| Summary: | This thesis examines New Zealand's role
in and contribution to the British Commonwealth
in the crucial years immediately following the
Second World War. A thematic approach is taken,
highlighting economic, constitutional and defence
ties, as well as the less discernable links of
sentiment. The premise is that the Commonwealth was
essentially a paradoxical association; the juncture
between independent nationhood and collective
solidarity. The thesis, therefore, aims to show how
New Zealand exhibited both these traits and tried
to maintain some equilibrium between them. However,
the latter role of the loyal Commonwealth partner
increasingly prevailed in the difficult international
situation of the late 1940's. Certainly, by the
defeat of the first Labour government in 1949, New
Zealand had strongly reaffirmed its commitment to
Commonwealth unity. Confirmed sovereignty was
qualified by a residual imperial focus. The
various influences contributing to New Zealand's
inherent support for the Commonwealth will be
considered.
New Zealand's commitment to the Commonwealth
has to, however, be seen in the context of a changing
international environment. The established
independence of member states, combined with Britain's
decline as a major power, ensured that the
Commonwealth could not function as a unitary bloc.
A bi-polar balance of power, centred on the United
States and the Soviet Union was to become the
predominant feature of the post-war world, and
Commonwealth members had to respond accordingly. In
turn, the Commonwealth itself was an elastic
association and continued to evolve relative to
changing circumstances, as highlighted by the impact
of the independence of the Indian subcontinent.
This gave greater emphasis to the Commonwealth's
basis as a free association of independent nations
rather than a formalised alliance. The New Zealand
government's conservative, even reactionary, attitude
to such developments will be discussed, showing
Wellington's role as the advocate of the "Old
Commonwealth".
The External Affairs files of the National
Archives, Wellington, provided the bulk of primary
research. This was supplemented by parliamentary
records, newspapers and the excellent published
collections of primary sources. The extensive corpus
of secondary literature also provided valuable
background detail. The thematic approach taken may
be at the expense of a full chronological overview,
but it aims to illustrate the major comparative
trends of the period.
|
|---|
