anerood Jugnauth announced that in two days time he would resign in favour of his son, Finance Minister Pravind Jugnauth, who would assume the office of prime minister.[37] The transition took place as planned on 23 January 2017.[38]

In 2018, Mauritian president Ameenah Gurib-Fakim (the only erstwhile female head of state in the African Union) resigned over a financial scandal.[39] The current acting president is Barlen Vyapoory. [40]