ABSTRACT
The political history of Gibraltar has been well documented, 1 from the capture of the Rock in 1704 to the granting of full British citizenship to all Gibraltarians in 1981, and later. The key events and stages to some extent parallel those identified in the economic analysis. In addition, just as the world of work available to Gibraltarians, often as a result of the British presence and British actions, has played a noteworthy part in moulding the Gibraltarian community, so have government and politics, often controlled by the British, made their mark on the people. Far from ignoring this emerging people, as Stewart observes, 2 the British have, in exercising power, consistently tried to engineer the kind of society they wanted. Cultural bonding has not been wholly incidental or informal.
