‘The Most Important Commercial Body Within the Empire:’ The Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire, 1925-501

Abstract

Based on private papers of the Federation of Chambers of Commerce of the British Empire (FCCBE), this paper provides the first detailed study of the evolution, inner workings and external relations of the apex pan-British Empire business lobby between 1925 and 1950. It highlights the intra-group politics, corporate agenda and economic thought of the Federation on the political economy of the Empire in the global context. Intersecting imperial and corporate business interests, the FCCBE successfully campaigned for a system of imperial preference in the Empire in the face of the diverse interests of its constituents (such as the Association of British Chambers of Commerce), the tension between the Dominions and the United Kingdom (UK), the interwar depression, the Second World War, the decline of the UK, the rise of the United States, Decolonization, and post-war changes in the global political economy.