Maltese exports from 1850 to 1914

Abstract

During the Golden Years of the British Empire, Malta had both seen and experienced two factors which characterized its days as a Colony of the same Empire. Primarily, it would assume its own worth as a Fortress Colony, used as both a Naval and Mercantile Hub for Military and Economic uses, as it had seen during the Crimean War (1853 – 1856) for the former, and the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 for the latter. It would also see, however, the demise of its own indigenous economic factors, which would result due to a blend of lack of both re-investment by the local Merchant Class, and neglect from the Colonial Master – brought forward by the introduction of ready-made, better-quality goods, which the Maltese population would purchase for a cheaper price, without any real competition. This dissertation will tackle this point, the economic perspective of Exported Goods to specific Nations from the Years 1850 – 1914, the goods which Malta would purchase for feeding both its own masses as well as the selling-off to foreign markets as demanded from whence. These exports are divided into Three Chapters – Agricultural Produce; Alcohol; and Employment related to the Export Industry. These first two chapters will tackle the main, economic trend of the products in specific, as well as it’ Markets and Demands with respect to their value. The final chapter will relate to economic activity of the Maltese population – their uses in the economy and how employment affected the social structure of the Maltese Islands at large.