The Portugese

The portugese discovered the island in 1510 during one of their journeys to India, but to their eyes, the island did not offer any immediate commercial interest. These islands owe to them their first european names: Cirne or the island of swans for Mauritius, Rodriguez for Rodrigues and the Mascareignes for the archipel constituted by Mauritius, the Reunion island and Rodrigues. Even of the protugese did not settle down in Mauritius, it is owed to them the animals they left during their stop-overs, such as pork, goats, cattle, dogs and rats which was cause for the disparition of the Dodo. During their occupation, they excessively exploited the natural forests of ebony trees and exterminated the famous Dodo.

The Dutch

It was only in 1598 that Mauritius received its first inhabitants : a small colony of Dutch and their slaves of african origin. These Dutch, coming from the colony of the Cape of Good Hope, seemed to have had to face a succession of ordeals such as cyclones, food shortage, slave evasion, pirates visits and ship wreckage including the one of the Admiral Pieter Both who died in 1615 at the Tombeau Bay. The dutch left in 1710. During their occupation, they exploited excessively and destroyed the forests of ebony trees and exterminated the last of the Dodos. The introduction of a famous specie of deer from Java is owed to the Dutch. This specy exists nowadays in large number and constitute a game animal of choice. The sugar cane also was introduced by them, culture of which constitute the main industry of the island. They also drafted the first maps of the island, and gave name to Flacq, one of the main districts, as well as the name Mauritius from the name of the Prince Maurice de Nassau. The left the island in 1710.

The French

It was as from the French occupation in 1715 that Mauritius became 'île de France, and started to develop and to have the aspect of a prosperous colony. The great creator of this colonial world was Bertrand Francois Mahé de Labourdonnais, who was appointed Governor for the Compagnie des Indes Orientales, that was given to the island. He created official buildings, warehouses, barracks, ship yards and also industries to promote the exploitation of the existing forests for construction wood and the production of sugar from sugar cane. He also re established order. From a wild and almost desert island, Labourdonnais made in a few years a thriving and productive colony and a french active port in the indian ocean. The two other great men of the French period of Mauritius were Pierre Poivre and the general Decaen. Pierre Poivre who in 1767 to 1772 was the intendant of the island and also at Bourbon (Reunion island) under the governors Dumas and Desroches, who left the souvenir of a wise administrator, who knew how to put order and bring back prosperity to Mauritius. Pierre Poivre also left landmarks of the "grand épicier" as from his interest in trees with fine spices that he managed to get from the dutch ownership from the îles du Détroit and those of the Sonde, and he manage to get them cultivated in Mauritius, Reunion and the Seychelles. The other great french man was the General Decaen, one of the generals of Napoleon. He was "Capitaine-Général" at 3'île de France" and at "'île Bonaparte" (now Reunion island). He also left landmarks of a brilliant legislator and administrator who knew with a good balance of fermness and skill how to bring back Mauritius and its dependencies to the custody of France (including Reunion and Seychelles) which during the revolution period had become almost independent.

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The Assemblies
The first assembly of 'île de France, the General Assembly was even created before the National Assembly of France had given its approval. This assembly and its successions, the famous Colonial Assemblies were only poor copies of the French assemblies until the General Decaen put order under the Empire. These assemblies, completely attracted to their rights and their constitutional freedom, did show their unwllingness to give their rights to some section of the population, the free coloured people and the slaves. It was inconceivable as it was not practical then to give same rights to slaves who were only furniture without civil rights but these rights should have been granted to coloured people born free or even those who were freed. There were two fields where these assemblies were beneficial. The first one was the supply to Mauritius who was very far away from the motherland who was facing the revolution and later the war and the British embargo. The other field was when these assemblies tried to be up to their responsibilities namely regarding the health problems (small pox epidemic in 1792) The third assembly in power took immediate action to quarantine the sick people and to vacinate the healthy ones and also to burn or burry the abandoned bodies The danger that constituted Mauritius and the other French islands of the occidental part of the indian ocean such as Reunion, Rodrigues, Seychelles to the British supremacy in india made them decide to capture these islands and to make the french go away. It was a relatively easy task for them since their naval power was very high even with the success of the french at the combat of Grand Port in Mauritius in august 1810.

The British

After the blockade and the landing of a British troops superior in number than the French force of the General Decaen, the French capitulated in December 1810. From the Treaty of Paris of 1814, Mauritius and its dependencies became British, whereas Reunion even that it was captured, was given back to France. Mauritius became British and got back the name the Dutch gave her, but stayed quite close to France as she kept the language, culture and French laws. Left on their own, under the same legal system, the ancient French colonist and their descendants was then able to live a French style as in the past, changing from a colony base on maritime trade to that of an agricultural one. Even that the sugar industry started under the French period, it was only during the British period that it developed in such a way that it became almost a mono-crop industry until some other crops were cultivated such as tea, tobacco, aloe and more recently small industries for food, textile and household products.

Abolition of Slavery
The most important event under the British administration was the abolition of slavery in 1835

Emancipation of the Slave

The emancipation of the slaves in 1835 was been opposed by the colonists same at those of other British colonies for economic reasons since the sugar industry in development needed man power. At first the colonists obtained a very high compensation. Then there were no trouble as expected since everything went on calmly, but to replace for the sudden lack of human resource, the country had to ask for free workers from India. The first importation of Indian human resource in Mauritius was in 1829. But it was only when the slaves were emancipated that it took importance It resulted in an accelerated development of the sugar industry and brought prosperity as from 1850. That prosperity of 1850 was also due to a recovery in trade. Another development during the British period: the change in the constitution, which was slow at the start, but got speed after the second world war to bring independence in 1968.

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Towards Independence

It is as from 1937 with the requests of the workers and the establishment of the Labour Party that regrouped the coloured people and certain intelectuals from indian origin as well as the rocognition of the workers unions that progress started to be done. There was also a new constitution after the elctions of 1943 during which two firth of the population could vote. The elections of 1953 made democracy move ahead when the Labour party obtained more seats. It was in 1957, the year when the ministerial system started in Mauritius that Dr Ramgoolam took the leadership of the Labour party.