Political turmoil in Malta during the self-government years 1921 – 1933 : a look into the protests, violence, and slander

Abstract

This thesis will look at the political turmoil found in Malta during the life of the Amery-Milner constitution. Even though incidents were documented and reported, a concise and direct study was never done. This thesis will look at the political turmoil which plagued the period. the study will also attempt to answer the following questions: Who was involved in such incidents? What was the outcome of this violence? Was turmoil only found within election seasons, or was it seen inside Parliament? Did it lead to any civilian and criminal libel charges? The beginning of the twenty-first century did not bring peace to the political world. With turmoil to the south of Malta still brewing, and unrest found in Europe, Malta is between two unruly continents. Turmoil is still present in Malta with numerous violent and absurd instances. However, the most politically unstable and problematic scenes which my parents talk about, are the 1970s and 1980s. The older generations tend to talk about the trouble brought about by Mabel Strickland and her father before that, they also talk about the so called fascisiti (fascists). I was therefore, undoubtedly curious to research this period in Maltese history and what were the causes and characters which plagued the scene. The first chapter will delve into the political violence at the onset of self-government from 1921 to 1924, specifically the violence found at political rallies and political gatherings. The second chapter will examine the later part of self-government from 1927 to 1933, when the turmoil and violence led to the suspension of the Amery-Milner constitution. The third chapter will deal with turmoil in parliament and the fourth chapter will focus on notorious court cases.