An island in transition : the economic transformation of Malta from a British crown colony to an independent democratic republic 1959-1974

Abstract

The period covered by the thesis runs from 1959, when economic planning was first introduced in Malta following the decision of the British Government in 1957 to run down its defence establishments on the island, to 1974, when Malta became an independent democratic republic. The chapters are fully self-contained and follow logically one from the other. Chapter one introduces the subject and identifies the fundamental problems facing Malta for a long number of years during British rule and occupation which needed to be resolved before the island could be transformed from a major naval bastion and military fortress to a productive society in an independent self-sustaining economy. An evaluation of the economic reports purposely prepared for the Malta Government since the end of the second world war and of the relevant economic reports prevailing up to 1958, both locally and abroad, lays the scenario for the economic 'events' which followed the launching of the first five year development plan in 1959. The chapter ends with a statistical analysis of the period 1954 to 1958 for which ouch data are available.