The ‘Borsa’, a social meeting place with cultural aspirations

Abstract

The British were the first to create an economic system of world proportions that was based on commercial interests. While France under Napoleon tried to dominate the European continent through military means, Britain developed its commercial interests across the globe primarily through its navy and private companies. British control over the seas, thanks to an imposing naval fleet, ensured that all its commerce with other nations or continents was carried out under British flag or protection. The vast territories under British domain were exploited both for their raw materials and as markets for British products. As a naval base, Malta, together with Gibraltar was one of the areas in the empire that was directly controlled by the British government to safeguard the flow of its commerce through the Mediterranean, and especially to ensure the connection beyond Suez in general and with India in particular. [Excerpt]