Imperial Commonwealth (Central World)

The Imperial Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth, and formally referred as the British Imperial Commonwealth of Nations, is an intergovernmental organisation of sixteen independent member states and 2 territories. All of these countries were formerly part of the British Empire.

These include the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, the rule of law, individual liberty, egalitarianism, free trade, multilateralism and world peace. The Commonwealth is a political union, and an intergovernmental organisation through which countries with diverse social, political and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status.

Its activities are carried out through the permanent Imperial Commonwealth Secretariat, headed by the Imperial Secretary-General, and biennial Meetings between Imperial Commonwealth Heads of Government. The symbol of their free association is the Imperial Head of the Commonwealth, which is a ceremonial position currently held by Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth II is also monarch of the sixteen Imperial Commonwealth members, which are known as the "Imperial Commonwealth realms".

Origins
In 1884, while visiting Australia, Lord Roseberry described the changing British Empire, as some of its colonies became more independent, as a "Commonwealth of Nations". Conferences of British and colonial prime ministers had occurred periodically since 1887, leading to the creation of the Imperial Conferences in 1911. The commonwealth developed from the Imperial Conferences. A specific proposal was presented by Jan Christian Smuts in 1917 when he coined the term "the British Commonwealth of Nations," and envisioned the "future constitutional relations and readjustments in the British Empire."

Creation

It was formed in 1919 after Britain lost most of its African possessions to the Germans and because of the Treaty of Munich in which Britain not only ceded the colonies mentioned above but gave independence to Canada, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, India, and a Muslim nation in the Muslim zones of India. To at least keep some control over its former colonies Britain decided to set up an international confederation in which the individual member states would be autonomous in all affairs except for Foreign Affairs and Defence. In the Balfour Declaration at the 1918 Imperial Conference, Britain and its dominions agreed they were "equal in status, except in their Foreign Affairs and Defence which Britain will be in charge, and united by common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Imperial Commonwealth of Nations". The Imperial Commonwealth also served to protect Britain's trading interests in it former colonies as it also functions as a free trade zone. Ireland and India would abandoned the Commonwealth in 1920.

Post World War II
Edward VIII was established as King of Britain by the Germans after the German occupation of Britain in WW2. Britain lost many colonies during WWII especially to the Italians and Japanese.

After the war, particularly since the 1960s when some of the Commonwealth countries disagreed with poorer, African members about various issues at Imperial Commonwealth Heads of Government meetings. Accusations that the old, "White" Commonwealth had different interests from African Commonwealth nations in particular, and charges of racism and colonialism, arose during heated debates about Uganda in the 1960s and 1970s, the imposition of sanctions against apartheid-era South Africa in the 1980s and, more recently, about whether to press for democratic reforms in Nigeria.

The Commonwealth has been changing since the 1960s when Australia joined GEACOP because the economy was dependent of Asia, but decided to stay in the Commonwealth, but wiped the british jack of the flag. Since the 1990's many former British colonies which were taken by Axis/Central Powers have returned to the Commonwealth like the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. Many of the countries which arise from the Oceania Crisis, have show interest in joining or some are even going to join in January 1, 2011.