Synopsis
Sponsored by the Alfred Mizzi Foundation. The Sette Giugno: A riot, a revolt, or a revolution? Following the establishment of the Sette Giugno as one of the National Days in 1989, there is consensus among historians and Maltese society that the Sette Giugno events were an important milestone in Maltese political history. There is still, however, a variety of perspectives with some characterising the 1919 events as bread riots, criminal outrages, a class struggle, or a Maltese revolt or revolution. This presentation first sets out the primary sources at the National Archives of Malta and of the UK and newspapers of the period which were subjected to a qualitative documentary analysis. This leads to an understanding of the Sette Giugno from the point of view of those who lived that tumultuous experience themselves. Evidence is provided for the ways in which all the major sections of the Maltese population of the time were asserting their needs and rights in different ways while coming together in the widely representative National Assembly. The Sette Giugno thus emerges as the widest Maltese national development that confronted the British Empire, while at the same time creating the opportunity for the development of democratic processes among the Maltese themselves.
Speaker: Prof. Paul Bartolo
The Sette Giugno: A Riot, a Revolt or a Revolution?
Speaker: Prof Paul Bartolo
Casino Maltese, Republic Street, Valletta
The Sette Giugno: A Riot, a Revolt or a Revolution?