In Focus: Britain’s Shrinking Empire
| Author | Benjamin D. Hennig |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/20419058221147588 |
| Published date | 01 December 2022 |
| Date | 01 December 2022 |
14POLITICAL INSIGHT•DECEMBER 2022
In Focus
Britain’s Shrinking Empire
Benjamin D. Hennig maps the changing shape of the British Empire,
and its role in the world during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.
The death of Queen Elizabeth II might
also be seen as the end of the British
Empire. At the height of British rule,
almost a quarter of the world was
under direct British inuence. By the time
the Queen’s 70-year reign came to a close
in September, the size of the British Empire
had shrunk to only 14 overseas territories, the
largest of which is the Falkland Islands. The
Queen also remained Head of State in 15 other
nations than Britain.
As the Home Oce’s
Life in the United
Kingdom: a guide for new residents
recognises, ‘self-government for former
colonies’ was an important aspect of the post-
war period of change in Britain. As the guide
notes: ‘In 1947, independence was granted
to nine countries, including India, Pakistan
and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Other colonies in
Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacic achieved
independence over the next 20 years.’
At the time of Elizabeth II’s accession in
1952, Britain still held more than 70 overseas
territories. However, fundamental political
changes had already started transforming the
Empire. The ocial Home Oce booklet for
new citizens described this process as a rather
orderly transition, yet de-colonisation policies
following WWII were also, in some cases,
accompanied by violence, as Britain attempted
to retain some strategic inuence.
The Suez crisis in the early years of the
Queen’s reign could be seen as a symptom of
a ongoing colonial mindset in British politics.
At the same time, decolonisation, especially
of Africa and the Caribbean in the 1960s
and 1970s, considerably weakened Britain’s
inuence after the Second World War.
It marked the period when the
Commonwealth of Nations started to increase
in geopolitical importance for Britain. With
a fading empire, the Commonwealth was
not only of strategic interest to the United
Kingdom, but also to the role of the monarchy
itself. With independence, some countries
chose to become republics, so that the
monarch’s role as Head of State no longer
existed where these countries chose to stay in
(or join) the Commonwealth. The Head of the
Commonwealth though remained the Queen
and she was accepted in that ceremonial role
by all member states. While not hereditary,
the 2018 Commonwealth Meeting decided
to grant this role to King Charles III upon the
Queen’s death.
The Commonwealth was also an important
pillar in the British monarchy’s global inuence
in the post-colonial era. The Queen may
well have anticipated these changes, as she
declared in 1953 that the Commonwealth
was ‘an entirely new conception – built on
the highest qualities of the spirit of man:
friendship, loyalty, and the desire for freedom
and peace’ – with the British monarch and
hence the United Kingdom at its heart.
The state visits and ocial visits that
Elizabeth II undertook during her 70-
year reign, reect the importance that
the Commonwealth took from a political
perspective. She is the most-widely travelled
Head of State in history. As shown in the
cartogram, most of her visits on ocial
occasions were to Commonwealth countries.
Of the 106 countries she visited, most visits
were made to Canada, Australia and New
Zealand, where she also remained Head of
State following the country’s independence.
Outside of the Commonwealth, mainly
European countries were on the monarch’s
travel itinerary, showing the priorities that
British post-war politics had in the second half
of the 20th century.
The geopolitical changes that swept
through the British Empire during Queen
Elizabeth’s reign remain dening today. The
Empire might have vanished, but the global
reaction to the death of the Queen shows how
Political Insight December 2022.indd 14Political Insight December 2022.indd 1414/11/2022 11:1314/11/2022 11:13
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