Old Commonwealth

Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - Cite This Source

Old Commonwealth and White Commonwealth are informal terms used to describe the predominantly white members of the Commonwealth of Nations located in the developed world, specifically the United Kingdom and the realms of Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The Dominion of Newfoundland was a member prior to its becoming part of Canada in 1949. Prior to becoming a republic and leaving the Commonwealth in 1961, the Union of South Africa was usually thought of as a member of the "White Commonwealth" as it was under white rule. The Irish Free State/Éire could have been thought of as a member as well, though the term was not in common use prior to its leaving the Commonwealth in 1949.

In recent years, the term White Commonwealth is usually used in a derogatory sense to imply that the wealthier nations of the Commonwealth with European-descended populations had different interests and goals from the non-white, and particularly the African members. Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has used the term frequently to allege that the Commonwealth's attempts to catalyse political changes in his country is motivated by racism and colonialist attitudes and that the White Commonwealth dominates the Commonwealth of Nations as a whole.

Old Commonwealth

See also