Volume IV in the series Fortress Colony: The Final Act 1945-1964 by Professor Joseph M. Pirotta, will be launched to the general public on Thursday 21 May at 7pm in the Main Hall of the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Republic Street, Valletta. The event will also be the last chance to buy a copy at its pre-publication price.
This well-illustrated final volume covers the period from mid-1961 to Independence Day 1964 and reveals much that has so far been unknown. It is a well-documented and analytical account based on numerous documents, newspapers, periodicals and personal papers found in foreign and local archives and libraries, as well as on interviews conducted with some of the key players. Having been granted access to the archive of the Archdiocese of Malta, Pirotta was able better to assess the part played by Archbishop Michael Gonzi during the political-religious struggle that dominated the period covered by this book.
The years 1961 to 1964 were characterised by events ending Malta's colonial status. These include: British calculations and machinations prior to the restoration of local autonomy; the 1961 Blood Constitution; the Church sponsored birth of the Christian Workers Party led by Toni Pellegrini; the burgeoning M.L.P.-Church conflict and later attempts at reconciliation; the 1962 election campaign and its aftermath; Borg Olivier's successful pursuit of constitutional amendments; Dom Mintoff's and his party's resilience following electoral defeat; Borg Olivier's demand for independence; the Maltese Administration's and the trade unions' reaction to the massive Services rundown announced in 1962; the relations between the G.W.U. and the M.L.P., the Maltese Government, the British Services and the other unions, respectively; the forcing out of the Baileys from the dockyard and the guaranteeing of continued employment of its workforce; the re-invention of the Maltese economy that included building the infrastructure required for the foundation of industrialisation and tourism; the on-going controversy concerning the wisdom or otherwise of seeking independence and over the Independence Constitution; the squabbling involving the Independence referendum; and the tangled London negotiations on the final form of the Constitution and the Anglo-Maltese financial and defence agreements. Woven throughout this narrative is the theme of British self-interest striving to pull the strings even to the extent of Duncan Sandys attempting to influence the outcome of the Independence referendum.
Dr Giovanni Bonello writes in his Foreword to Volume IV of Fortress Colony: The Final Act 1945-1964, published by Midsea Books, that it is 'an epic book. Everything about it is epic - the times, the subject, the brutal weight of the evidence unearthed, the balance between the passion with which it is conceived and the disciplined objectivity with which it is narrated'. It is a publication that cannot be missed by all those interested in Malta's chequered history.
The book is published by Midsea Books will be available from leading bookshops and all Agenda outlets after 17 May. For enquiries contact [email protected]