The Commonwealth in Transition

Abstract

The first quarter of the twentieth century saw the emergence within the British Empire of a commonwealth of autonomous dominions, each completely self governing in its internal affairs, each asserting its economic independence by assessing a tariff on British goods, and each aspiring towards a position of constitutional equality with the United Kingdom. Since 1945, a new commonwealth has emerged, including in its membership not only British nations beyond the seas but also nations of Asia, with cultures of their own and with a history reaching farther into the past than that of Britain, and to which are being added new communities in Africa. The appearance of this new commonwealth has raised the question of the relations between these non-European nations and the older members. It has also raised the question, once British control has been removed, how deeply the superimposed British political, legal, and social institutions have penetrated into non-British communities. The new commonwealth is thus an experiment in a unique, multi-national association of peoples, and upon the success of the experiment depends its future existence.