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The Commonwealth of Nations, often simply referred to as the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire from which it developed. They are connected through their use of the English language and historical-cultural ties.
- Overview
- Establishment
- Membership and criteria
The Commonwealth is an association of countries across the world. Although historically connected to the British Empire, any country can apply to be a member of the Commonwealth, regardless of its intersection with Britain’s colonial past. The Commonwealth consists of 54 countries, including the United Kingdom.
Who is head of the Commonwealth?
The British monarch is head of the Commonwealth. In some Commonwealth countries, such as the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, the monarch symbolically holds the highest office as head of state.
Who were the first members of the Commonwealth?
The Statute of Westminster in 1931 established the first countries to become autonomous while pledging allegiance to the British crown. Sovereign status was given to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Irish Free State (Ireland), and Newfoundland; however, Newfoundland’s government refused independence and later became Newfoundland and Labrador, a province of Canada.
What is the smallest Commonwealth country?
The Commonwealth was an evolutionary outgrowth of the British Empire. Contemporaneous with its shedding of mercantilist philosophy, the empire began implementing “responsible government”—i.e., a system under which the governor could act in domestic matters only upon the advice of ministers enjoying the confidence of the elected chamber—in parts of ...
For a period after the promulgation of the Statute of Westminster, membership in the Commonwealth came on condition of allegiance to the British monarch. But the rapid growth of nationalism from the 1920s in parts of the empire with chiefly non-European populations required a reconsideration of the nature of the Commonwealth. India in particular had been a special case within the British Empire; by title an empire in its own right, it had a viceroy, a separate secretary of state in London, its own army, and even, to a certain degree, its own foreign policy. When India and Pakistan were granted independence in 1947, they became members of the Commonwealth. In 1949 India announced its intention to become a republic, which would have required its withdrawal from the Commonwealth under the existing rules, but at a meeting of Commonwealth heads of government in London in April 1949 it was agreed that India could continue its membership if it accepted the British crown as only “the symbol of the free association” of Commonwealth members. That declaration was the first to drop the adjective British, and thereafter the official name of the organization became the Commonwealth of Nations, or simply the Commonwealth.
India’s grant of independence was the first in a long series of grants, and, as former dependencies attained sovereignty, Commonwealth membership grew dramatically in the second half of the 20th century. Most of the dependent states granted independence chose Commonwealth membership; like India, many opted not to recognize the Crown as head of state. In 1995 Mozambique became the first country granted entry that was never part of the British Empire or under the control of any member. Rwanda, also never part of the British Empire, joined in 2009.
Some states became independent and rejected membership, such as Burma (Myanmar) in 1948. The Commonwealth was also beset by some members opting to withdraw from the organization, as did Ireland (1949), South Africa (1961), and Pakistan (1972), though both South Africa and Pakistan eventually rejoined (the former in 1994 and the latter in 1989).
In addition to independent members, the Commonwealth also comprises dependent territories, which are formally governed by the United Kingdom, Australia, or New Zealand. Most of the older dependencies are colonies. Dependencies include Anguilla, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, and the Turks and Caicos Islands (United Kingdom); Christmas Island, the Cocos Islands, the Coral Sea Islands, and Norfolk Island (Australia); and Niue and Tokelau (New Zealand). The United Kingdom has followed a policy of leading the dependencies toward self-government by creating territorial governments in them. These governments comprise a lawmaking body (often called the legislative council); an executive body (called the executive council), which with the governor is the executive authority; and an independent judiciary. At first government posts are appointive, but an increasing elected element is introduced, as constitutions are altered, until elected officials are made wholly responsible for local affairs. After a colony achieves internal self-government, its legislature may apply to the British Parliament for complete independence. It then decides whether to remain in the Commonwealth.
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- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
See all latest news. The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent and equal countries. It is home to 2.5 billion people, and includes both advanced economies and developing countries. 33 of our members are small states, including many island nations.
The Commonwealth is one of the world’s oldest political associations of states. Its roots go back to the British Empire, when countries around the world were ruled by Britain. The early Commonwealth. Over time different countries of the British Empire gained different levels of freedom from Britain. Semi-independent countries were called ...
The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 56 independent countries, almost all of which were formerly under British rule. The origins of the Commonwealth come from Britain's former Empire. Many of the members of the Commonwealth were territories which had historically come under British rule at various times by settlement, conquest or cession.
12 de set. de 2022 · The Commonwealth of Nations was born out of the slow disintegration of the British Empire, which covered a fifth of the world’s surface at its peak in the late 19th century.
The Commonwealth has been described as an organism which could evolve, but could not have been constructed from a blueprint. This distinguishes it from the United Nations, built around its charter in the conscious endeavour to establish universally-recognised standards for international conduct.
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