The Commonwealth — A Family of Nations

Abstract

The British Commonwealth is not merely an important group of nations: in its character and problems it also illustrates the conflict in the contemporary world between the forces of nationalism and internationalism. On the one hand, it represents a British solution, applied now for many years, to the tensions created by the emergence of new nations. On the other, the Commonwealth’s main need, which has become urgent since 1945, is to strengthen itself as a group by closer co-operation among the members: since this, as will be seen, cannot be achieved in adequate measure without some sacrifice of national sovereignty by both Britain and the Dominions, it raises immediately the essential problem of internationalism. Thus anyone wishing to examine the possibility of establishing effective international government can learn a great deal from a study of the Commonwealth.