ABSTRACT

There is growing recognition that the end of formal empire did not equate with the ending of ties between the imperial power and its erstwhile dependencies. This was especially so of the ‘fortress colony’ of Malta which following constitutional separation from Britain in September 1964 remained firmly linked to Britain economically and militarily. The existing historiography suggests that Britain actively sought to maintain imperial connections after decolonisation, even to the extent of attempting to convert formal empire into informal influence. The case of Malta, by contrast, indicates that the remaining imperial ties proved increasingly vexatious for Britain which sought either to limit its liabilities or even transfer them to its NATO allies. For their part, the Maltese proved adept at manipulating, cajoling, and even threatening the former imperial power to maintain and even increase its commitments to the island, especially in the military and financial fields.

摘要

人们越来越认识到，正式帝国的终结并不等同于皇权与其昔日依附关系的终结。马耳他这个“堡垒殖民地”尤其如此，它在 1964 年 9 月从英国宪法分离后，在经济和军事上仍然与英国紧密联系。现有的史学表明，英国在去殖民化后积极寻求维持帝国联系，甚至试图将正式帝国转变为非正式影响。相比之下，马耳他的情况表明，剩余的帝国关系对英国来说越来越令人烦恼，英国试图限制其负债，甚至将其转移给其北约盟国。就马耳他人而言，事实证明他们善于操纵、哄骗、