Redefining the Bonds of Commonwealth, 1939-1948 : The Politics of Preference

Annotation This work is a path-breaking study of the changing attitudes of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa to Britain and the Commonwealth in the 1940s and the effect of those changes on their individual and collective standing in international affairs. The focus is imperial preference, the largest discriminatory tariff system in the world and a potent symbol of Commonwealth unity. It is based on archival research in Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the United States "Redefining the Bonds of Commonwealth, 1939-1948 examines the evolution of the Commonwealth in response to the emergence of Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa as independent actors in international affairs. McKenzie argues that the dominions' constitutional independence was meaningless unless it was concretely established and internationally acknowledged. How the dominions entrenched their independence, redefining the scope and purpose of the Commonwealth in the process, is at the heart of this study. The complexity and dynamic of Anglo-dominion relations is revealed through the story of imperial preference, the largest discriminatory tariff system in the world in the 1940s and potent symbol of Commonwealth unity. As part of their commitment to rebuilding a postwar world free of the economic chauvinism and discrimination that bred major conflicts, Britain and the dominions defined policies on preferences, in so doing revealing conflicting ideas of and hopes for the Commonwealth. Renegotiating the mandate and precedents of Commonwealth cooperation and association would determine whether the Commonwealth would survive World War II as surely as would winning the war."--BOOK JACKET. Front Matter....Pages i-xii Introduction: the Necessity of Redefining the Commonwealth....Pages 1-16 A Short History of Imperial Preference: the Myth of Commonwealth Unity and the Reality of National Interests....Pages 17-30 Defining National Trade Policy and National Interests from Mutual Aid to the End of the War....Pages 31-90 The Beginning of Wartime Consultation, 1943....Pages 91-112 Problems Making Peace: Anglo-American Competition and Commonwealth Jockeying, January 1944–August 1945....Pages 113-137 Imperial Preference and the Anglo-American Loan Negotiations, September–December 1945....Pages 138-155 Waiting for the Geneva Conference to Begin: Commonwealth and International Progress along the Way, January 1946–April 1947....Pages 156-184 The Geneva Negotiations, 10 April–30 October 1947....Pages 185-237 The Havana Conference and the Reception of the GATT Agreements across the Commonwealth....Pages 238-259 Conclusion: a Future for the Commonwealth and for Commonwealth History....Pages 260-268 Back Matter....Pages 269-351 This is the undisputed best introduction to the history of the world-wide pattern of British activity in the nineteenth century, embracing its expansive spirit as well as its formal territorial empire. The dynamics of this extraordinary enterprise are considered broadly: the high-political concerns of strategy and international geopolitics are analyzed, as well as the economic dimension, missionary activity, and racial attitudes, together with a wide range of cultural aspects, including sport and the pursuit of sexual opportunity. Nor is the personal contribution of some of the leading Victorian figures neglected The Idea Of An Aryan Race Became An Important Feature Of Imperial Culture In The 19th Century, Feeding Into Debates In Britain, Ireland, India, And The Pacific. This Study Traces The Emergence And Dissemination Of Aryanism Within The British Empire. Francine Mckenzie. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 324-338) And Index.