From Empire to Commonwealth

Types of control in the British Empire

The British Empire was never a uniform system of government.

Main types of control:

Colony company rule

Crown colony governor rule
Colonies with responsible governments
Dominions
the British Raj
Mandates
Protectorates

The type of control showed a variety across time and region.

Colony
- possession of the Crown, acquired by settlement or by conquest

Authority: delegated by the Crown and given in the form of grants

- governor-rule (Crown colony)

- company-rule

Company-rule: private companies - capitalized from Britain - tried to set up their own
colonies as private commercial concerns (e.g. East India Company).

They frequently found the administration far more expensive than they expected and so
often turned to the British government for help - particularly when wars or rebellions
occurred.

Governor-rule: appointed by the British monarch (later by the Secretary of State for the
Colonies) expected to report directly to London

Crown colonies: controlled directly by the Crown (through the governor)

- population was overwhelmingly non-European and therefore considered

unfit for representative government (e.g. in Africa, the Pacific)

1
 - allowed the use of British laws and institutions (such as courts and police
forces) without the need for any local ratification

Colonial governments

From the mid-19th century: some colonies could develop more representative systems
responsible governments

Internally self-governing

Ministers, Assembly, Council: colonial mini-versions of the British parliament

Gained dominion status later

Examples: Canada, Australia, New Zealand

Dominions
Dominions were those colonies that were granted significant freedom to rule themselves.

The native population was usually forced out.

Dominions were fully independent countries after the 1931 Statute of Westminster,
although their Head of State continued to be the British sovereign. The statute did not grant
constitutional independence, only legislative independence with certain provisions. Some of
the dominions became Commonwealth realms. (Commonwealth realm: a sovereign state
that is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, has Queen Elizabeth II as its reigning
constitutional monarch, and has a royal line of succession in common with the other realm.
Examples: Canada, New Zealand, Australia).

The term dominion was phased out in the 1950's.

Examples: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Irish Free State (1922-1937), Ireland (1937-
1949), Newfoundland, India, Pakistan

The British Raj

Native states: princely states (protectorates)

British India:

- first ruled by the East Indian Company (EIC)

- 1858 directly ruled by the Crown; status similar to the Crown

Colonies, but had a civil service and administration more
representative of the indigenous population

2
Administration and governing (in England and in India)

LONDON

India Office: a British governmental department set up for the sole purpose of administering
India; headed by the Secretary of State for India; cooperation with the Council of India

INDIA (divided into presidencies/provinces)

Viceroy (Governor-General): appointed by the Crown, had to report to the Secretary of

State in London

Governors: heads of presidencies

After the Indian Mutiny of 1857: the aim was to include the Indian people in the
administration of the country so that the peoples mistrust and fear could be minimized

1861 Indian Legislative Councils Act

- formation of legislative councils in the provinces, but with limited power;

Indians only as advisers; the Viceroy could veto provincial bills

1919 Government of India Act

- allowed the people of India greater participation in their own government

- introduced direct elections

- Indian ministers in provincial administration

- but: foreign policy, law, the armed forces, the police and finance still in the
hands of the Viceroy

INDIA
From mid-18th century: company rule (EIC)
1858-1947: directly ruled by the British Crown; the British Raj
1947-1950: partition, dominion status granted The Dominion of Pakistan
and the Union of India
1950: independent state, The Republic of India (Commonwealth member)
1956: independent state of Pakistan (Commonwealth member)
1971: independent state of Bangladesh (Commonwealth member)

3
Mandates
Mandates were set up after World War One as German and Turkish colonies were passed to
Britain and France to prepare for self- government on behalf of the League of Nations.

Examples: Tanganyika, Palestine, Iraq

Protectorates
Protectorates: local rulers could continue ruling domestically but they had ceded the
foreign and defense aspects of their government to the British.

- usually strategic possessions related to securing trade routes or important areas of

trade
- many became Crown Colonies at some stage

Examples: Zanzibar, Egypt, Indian Princely States, Malay states

COMMONWEALTH

It is an intergovernmental organization of 53 member states that were mostly territories of

the former British Empire. It was first officially formed in 1931 when the Statute of
Westminster gave legal recognition to the sovereignty of dominions formally constituted by
the London Declaration in 1949. Not all the countries that were once members of the British
Empire are also members of the Commonwealth (e.g. the Republic of Ireland). Membership
is voluntary.

Queen Elizabeth II: the Head of the Commonwealth

Members:

16 Commonwealth realms (monarch: Queen Elizabeth II)

32 republics

5 monarchies (different monarchs)