Wind Of Change In South Africa Essay
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5 Pages
The 1960 British Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan once gave a speech in South Africa known as “The Wind of Change Speech”. Macmillan said, "The wind of change is blowing through this continent, and whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact. We must all accept it as a fact, and our national policies must take account of it” (Baker 179). Macmillan was reinforcing that decolonization is taking place in Africa. Most of the European powers had African colonies, the British Empire was not an exception, and following 1950, most of these colonies were relinquished. Some independence movements were peaceful such as Ghana (Falola and Mbah 37). Ghana was vital for its exports of gold and diamonds. Britain was
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The Commonwealth was founded in 1931. It is an organization of self-governing states that holds the same allegiance but are equal to each other (Betts 31). “After World War II, equal status united them all, without any formal treaties required” (Betts 31). This differs from colonization because it is a completely voluntary process and countries were not subservient to each other; countries that joined were not allowed to leave at any time. Raymond Betts states, “For the British the “commonwealth” had emerged as an alternate agreement to an overbearing empire…the World Wars moved the Commonwealth idea and organization forward and outward” (31). Britain still had influence and connection with former colonies; only now without an authoritative rule. Some Commonwealth Countries such as New Zealand still have the British Union Jack on their flag to symbolize their connection the Britain (Betts 31). To date the Commonwealth is headed by Queen Elizabeth II and has a total of 53 nations (Betts 32). After World War II, many of the countries that Britain decolonized agreed to join the Commonwealth. India, Ghana, Kenya, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago all joined the Commonwealth after gaining their independence (Betts 31). This transition “gave the decolonization of the British empire a smoother end” (Betts 32). World War II helped to advance the Commonwealth and represented the disintegration of the British
The Commonwealth was founded in 1931. It is an organization of self-governing states that holds the same allegiance but are equal to each other (Betts 31). “After World War II, equal status united them all, without any formal treaties required” (Betts 31). This differs from colonization because it is a completely voluntary process and countries were not subservient to each other; countries that joined were not allowed to leave at any time. Raymond Betts states, “For the British the “commonwealth” had emerged as an alternate agreement to an overbearing empire…the World Wars moved the Commonwealth idea and organization forward and outward” (31). Britain still had influence and connection with former colonies; only now without an authoritative rule. Some Commonwealth Countries such as New Zealand still have the British Union Jack on their flag to symbolize their connection the Britain (Betts 31). To date the Commonwealth is headed by Queen Elizabeth II and has a total of 53 nations (Betts 32). After World War II, many of the countries that Britain decolonized agreed to join the Commonwealth. India, Ghana, Kenya, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago all joined the Commonwealth after gaining their independence (Betts 31). This transition “gave the decolonization of the British empire a smoother end” (Betts 32). World War II helped to advance the Commonwealth and represented the disintegration of the British