History Of The Statute Of Westminster

The history between the British Empire and its dominions always was significantly distinguished through the strong ties which people connected to the mother-country of Britain. However, as always in history changes were about to happen as each dominion urged to become more and more independent. The end of this process is marked by the Statute of Westminster passed in 1931 which granted the former dominions full legal freedom and established legislative equality between the now self-governing dominions of the British Empire. Therefore, the Statute of Westminster is one of the most remarkable acts in Canadian history as it set the road to the development of Canada in which we live today.

Leading towards the Statute of Westminster

Obviously, the passing of the Statute of Westminster did not happened out of sudden and with no serious reason since it was one of the most fundamental changes in relationship between the British Empire and its dominions. It was the consequence of a substantial process of slowly granting more and more rights to the dominions, which finally lead not only Canada but also Australia, New Zealand, the Union of South Africa, and the Irish Free State to their independence. After the end of World War One a big desire rose in Canada to become more independent from Britain and Canadian politicians sought to capitalize on the enormous sacrifices Canada had made during the war as nearly 60 000 Canadian soldiers died on the European battlefields pressing on to end the war against Germany. At that time Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden mentioned that “The dominions have fought in the war upon the principle of equal nationhood. That principle has been consecrated by the efforts and sacrifices” and “it must be maint...

... middle of paper ...

... of their prospect. Until 1982, the power to amend the Canadian constitution thus would remain that of the parliament of Britain.

To draw a conclusion it is inevitable to highlight the significance change not only to Canada´s self-understanding, but also in the world´s appearance that the Statute of Westminster caused. It was the last of the Imperial Acts of the Parliament of Great Britain applicable to all dominions and therefore it marks the end of the great, superordinate British Empire which was one of the major forces throughout many centuries in history. Even though the Commonwealth technically remains, new autonomous countries were finally able to be more than just an extension of the the mother-country. Thus, many of them became remarkable powers with an own identity and own intentions on the world stage themselves, such as the country we live in, Canada.