Family Matters? The Dominion High Commissioners in Wartime Britain, 1938–42
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 11943558 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Kent Fedorowich (North-West State Technical University, corresponding author), Carl Bridge (0000-0002-1283-6732) |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2012-03-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Imperial & Commonwealth History (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0308-6534 • E-ISSN: 1743-9329 |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/03086534.2012.656482 |
| OpenAlex | W2019654710 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 29 |
The demands of the Second World War had long-term consequences for Britain's future relations with its four self-governing dominions of Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa. Forged by war, a key component in this evolving diplomatic relationship was the office of the high commissioner, which by 1950, became the main conduit of communications between the British and dominion governments. This essay introduces some of the main actors and tensions within the ‘family circle’, especially during the first three years of the conflict, when, after the fall of France in June 1940, the British Empire stood almost alone until the United States entered hostilities in December 1941. Christened the ‘junior war cabinet’, the influence of the dominion high commissioners reached its height in 1940, only to decline rapidly with the coming of Winston Churchill to power in May 1940. Indeed, their influence within Whitehall was directly linked with who was dominions secretary and the influence, or not, they had with the prime minister. This article pursues several lines of inquiry. First, there is a brief outline of the growing historiography on this subject which is followed by how the modern-day high commissioner was created during the inter-war period. Second, there is an examination of the dominion high commissioners themselves, their activities as a group, their varying approaches to their office and their relations with the Dominions Office. Finally, interwoven within the analysis, is an exploration of how these men were viewed by their counterparts in Whitehall, especially Churchill, who was determined to control the strategic direction of the war without any interference from the dominions or their representatives in London
Ancient history · Archaeology · British Empire · Cabinet (room · Dominion · Economic history · Empire · Historiography · Political science · Spanish Civil War · Australian History and Society · Commonwealth, Australian Politics and Federalism · History · Law · World Wars: History, Literature, and Impact
Canada and the Age of Conflict
Commissions High
William Lyon Mackenzie King, Volume II, 1924-1932
Britain and the Commonwealth Alliance 1918–1939
The Imperial Canadian
The ‘Bloody Post Office’
Sir Gerald Campbell and the British High Commission in Wartime Ottawa, 1938-1940
What's in a name?’ The curious tale of the office of high commissioner
The Decline of Churchill's 'Garden Suburb' and Rise of his Private Office
Dominion of New Zealand
An Organic Part of the Whole Structure’
A British high commissioner for Canada, 1927–28
Britain, Cadogan and France
The captive dominion
Bruce of Melbourne
Commissions High
Spying on Ireland
The Rise and Fall of the High Commission
How British was the British World? The Case of South Africa
The Imperial Canadian
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |