EM 16: What Makes the British Commonwealth Hold Together? (1946)
By Herbert Heaton
Professor, University of Minnesota
(Published January 1946)
What’s Included in the British Commonwealth?
- Is there an Englishman in the house?
- What is this thing we’re talking about?
- The independent Commonwealth
- The dependent Empire
- What’s in a name?
What Happened after America Pulled Out In 1776?
- The new British Empire
- Spoils of the Napoleonic Wars
- Enterprise and expansion
- The empire of settlement
- The empire of commerce
- The new imperialism
- “Old Joe” Chamberlain
- The mandates
- The Early Years
- Colonial Expansion, 1780–1880
- The Empire Comes of Age, 1850–1914
Why Haven’t Other Colonies Followed Our Example?
- Lord Durham’s report
- The crucial test
- The scope of self-government
- The right to be heard
Are the Dominions Really Independent?
- Autonomy and equality of status
- Eire—the test case
- The other dominions
- Unity and free association
- Consultation, cooperation, coordination
Are the Colonies Moving toward Independence?
- What of India?
Will The Commonwealth Hold Together?
- What of “Empire Preference”?
- Will the rest of us hang together or separately?
- Organizing your discussion
- Questions for discussion
Primary source documents from 1944–46