The welfare state in the perception of the MLP and PN : 1946-1950

Abstract

The period under consideration is post war Malta between 1946 -1950; with the Island facing daunting problems. A soaring cost of living inflated by black marketeering. The average person's cost of living was declining, while the birth rate was on a sharp increase. The steady rise of unemployment was a worrying factor to all the inhabitants: made even more acute since emigration - the country's safety valve - was at a standstill. The objective of this study is to review how the two main political parties - the Nationalist Party and the Malta Labour Party - reacted to these problems and the way they tackled them. The first chapter of this study will outline the historical and political background prior to Self-Government and establish that as far back as the Knights of St John rule, the poor were always helped either in monetary form or in kind. The second chapter will explore both parties Electoral Manifestos and elaborate on what they were promising the electorate with an emphasis on Social Welfare. The third chapter deals with the workings of the Malta Labour Party in Government and shows that in fact it was this Government that iniated the Welfare State. The study concludes with the promises made to the electorate by the main political parties and highlights that Welfare became the most important issue and featured with prominence on all the parties Electoral Manifestos