Imperial Federation League

Imperial Federation League

The Imperial Federation League was a 19th century organisation which aimed to promote Imperial Federation.

Formation

It was founded in London in 1884. Branches were established in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Barbados and British Guiana. It aimed to promote Imperial Federation. Canada confederated in 1867 and continued to expand westward. In England a movement arose to federate the empire, much as Canada had recently confederated. The United States and Canada were concrete examples of how vast territories could be effectively managed while maintaining a central representative authority.

While the proposal was often associated with segments of the British Conservative Party, it was also popular among proponents of Liberal or New Imperialism such as E. M. Forster. The movement was also a vehicle for British race nationalism and ideas of a greater Britain encompassing the largely white self-governing colonies and dominions. Its modern descendents are those who favour closer ties between the Old Commonwealth.

In 1884 the Imperial Federation League combined politicians, journalists, and intellectuals, like Sir John Robert Seeley, James Bryce, and Froude.

Programme

The league promoted closer union of the British Empire and advocated the establishment of an Imperial parliament to be composed of Britain and the self-governing members of the Empire. [ Australian Dictionary of Biography]

The Imperial Parliament (Westminster, stripped of its local responsibilities) would handle foreign affairs, the army, the navy, and those colonies (including India) which had a population the bulk of which was “alien”. The centre would also have a final court of appeal. Local Parliaments would exercise control over Home Affairs, the police and education. [Morris p. 17ff]

Supporters of Imperial Federation presented the argument that the two choices for Britain were Imperial unification or Imperial disintegration. In their view the future importance of Britain depended on it federating what is now called the “Old Commonwealth”. [Morris p. 10]

The League was divided between those who wanted to establish a clear pathway for Imperial Federation and those whose view was that the programme could best be advanced by general discussion, aiming to move opinion in favour of federation with specifics to be worked out later (Parkin, in Canada, argued that that was the method used to bring about Canadian Confederation). [ [http://anglosphere.com/weblog/archives/000157.html Review of Parkin] ]

Another point of division within the League was the question of free trade or tariff protection.

United Kingdom

Lord Rosebery (Prime Minister from March 1894 to June 1895) was Chairman of the English Branch from 1885 until 1892. [ [http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0115%2FRCMS%2022%2F3 Commonwealth miscellanea] ]

In Britain the League had a concrete accomplishment in the calling of the First Colonial Conference in 1887 at the time of Queen Victoria's golden jubilee. The Branch was dissolved in 1894.

Ontario

Whilst Branches of the Imperial Federation League spread throughout the Empire, a large branch formed in Toronto in 1887. It was spurred on by a United States initiative for a commercial union between the US and Canada. [Parkin]

Victoria

A branch of the League was established in Victoria in 1885.

Alfred Deakin was a supporter of the League and in 1905 became the President of the Victorian Branch. [ [http://www.nla.gov.au/cdview/nla.ms-ms1540-12 Papers of Alfred Deakin] ]

Partly through the efforts of Henry D'Esterre Taylor the Victorian Branch survived the dissolution of the London Branch.

The Victorian Branch was a supporter of the notion that Imperial Federation could be encouraged best by not enunciating a clear plan.

“Most of the supporters of Imperial Federation have hitherto indulged in very vague generalities. The Victorian Branch of the league weds itself to no scheme, and will have nothing to do with ways and means to effect its object. … This promised land seems just a little indefinite.” [Morris, p.4]

Many in the Victorian Branch regarded the Federation of Australia as a first step towards Imperial Federation. [Morris p.10]

Notes

ee also

*Imperial Federation
*Henry D'Esterre Taylor

External links

* [http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A120200b.htm Australian Dictionary of Biography – Entry of Henry d'Esterre Taylor]
* [http://www.webpal.org/a_reconstruction/lets/carnegie/federation.htm Carnegie, Andrew; The Gospel of Wealth And Other Timely Essays]
* [http://www.nla.gov.au/cdview/nla.ms-ms1540-12 Papers of Alfred Deakin, 1804-1973 (bulk 1880-1919) Collection number: MS 1540]
* [http://janus.lib.cam.ac.uk/db/node.xsp?id=EAD%2FGBR%2F0115%2FRCMS%2022%2F3 Commonwealth miscellanea]
*Foster, L.; The Imperial Federation League in Victoria after Australian Federation (B.A. Hons thesis, Monash University, 1979)
* [http://sincat.slv.vic.gov.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?v1=7&ti=1,7&Search%5FArg=Morris%2C%20Edward%20E%2E&SL=None&Search%5FCode=NALL&CNT=15&PID=oXgaTUU3V0SbikI33uuQze6zAV0f&SEQ=20070601230603&SID=1 Morris, Edward E.; Imperial federation : a Lecture for the Victorian Branch of the Imperial Federation League 28 Aug 1885, Melbourne]
* [http://anglosphere.com/weblog/archives/000157.html Review of Parkin, George A.; Imperial Federation: The Problem of National Unity, MacMillan & Co. London/New York 1892, e-book at The Anglosphere]


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