https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/6272 Sat, 24 Oct 2026 06:53:54 GMT 2026-10-24T06:53:54Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150384 Title: Analysing Malta’s economic development between 1855 and 1870 Abstract: This dissertation attempts to analyse the main economic trends and fluctuations throughout the period between 1855 and 1870. This period is defined as a transitory one in Maltese history especially because of the Crimean War, which reaffirmed the Maltese island’s position as a fortress colony of the British Empire. This study does not attempt to challenge the current historiographical works in relation to this period. Rather, it aims to build on what is already established, and to point out major events and episodes which have contributed to the island’s economic development, or lack thereof, during this period. This was done through a thorough analysis of the island’s agricultural, industrial and commercial sectors, which is mostly evident in the structure and organisation of this work. This dissertation would not have been possible were it not for the assistance of numerous individuals. Firstly, I am indebted to my supervisor, Dr Simone Azzopardi, who throughout this writing experience has given me expert assistance on how to write and structure this work. Her constant support and helpful advice throughout have made it considerably less tedious for me. Moreover, I would also like to express my appreciation towards the lecturers and staff of the History Department at the University of Malta, all of whom have helped in shaping the outcome of this work. In addition, I surely cannot thank enough the staff at the National Archives of Malta in Rabat, who have guided me towards the relevant archival material that is pertinent to this study. Furthermore, I extend my gratitude and appreciation to the staff at the National Library of Malta for their help and time, especially due to the large quantity of scans which I ordered on a day-to-day basis. I must also thank all the staff at the Melitensia section within the library at the University of Malta, where I managed to attain a bulk of my primary and secondary sources used in this work. Lastly, I ought to convey my appreciation to Mr Nikolai Debono for helping me to navigate through the archive at the Malta Chamber of Commerce as well as local historian Mr Jeffrey Sammut, for checking my work prior to handing in the individual chapters. Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150384 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150383 Title: The Communist Party of Malta and the Soviet connection Abstract: The Communist Party of Malta/Partit Komunista Malti (PKM) was formed in 1969 during a secret meeting in Gwardamangia. It was a Marxist-Leninist Party whose most immediate aim was to push Malta further towards the left, more than was being done under the Malta Labour Party. In its infancy, it started to branch out within the University of Malta, which already had a budding leftist movement among the students of a working-class background. Eventually, once the party structure and programme were formally established and consolidated, the PKM contested the 1987 general election, this being the first and only election it participated in. The aim of this dissertation is to contextualise and analyse the political development of the party throughout this period. To this end, the internal functioning of the party, its ideology, hierarchy and structure, programme and manifesto, and the relations it had with both local and foreign bodies, will be explored. Most significant from these connections is the relationship the PKM held with the Soviet Union. Along with this, this study aims to assess what this relationship truly consisted of, while simultaneously grounding it in the broader Maltese leftist political context. Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150383 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150382 Title: Malta after the siege : a study in social history based on the deeds of Notary Placido Abela (1569-1571) Abstract: The period after the Great Siege of 1565 was one of change, particularly on the artistic and architectural, as well as urban level, nevertheless it was also a time marked by residual continuities with the previous decades and centuries, particularly as one withdrew from the urban centres to the still largely medieval countryside. Rather than looking only at the Order of St. John as the main political protagonists of this period, this dissertation chooses to instead study the social history of the period in question through the study of Volume 2 of Placido Abela’s notarial register (R 4/2) and the deeds contained therein. Through an analysis and study of the deeds contained in the register from the years 1569 1571; the author aims to ultimately shed further light on the post-great siege Maltese society. Notaries dealt with clients from a number of backgrounds and wrote deeds which reflected a variety of circumstances, ranging from wills to contracts. Apart from recording the nature of the deeds and their respective contents, the author shall also attempt to investigate the presence of changes and continuities identified in the register and wherever possible, compare with aspects found in pre-1565 registers by the same notary. The dissertation shall be structured as follows; Chapter 1 will provide a historical context of the early years of the Hospitaller presence in Malta (1530-1565) and the post-siege years, situated within a wider Mediterranean context, followed by a literature review and historiography of sixteenth century Malta, together with a background on Notary Placido Abela and his pre-1565 register and loose deeds; Chapter 2 will focus on the 1569-1576 register by Notary Abela, providing examples of a select number of case studies together with a discussion on the case studies in question; Chapter 3 will delve deeper into various aspects of post-1565 social history as seen in the register and will assess changes and continuities. Wherever possible, comparisons shall be made with Notary Abela’s pre-1565 register so as to provide a more comprehensive analysis; finally, Chapter 4 shall conclude with a general conclusion together with recommendations by the author for future research. In conclusion, through this dissertation, the author aims to contribute to the scholarship on the social history of sixteenth century Malta, using notarial registers as primary sources. Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150382 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150381 Title: An investigation into the women of the first Persian empire Abstract: This dissertation examines the visibility, roles, and representations of women in the first Persian Empire, also known as the Achaemenid Empire, through analysing administrative, archaeological, and classical sources. Its purpose is to evaluate how different types of evidence present women in the Achaemenid Empire and how these presentations shape our understanding of them today. Chapter 1 will introduce the research question, aims, and significance of the study. Chapter 2 provides an overview of the Achaemenid Empire to situate the women within their historical context. Chapter 3 outlines the primary sources used, including the Persepolis Fortification Archives, archaeological evidence, and classical Greek sources. Chapter 4 reviews the secondary scholarship on Achaemenid women, as well as the historiographical challenges associated with them. Chapter 5 explores the theoretical framework and methodology applied throughout the dissertation. Chapter 6 presents the data, examining administrative records and representation in visual art. Chapter 7 analyses the evidence, including the classical Greek sources, focusing on visibility and ideological constructions. Chapter 8 brings the findings together and discusses what they reveal about gender and power in the Achaemenid world. Chapter 9 concludes the dissertation by revisiting the main argument and reflecting on the overall findings. Description: B.A. (Hons)(Melit.) Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/150381 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z