Flag of British Sardinia
The Crown Colony of Sardinia was officially established on 18 September 1927 with the signing of the Treaty of Cagliari, which ended the Italian Civil War and brought about the end of the unified Italian state. Shifting geopolitics and the dissolution of old alliances placed British maritime control in the Mediterranean in peril. British projection of power depended on Gibraltar and Malta, two isolated and territorially small colonies, which would be essentially indefensible in the case of war. Britain needed a new foothold in the Mediterranean, a "watchtower in guard".
Between 1927 and 1932, British Sardinia was administered from Malta. The two colonies were, during this brief period, amalgamated into the "
Crown Colony of the Maltese Islands and Sardinia", also known as the "
British Mediterranean Islands". This state of affairs ended with the establishment of a local government in Cagliari, led by Governor-General
Harold Alexander, 1st Earl Alexander of Cagliari. Unlike other British colonial possessions, Sardinia was initially devoid of any meaningful self-determination. Such was the island's military value that the
Admiralty in London conducted many of Sardinia's affairs, alongside the Governor-General. Many of Britain's policies were directed at making Sardinia culturally and linguistically distinct from the rest of Italy, as to dissuade any irredentist ideas. The Sardinian language became the only one taught in schools, alongside English, and everything from public signs to government documents were written in said form. Many Sardinians abandoned Italian, since speaking it was a palpable social disadvantage.
British influences were well-received by Sardinia. In 1954, with great encouragement from British officials, the
Football Association of Sardinia was formed, just three years after the
Cricket Federation of Sardinia. In 1946, the
Historical Foundation of Sardinia was established to preserve and advance Sardinia's history, culture, and geography; in 1953 it founded the
Royal Historical Museum in Cagliari, the largest and most important on the island. Customs such as tea time, horse racing, and parliamentary politics were also absorbed into Sardinia. This profound adoption of British manners and ways made Sardinia one of the most loyal colonies in the Empire, despite the evident lack of autonomy for Sardinians.
However, the British failed to fully displace
Italian culture from Sardinia. A vast majority of the population still spoke Italian in an informal basis, and Italian culture was very much prevalent. This led to the formation of a hierarchy in which ethnic Sardinians and British nationals sat at the top, and the Italians underneath. They were essentially treated as second-class citizens within their own homeland. Attempts at equality ended in incarceration and exile for several Italians. Initially small,
bands of radicals would form and violently oppose British occupation. For many years, these impact of these guerrillas was minimal. It was only after British control dragged on and Sardinia's economy
stagnated that many started to see the colonial authorities with contempt. As attempts at obtaining freedom democratically failed, many turned to
armed struggle. Italian revolutionary forces swole in strength and outreach, permeating the people of Sardinia and displacing the British as the most relevant source of authority in the colony.