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The British Empire was composed of the dominions,colonies,protectorates,mandates,and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts established by England between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. At its height it was the largest empire in history and,for over a century,was the foremost global power. By 1913,the British Empire held sway over 412 million people,23 per cent of the world population at the time,and by 1920,it covered 35.5 million km2 (13.7 million sq mi),24 per cent of the Earth's total land area. As a result,its constitutional,legal,linguistic,and cultural legacy is widespread. At the peak of its power,it was described as "the empire on which the sun never sets",as the Sun was always shining on at least one of its territories.
The Statute of Westminster 1931 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that sets the basis for the relationship between the Commonwealth realms and the Crown.
A Commonwealth realm is a sovereign state in the Commonwealth of Nations whose monarch and head of state is shared among the other realms. Each realm functions as an independent state,equal with the other realms and nations of the Commonwealth. King Charles III succeeded his mother,Queen Elizabeth II,as monarch of each Commonwealth realm following her death on 8 September 2022. He simultaneously became Head of the Commonwealth.
The Dominion of New Zealand was the historical successor to the Colony of New Zealand. It was a constitutional monarchy with a high level of self-government within the British Empire.
The Imperial War Cabinet (IWC) was the British Empire's wartime coordinating body. It met over three sessions,the first from 20 March to 2 May 1917,the second from 11 June to late July 1918,and the third from 20 or 25 November 1918 to early January 1919. Consisting of representatives from Canada,Australia,India,the Dominion of Newfoundland,New Zealand,South Africa and the United Kingdom,the Cabinet considered many aspects of waging the First World War. It led to the United Kingdom's Dominions being considered more equal to Great Britain. Held concurrently with the cabinet were the Imperial War Conferences of 1917 and 1918.
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The Commonwealth of Nations is a voluntary association of 56 sovereign states. Most of them were British colonies or dependencies of those colonies.
Australia is a constitutional monarchy whose Sovereign also serves as Monarch of the United Kingdom,New Zealand,Canada and eleven other former dependencies of the United Kingdom including Papua New Guinea,which was formerly a dependency of Australia. These countries operate as independent nations,and are known as Commonwealth realms. The history of the Australian monarchy has involved a shifting relationship with both the monarch and also the British government.
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The Commonwealth of Nations,simply referred to as the Commonwealth,is a political association of 56 member states,the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire. The chief institutions of the organisation are the Commonwealth Secretariat,which focuses on intergovernmental aspects,and the Commonwealth Foundation,which focuses on non-governmental relations amongst member states. Numerous organisations are associated with and operate within the Commonwealth.
The term Dominion is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire.
Ghana was the first African country colonised by European powers to achieve independence under majority rule. During the first three years after independence,from 1957 to 1960,a Westminster system of government was in place and the British monarch served as Queen of Ghana and head of state. Although the country was sometimes referred to as the Dominion of Ghana during this period,it never held the formal status of Dominion within the British Empire.
The Colony of New Zealand was a Crown colony of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland that encompassed the islands of New Zealand from 1841 to 1907. The power of the British government was vested in the Governor of New Zealand,as the representative of their monarch. The colony had three capitals:Old Russell in 1841;Auckland from 1841 to 1865;and Wellington,which was the capital until the colony's reorganisation into a Dominion,and continues to be the capital of New Zealand till the present day.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Traue, J. E., ed. (1978). Who's Who in New Zealand (11th ed.). Wellington: Reed. p. 180. ISBN 0-589-01113-8.
- ↑ "University staff changes". The Press . Vol. 104, no. 30892. 27 October 1965. p. 20. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ↑ Calender 06 (PDF). University of Canterbury. 2006. p. 13. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
- ↑ "A short history of the school". University of Canterbury. Archived from the original on 14 October 2008. Retrieved 19 December 2008.
- ↑ Report of Committee on Commonwealth Membership, London, Commonwealth Secretariat, Sept 2007
- ↑ "No. 52953". The London Gazette (2nd supplement). 13 June 1992. p. 30.
- ↑ "William McIntyre obituary". The Dominion Post . 15 September 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2022.
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