The end of the British Empire?

It’s the 1940s. For decades, Britain has had the world’s largest empire, so large it is called the empire on which “the sun never sets.” To support the British in World War II, the colonies of the Empire provide soldiers, materials, and locations for military bases. In exchange, Britain makes promises to the colonies, such as eventual self-government, and new constitutions when the war is over. When the war ends in 1945, Britain is in debt. War is expensive, and now more money is needed to rebuild the country.

Britain focuses on its own post-war recovery and pays less and less attention to the governing of its colonies. But what about the wartime promises? Many colonies grow frustrated with careless British rule and want to become independent. Attempts to end colonialism - to decolonise - have been in motion for a long time. Some colonies, such as Canada and Australia, have already become self-governing nations under the British Empire, called dominions.

But not every colony wants to be a dominion. Many want to be fully independent countries, without any other country having a say in how they are run. Decolonisation is a very complicated process. Some colonies had their borders drawn up in Europe, with little regard for the people living there or the land claims that already existed. So often, many unique societies, cultures, languages, and ethnic groups are present in one single colony.

In some areas, decolonisation is peaceful. But in others, differences between people can lead to violence. In 1947, India gains independence. India was, for a long time, Britain's most valuable trading colony, and provided much of Britain’s military strength for controlling its Asian colonies. But the British could not stop the growing Indian nationalist movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.

When British India splits into Hindu-majority India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, many people suddenly find themselves on the “wrong” side of the border. Communities that had once lived together now see each other as enemies. Several hundred thousand people die in conflicts during this period. Gandhi opposes splitting the country. He wants Hindus and Muslims to be united.

This angers some supporters of the partition. Gandhi is killed by a Hindu nationalist in 1948. Many people in other British colonies are inspired by Gandhi's fight for independence, including a young politician named Kwame Nkrumah in the colony of the Gold Coast - now Ghana. Nkrumah creates a pro-independence political party: the Convention People's Party. He becomes the first prime minister and then the president.

Ghana is Britain's first African colony to reach independence in 1957. Across the continent, British control is constantly challenged by strong, local nationalist movements. Nearly every British territory in Africa is granted independence in the following decade. Decolonisation continues throughout the 1970s and 1980s. When Britain’s largest remaining colony, Hong Kong, is returned to China in 1997, many consider it the end of the Empire.

But... is it really? Today, fourteen former colonies, now called overseas territories, remain under British rule. Almost all are islands or groups of islands with small populations; many are among the most remote islands in the world! Of the inhabited territories, all have at least some form of self-government, while the United Kingdom is responsible for their defense and international relations.

Meanwhile, many former British colonies remain connected to the United Kingdom through an association formed in 1947, called the Commonwealth. The Commonwealth promotes trade and collaboration between its members. Today, the Commonwealth includes 54 member countries and a combined population of 2.4 billion people. These are some of the final traces of Britain's once large empire.