Observe | the change of the British throne and the future of the Commonwealth

Contributing Writer Huang Yang

On the evening of September 8, local time, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom died at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. Crown Prince Charles then ascended the throne as Charles III, and England entered a new era. Elizabeth II reigned for 70 years, the longest reigning monarch in British history, and the last british throne change was a few generations ago. For Britons accustomed to the existence of the Queen, the death of the Queen and the accession of Charles to the throne are undoubtedly a major historical event, but in fact, the impact of this event is far beyond the Scope of the United Kingdom - the Commonwealth, with 56 member states and a total population of 2.5 billion, also feels the impact of the Queen's death.

The British Commonwealth, a substitute after the colonial empire "packaged"

For the British, known for their spirit of compromise, the Commonwealth was a product of Britain's elaborate design to preserve the dignity and dignity of the Empire to the greatest extent possible. Although the British Empire was still at its peak in the early twentieth century, the power of several white dominions within it also grew considerably, and it began to resent the status of subordination to Britain. In order to reconcile Britain's relations with the white Dominions, the Imperial Conference in 1926 adopted the Belfort Declaration, declaring that Britain was equal to its Dominions and that they were not subordinate to each other in internal and external affairs, but remained loyal to the British monarch and maintained free ties as members of the "British Commonwealth of Nations". Five years later, the British Parliament passed the Westminster Act 1931, formally incorporating this mechanism into law. After World War II, Britain's national power declined and the process of decolonization accelerated, and the British Commonwealth became britain's best tool to entrap its former colonies. In 1949, the official English name of the Commonwealth was changed from the original "British Commonwealth of Nations" to "Commonwealth of Nations" as a sign of reducing colonial overtones. It must be noted, however, that not all British colonies remained within the Commonwealth after independence, such as Burma; Another example is ireland, after the establishment of a republic, because it did not meet the conditions of loyalty to the British monarch, withdrew from the Commonwealth.

As the core of the Commonwealth, Britain's national power undoubtedly determines the development of the Commonwealth. Due to the relative decline of Britain's power after World War II, its international status continued to decline, and the commonwealth's sense of existence was constantly weakened, and it was considered to be almost a "fraternal" organization. So much so that the media often asks, what is the meaning of the existence of the Commonwealth now? To this day, the word "Commonwealth" can maintain a high degree of attention, I am afraid that only the quadrennial Commonwealth Games. However, in fact, in addition to the Commonwealth Games, the Commonwealth still has certain mechanisms in operation, such as eligible Citizens of Commonwealth member countries enjoying the right to settle, work in the Uk, and even participate in UK domestic elections; Citizens of Commonwealth member states who are not represented in non-Commonwealth countries may seek consular assistance from the British Embassy; The Commonwealth has also established various funds or scholarships to promote exchanges and cooperation among member states in technology, culture and education, among other things.

The Queen died, and public opinion in commonwealth countries was divided

Although the Commonwealth has worked hard to create a positive image of itself as a facilitator of international exchange and cooperation, the roots of its colonial empire remain a lingering "black history". The Commonwealth countries have expressed their condolences and respects for the Queen's death at the official level, but there are still negative voices in public opinion. In Kenya, for example, the Queen's death revives bitter memories of the Brutal British crackdown on the Mao Mao Uprising, which broke out in 1952, the year of the Queen's ascension to the throne, and was not suppressed until 1960. There are also Indian media concerns about whether the "Mountain of Light" diamond in the British crown should be returned to India – this diamond was produced in anddra Pradesh, India, occupied by the British in 1849 and is still regarded as a symbol of British colonial India.

For the "Commonwealth Kingdoms" that still have the British monarch as head of state, the survival of the monarchy has been a concern. Long before the Queen's death, Barbados in the Caribbean declared itself a republic in November 2021, with an elected president rather than a Queen as head of state. Now that the Queen has passed away, it has naturally sparked a renewed discussion of related issues. On September 10, just two days after the Queen's death, Caribbean Prime Minister Gaston Brown of Antigua and Barbuda said the country would hold a "republican referendum" within three years. In Australia, Green Party leader Adam Bande posted on social media just hours after the Queen's death calling for a "republic". Australia held a republican referendum as early as 1999, and although it was not passed, the proportion of voters who supported the establishment of a republican system at that time also reached 45%.

In order to survive, the Commonwealth is also evolving with the times

Although Charles will succeed to the British throne as head of the Commonwealth, the position of Commonwealth head of state is not hereditary, but is decided by the Commonwealth Heads of Government. Speaking at the Commonwealth Summit at Buckingham Palace in London in 2018, Elizabeth II said she "sincerely hopes" that Charles will "inherit the important work that my father began in 1949." As the Queen had hoped, the meeting confirmed that Charles would be the next Head of the Commonwealth. This may be a manifestation of the British Commonwealth's separation from the former colonial empire in the process of modernization.

Throughout the history of the Commonwealth, it has made a lot of efforts to keep pace with the times. For example, when India was declared a republic after independence, in order to avoid losing india as an important member, the Commonwealth amended the regulations to no longer require member states to be loyal to the Crown so that members of the republic could remain in the Commonwealth. Currently, of the 56 Commonwealth member states, only 14 other than the United Kingdom have the British monarch as head of state. Another example was in 2011, when all Commonwealth kingdoms agreed to amend the rules of succession to the British throne so that members of the British Royal Family had equal rights to inherit both men and women.

What are the prospects for the future of the Commonwealth? Although many people believe that they have been reduced to "chicken ribs", the British will not easily abandon the Commonwealth. Especially after Brexit, the Commonwealth has once again gained prominence as an important platform for its international influence. On the other hand, some small countries are also willing to continue to participate in order to gain certain benefits, after all, according to the official Commonwealth, "supporting small countries" is one of the priorities of their work. This is exemplified by the willingness of countries that were not former British colonies, such as Rwanda, Mozambique, Gabon and Togo, to join the Commonwealth. Therefore, from the current point of view, the Commonwealth is still a long way from dissolution or still has a long way to go, but its influence has declined, and I am afraid that it will only further reduce, not increase. (The author is a lecturer at the School of English, Zhejiang Chinese University and an associate researcher of the Institute of Mediterranean Rim)

Source: China Youth Daily client