Aspects of 1964 Independence

Abstract

Independence is a vast subject which cannot be covered exhaustively in this dissertation. Independence has been considered under various headings: political, economic, national, social and cultural. Yet few have examined it as a psychological process above all else, an abstract, mental attitude. Thus independence is not something concrete of which one may say "this is" or "this is not" independence, and what may appear as independence to one may not appear so to another. In this dissertation I have sought to make two points - first, to show that Maltese independence was not the result of a simple process of events but rather that it was the result of complicated developments in Maltese politics; second, I hope to show that the independence did not come about with the simple lowering of the British flag but followed only after many economic social, cultural and political changes in Maltese national life and which in turn effected the self-awareness of the Maltese.