Everyday life in Malta in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries

Abstract

While describing the Maltese character, Frederick M. Lacroix observed that 'the Maltese are intelligent, hardworking, clever and can surely succeed in all fields of work ... but the English Government looks at the occupation of Malta solely and entirely as an important fortress colony and is indifferent towards the interests of its inhabitants.' Lacroix was writing in 1848, at a time when the French and the British were not exactly on friendly terms but his account seems fairly reasonable if compared to that of Senior Nassau who, in 1882, wrote that 'Maltese incomes are so small that the attempt to keep the appearance which the English think only decent, becomes a ruinous expense.' The Maltese maintained a cool relationship with the British, mixing very little at least until the 1930s. The Sliema area was the first part of the island to adapt an Anglicized style and sub-culture. The Church maintained its dominant position in Maltese society. However, as a large part of the population moved to the suburbs of Valletta and the three cities, the rural population shrank and more people became economically dependent on British wages and harbor activities.