How Vichy Ideology Dominated Madagascar

How Vichy Ideology Dominated Madagascar

The Seeds of Ideology Land on Fertile Ground. The last post showed the construct of the colonial pyramid of Diego-Suarez. Built by successive French administrations, the grands colons were firmly at the top. Clinging beneath them were the petits blancs, whilst the...
Les Colons

Les Colons

The Edge of Aurelia’s World I think it’s important to talk about how ideologies can convince so many people to fight for social structures that were never built with their interests in mind. That’s as true today as it has been throughout history. But...
Operation Ironclad

Operation Ironclad

Britain’s secret invasion. Was it worth it? Fire Tree ends with Operation Ironclad, so it seems right that the second blog should look at that event, a forgotten episode in British (and French) history. Most readers who pick up Fire Tree will not have heard of...
Three Sisters

Three Sisters

Turning three women’s war into The Burning Tree series. They were three sisters in a French colonial family, living their years before, during and after the Second World War. The story spans Madagascar, France, and England. These were women whose lives I knew...