1921 : a landmark in Maltese political history

Abstract

The changed and tense atmosphere prevailing in Malta during the election campaign of 1976 was what gave me the impetus to analyse in detail a similar period in Maltese history. The choice of the 1921 General Elections was not a haphazard one. In many ways 1921 was a turning point in the history of Maltese politics. The granting of self-government to Malta led to the establishment of properly organised political parties which could win and wield power both political and administrative. The issues involved in this particular election were many and varied a wide gamut of questions had to be identified, examined and dealt with. However, what was more important was the fact that electioneering had to change radically from what had been experienced between 1903 and 1920 when Malta still had a Crown Colony Government. A wide franchise and Proportional Representation were also introduced to Malta in 1921. All along I have tried to analyse the reactions and solutions offered by the political parties involved. In doing this it seemed to me that 1921 was much longer than twelve months because I came across such a wealth of material that one would think it was produced by the controversies of an entire era, rather than a single year.