Reunion Island History LonelyPlanet

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Pre-20th-Century History

The island of R»union has a history similar to that of Mauritius and was visited, but not settled, by early Malay, Arab and European mariners. The archipelago, comprising Mauritius, Rodrigues and R»union, was christened 'the Mascarenes' after the Portuguese navigator Pedro de Mascarenhas, one of the first Europeans to come across the islands (around 1512). In 1642, the French decided to settle the island and in 1649 the King of France named it åle Bourbon. But there was no great rush to populate and develop the island, and it was not until the early 18th century that the French East India Company and French government took action. Coffee was introduced between 1715 and 1730, and it became the island's main cash crop; as a result, the economy changed dramatically. The French enslaved Africans to provide the intensive labour required for coffee cultivation. During this period, grains, spices and cotton were also brought in as cash crops.

Like Mauritius, R»union came of age under the governorship of the remarkable Mah» de La Bourdonnais, who served from 1735 to 1746. However, La Bourdonnais treated Mauritius as the favoured sibling of the islands and R»union was left in a Cinderella role.

As a result of poor management and the rivalry between France and Britain during the 18th century, as well as the collapse of the French East India Company, the government of the island passed directly to the French crown in 1764. After the French Revolution, it came under the jurisdiction of the Colonial Assembly. In the late 18th century, there were a number of slave revolts and those who managed to escape made their way to the interior. Some organised themselves into villages run by democratically elected chiefs and fought to preserve their independence from colonial authorities, most fell victim to bounty hunters.

The coffee plantations were destroyed by cyclones very early in the 19th century and, in 1810, during the Napoleonic Wars, Bonaparte lost the island to the British. Five years later, under the Treaty of Paris, the spoil was returned to the French. The British, however, retained their grip on Rodrigues, Mauritius and the Seychelles. Under British rule, sugar cane was introduced to R»union and quickly supplanted food production as the primary crop. This resulted in the dispossession of many small farmers, who were forced to sell out to those with capital to invest in the new monoculture. The supplanted farmers migrated to the interior to find land and carry on with their agricultural activities. During this period, the Desbassyns brothers rose to success as the island's foremost sugar barons. The vanilla industry, introduced in 1819, also grew rapidly.

The golden age of trade and development in R»union lasted until 1870, when competition from Cuba and the European sugar beet industry, combined with the opening of the Suez Canal, resulted in an economic slump. Shipping decreased, the sugar industry declined, and land and capital were further concentrated in the hands of a small French elite.
Modern History

After WWI, world demand for sugar increased, helping lift R»union's economy out of the doldrums. As things turned out, the reprieve was all too brief: during WWII, an economic blockade once again applied the brakes to the island's economy. Part of the problem was the legal definition of a colony under French law, wherein a colony had to be profitable. This obligation was lifted in 1946, when R»union's status changed from colony to overseas d»partement , a change intended to provide the island the benefits of social and political equality with the mainland. Since then there have been feeble independence movements from time to time, but these have never amounted to much.

While the R»unionnais seem satisfied to remain totally French, in February 1991, anti-government riots in St-Denis left 10 people dead, and a subsequent visit by the French prime minister Michel Rocard drew jeers from crowds. By 1993, things appeared to have calmed down but there were still undercurrents of discontent.
Recent History

The turn of the century marked a new era for R»union; the local authorities managed to sign a few agreements with the French state, which confirmed the launching of subsidised grands chantiers (big infrastructure works), including the new expressway called the Nouvelle Route des Tamarins and the future Route du Littoral. These massive works are expected to sustain growth on the island.

The island has also in recent times sought closer links with Africa; in 2004, it became a member of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

The mosquito-borne Chikungunya virus hit the island in late 2005 and, by 2007, had infected one third of the population. Unsurprisingly, the epidemic had a negative impact on tourism; bookings plummeted by more than 60% in 2006 and early 2007. Thanks to a massive effort to kill off the mosquito population, R»union is back on its feet.

R»union is home to several best-in-the-world experiences that very few people, aside from the French and a handful of travelati, know about. Local authorities lay emphasis on the island's green image; ecotourism and outdoor activities are encouraged. In 2007, a huge chunk of the rugged interior was classified as a national park, which will go some way to protecting the island's unique cultural and environmental heritage. Despite this, the island is facing major environmental issues related to the grands chantiers currently underway.