Constructing Ionian identities: the Ionian Islands in British official ...

The British Parliamentary Papers provide multiple points-of-view as they dealt
with major debates about the Islands, often triggered by parliamentary radicals who
were critical of the forms of British rule. These debates dealt with more specific
issues concerning the Ionian Islands and allowed an examination of the varying
opinions on the Islands and their forms of rule.
The Times and the Daily News, both of which published parliamentary debates
and colonial dispatches, have been utilised to explore aspects of press coverage and
the formation of public opinion on the Ionian question. While there are a limited
number of articles which examined the debates on the Ionian question, the papers do
offer a conservative (Times) and a liberal (Daily News) view. They both also
provided a platform for the Ionians by publishing their articles and letters, allowing
them to express the Ionian point-of-view on various issues directly to the British
public.
Before investigating the administrative strategies regarding the Ionian Islands
and their inhabitants, it is necessary to examine the geographical, social and
economic background of the Islands, from their years of colonisation by the
Venetians until their years as a British protectorate. Britain inherited intact an Ionian
society the Venetians had played a significant part in creating, and this colonial
history was important in how the British would view the Islands.
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