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| ], Britain was supposed to evacuate the island, but failed to keep this obligation – one of several mutual cases of non-adherence to the treaty, which eventually led to its collapse and the resumption of war between Britain and France.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}} | |||
| Although initially the island was not given much importance, its excellent harbours became a prized asset for the British, especially after the opening of the ]. The island became a military and naval fortress, the headquarters of the British Mediterranean fleet. | |||
| ] was refused to the Maltese until 1921 although a partly elected legislative council was created as early as 1849, and the locals sometimes suffered considerable poverty.<ref>Attard P.76</ref> This was due to the island being overpopulated and largely dependent on British military expenditure which varied with the demands of war. Throughout the 19th century, the British administration instituted several liberal constitutional reforms<ref>Luke ChVIII</ref> which were generally resisted by the Church and the Maltese elite who preferred to cling to their feudal privileges.<ref>Attard P.64:Luke P.107</ref> Political organizations, like the ], were created or had as one of their aims, the protection of the ] in Malta. | |||
| In 1919, there were riots over the excessive price of bread. These would lead to greater autonomy for the locals.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}} Malta obtained a ] ] with a Senate (abolished in 1949) and an elected Legislative Assembly. The Constitution was suspended twice. In 1930 it was suspended that a free and fair election would not be possible following a clash between the governing ] and the Church<ref>http://www.doi.gov.mt/en/islands/prime_ministers/strickland_gerald.asp</ref> and the latter's subsequent imposition of mortal sin on voters of the party and its allies. In 1934 the Constitution was revoked over the Government's budgetary vote for the teaching of Italian in elementary schools.<ref>http://www.intratext.com/IXT/ITA2413/_P6.HTM</ref> | |||
| === Language issue === | |||
| Before the arrival of the British, the official language since 1530 (and the one of the educated elite) had been Italian, but this was downgraded by the increased use of English. In 1934, English and ] were declared the sole official languages. | |||
| In 1934, only about 15% of the population could speak Italian fluently.<ref name="Luke P.113">Luke P.113</ref> This meant that out of 58,000 males qualified by age to be jurors, only 767 could qualify by language, as only Italian had till then been used in the courts.<ref name="Luke P.113"/> This injustice carried more weight than concerns over fascism.{{Citation needed|date=August 2007}} | |||
| === World War II === | |||
| {{See also|Siege of Malta (1940)}} | |||
| Before World War II, Valletta was the location of the ]'s ]'s headquarters. However, despite ]'s objections,<ref name=BJandCS-p36>{{cite book |last=Bierman, John; & Colin Smith |title=The Battle of Alamein: Turning Point, World War II |year=2002 |page=36 |publisher=Viking |isbn=978-0670030408 }}</ref> the command was moved to ], ], in April 1937 fearing it was too susceptible to air attacks from Europe.<ref name=BJandCS-p36/><ref>{{cite book|last=Titterton, G. A. |title=The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean, Volume 2 |year=2002 |publisher=Psychology Press |isbn=978-0714651798 |page=xiii }}</ref><ref name=ElliottP--pxx>{{cite book |last=Elliott, Peter |title=The Cross and the Ensign: A Naval History of Malta, 1798-1979 |year=1980 |page=?? |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=978-0870219269 }}</ref>{{pageneeded|date=December 2011}} At the time of the Italian declaration of war (10 June 1940), Malta had a garrison of less than four thousand soldiers and about five weeks' of food supplies for the population of about three hundred thousand. In addition, Malta's air defences consisted of about forty-two ] guns (thirty-four "heavy" and eight "light") and four ]s, for which three pilots were available. | |||
| Being a British colony, situated close to Sicily and the ] shipping lanes, Malta was bombarded by the Italian and German air forces. Malta was used by the British to launch attacks on the Italian navy and had a submarine base. It was also used as a listening post, reading German radio messages including ] traffic.<ref name=CP-p42-44>{{cite book |last=Calvocoressi, Peter |title=Top Secret Ultra - Volume 10 of Ballantine Espionage Intelligence Library |year=1981 (reprint) |publisher=Ballantine Books |isbn=978-0345300690 |pages=42,44 }}</ref> | |||
| The first air raids against Malta occurred on 11 June 1940; there were six attacks that day. The island's ]s were unable to defend due to the ] being unfinished; however, the airfield was ready by the seventh attack. Initially, the Italians would fly at about 5,500 m, then they dropped down to three thousand metres (in order to improve the accuracy of their bombs). Major Paine stated, ", we bagged one or two every other day, so they started coming in at . Their bombing was never very accurate. As they flew higher it became quite indiscriminate."<ref name=BJandCS-p37>{{cite book |last=Bierman & Smith |page=37 }}</ref> ] would state, "The Italians decided they didn't like , so they dropped their bombs twenty miles off Malta and went back."<ref name=BJandCS-p38>{{cite book |last=Bierman & Smith |page=38 }}</ref> | |||
| By the end of August, the Gladiators were reinforced by twelve ]s which had arrived via ].<ref name=BJandCS-p38/> During the first five months of combat, the island's aircraft destroyed or damaged about thirty-seven Italian aircraft. Italian ] pilot ] observed, "Malta was really a big problem for us—very well-defended."<ref name=BJandCS-p38/> | |||
| On Malta, 330 people had been killed and 297 were seriously wounded from the war's inception until December 1941. In January 1941, the German ] arrived in Sicily as the ] arrived in ]. Over the next four months 820 people were killed and 915 seriously wounded.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shankland, Peter; & Anthony Hunter |title=Malta Convoy |year=1961 |publisher=I. Washburn |page=60}}</ref> | |||
| On 15 April 1942, ] awarded the ] (the highest civilian award for gallantry) "to the island fortress of Malta — its people and defenders."<ref name=BJandCS-p38/> ] arrived on 8 December 1943, and presented a United States Presidential Citation to the people of Malta on behalf of the people of United States. He presented the scroll on 8 December, but dated it 7 December for symbolic reasons. In part it read: "Under repeated fire from the skies, Malta stood alone and unafraid in the center of the sea, one tiny bright flame in the darkness -- a beacon of hope for the clearer days which have come."<ref>{{cite news |title=Mr. Roosevelt Gives Scroll To People On Isle Of Malta |pages=1,4 |accessdate=2011-12-07 |newspaper=] |publisher=] |date=December 10, 1943 }}</ref> (The complete citation now stands on a plaque on the wall of the Grand Master's Palace on Republic Street in the town square of Valletta.<ref>{{cite book |last=Rudolf, Uwe Jens; & Warren G. Berg |title=Historical Dictionary of Malta |year=2010 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0810853171 |pages=197-198}}</ref>) | |||
| === Attempted integration with the United Kingdom ===<!-- This section is linked from ] --> | |||
| After World War II, the islands achieved self-rule, with the Malta Labour Party (MLP) of ] seeking either full integration with the UK or else "self-determination (independence), and the ] (PN) of Dr. ] favouring independence, with the same "dominion status" that Canada, Australia and New Zealand enjoyed. | |||
| In December 1955, a Round Table Conference was held in London, on the future of Malta, attended by Mintoff, Borg Olivier and other Maltese politicians, along with the British ], ]. The British government agreed to offer the islands their own representation in the ], with the ] taking over responsibility for Maltese affairs from the Colonial Office. | |||
| Under the proposals, the Maltese Parliament would retain responsibility over all affairs except defence, foreign policy, and taxation. The Maltese were also to have social and economic parity with the UK, to be guaranteed by the British Ministry of Defence (MoD), the islands' main source of employment. A referendum was held on 14 February 1956, in which 77.02 per cent of voters were in favour of the proposal,<ref></ref> but owing to a boycott by the Nationalist Party, only 59.17 per cent of the electorate voted, thereby rendering the result inconclusive. | |||
| In addition, the decreasing strategic importance of Malta to the Royal Navy meant that the British government was increasingly reluctant to maintain the naval dockyards. Following a decision by the Admiralty to dismiss 40 workers at the dockyard, Mintoff declared that "representatives of the Maltese people in Parliament declare that they are no longer bound by agreements and obligations toward the British government..."<ref name=TIME-1958-01-13>{{citation |url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,862830,00.html |title=Penny-Wise |journal=] |date=January 13, 1958 }}</ref> In response, the Colonial Secretary sent a cable to Mintoff, stating that he had "recklessly hazarded" the whole integration plan.<ref name=TIME-1958-01-13/> This led to the islands being placed under direct rule from London, with the MLP abandoning support for integration and now advocating independence. | |||
| While France had implemented a similar policy in its colonies, some of which became ], the status offered to Malta from Britain constituted a unique exception. Malta was the only ] where integration with the UK was seriously considered, and subsequent British governments have ruled out integration for remaining overseas territories, such as ].<ref></ref> | |||
| {{Territories of the British Empire}} | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{refbegin}} | |||
| *Stephenson, Charles. ''The Fortifications of Malta 1530–1945''. Great Britain: Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2004. | |||
| *Attard, Joseph. '' Britain and Malta.'' Malta: PEG Ltd.1988. | |||
| *Luke, Sir Harry. ''Malta – An Account and an Appreciation.'' Great Britain: Harrap, 1949. | |||
| {{refend}} | |||
| {{Reflist|2}} | |||
Latest revision as of 13:14, 12 May 2023
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