Interpreting conflict and its impact on society : the experience of total war in Malta during the First and the Second World War

Abstract

Carl von Clausewitz defined war as “an act of force to compel our enemy to do our will” (Howard and Paret, 1989, p.75). Writing about conflict and the way it has shaped society, Margaret MacMillan states that “war in its essence is organised violence” (New York Times, 2020). In a local context, war is a distant memory tied to Malta’s colonial past. The Second World War, in which Malta played a primary role, is losing its immediacy. The few living persons who experienced those terrible events are the only a tenuous link that remains to that war. Nevertheless, the memory of the war is still quite strong and has been sustained by the oral transmission of accounts from one generation to the next. The Maltese have ambivalent views on war-related and military heritage as this is generally perceived to relate to the British presence in Malta. Some argue it is a reminder of Malta’s colonial past and “should not be promoted for educational and leisure purposes” (Magro Conti, 2009, p.123). Others look upon this type of heritage with nostalgia.