Did the US's push to dissolve the imperial preference become an underlying reason for the collapse of the British empire
Upvote:2
Would argue it is other way around
Imperial Preference is simply another tariff system enacted by country to protect its own producers from competition abroad. You slap tariffs on imported goods, they become more expensive and less competitive on your market. Down side of this is that usually countries affected by this respond in kind, putting tariffs on goods coming from your country.
As with any government measure, there were winners and there were losers. British Empire was structured as usual colonial empire from that era, with mainland having much more developed industry then colonies. Colonies on the other hand supplied mainland with raw materials, foodstuff etc ... Imperial Preference arguably protected industry and had little to no benefit for let's say agricultural producers in colonies. For example British automotive industry benefited from tariffs that hampered their competition in US (and Germany before the war) . However, mango producers in India perhaps even suffered as a consequence of retaliatory tariffs that made their goods more expensive abroad.
Independence movements in colonies existed long before WW2, and they recognized that tariffs and whole economic system are not beneficial to the population of colonies. One famous example is Gandhi's rejection of European clothing (mostly produced outside of India) and his general attitude that Indians should reject British products, part of Swadeshi Movement.
Atlantic conference happened in August of 1941. No matter how we judge US request concerning Imperial Preference and other things (altruistic or merely wanting to open another huge market for US products) , by that time it was already too late for British Empire in present form. In India, beside pacifist Gandhi there were much more radical leaders like Bose who were prepared to work even with Axis to force India's independence. Already in 1942 , British wanted negotiations about future status of India with much more autonomy going to full independence. Since India was jewel in the crown of British Empire, with India going it could be expected that British possession in Middle East and Africa would follow suit .
As a conclusion, it could be argued that uneven economic status and development strengthened anti-colonial and centrifugal forces. By the time Atlantic Charter it was too late to salvage things. US requests simply confirmed to British that sun is finally setting on their empire.
More post
- 📝 Did Robert F. Kennedy call Police Review boards a "sinister movement against law enforcement" in the 1960's?
- 📝 Are the pyramids too old?
- 📝 Why did the other Continental European powers keep trying to fight Napoleon before 1813 despite being beaten by him so often?
- 📝 Why is the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima so much more infamous than that of Nagasaki?
- 📝 Is there historical evidence that Emperor Ashoka converted to Buddhism?
- 📝 In Europe, why were there few portraits showing a real likeness of the subject before the 15th century?
- 📝 Where was the AT&T radio station in 1942 in New York?
- 📝 Why did the governments of the distant past last longer than those of the present/recent past?
- 📝 What made the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb such a significant archeological find?
- 📝 Why was the capital of Ukraine moved in 1934?
- 📝 A clear picture of the casaulties of the Jewish people under the Third Reich
- 📝 When did people decide that all caps means the writer is shouting?
- 📝 The Sumatrans told Marco Polo that there was an island to the Southeast. Were they referring to Australia?
- 📝 Are there any images within the time period of contemporary history (1945 to the present) that had different interpretations by historians?
- 📝 Did ordinary people during Hatshepsut's reign know she was a woman?
- 📝 What to do about historical Wikipedia articles contradicting each other in different languages?
- 📝 How does this bird trap work?
- 📝 What does this Samurai crest mean?
- 📝 Was Zhukov's wit portrayed accurately in The Death of Stalin?
- 📝 Help identifying this WW1 badge
- 📝 Were bricks instead of bombs occasionally thrown out of war planes in WWI?
- 📝 What was the main driver of conquest and wars in ancient times? Why were they so frequent?
- 📝 Did personnel from the "Aktion T4" ("euthanasia" murders) kill severely wounded Wehrmacht soldiers on the eastern front?
- 📝 What is the source of a half remembered art history quote possibly about Bruneleschi's Florence Cathedral?
- 📝 What were common reasons people attended executions in mid 1930s.?
- 📝 What exactly happened with beer and Leeuwarden in 1487?
- 📝 Which figure is this a statue of?
- 📝 Husaria, the winged hussars
- 📝 What time zone was used in Sikkim before it became a state of India in 1975?
- 📝 Did the Romans leave any technical instruction manuals behind?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Did the US's push to dissolve the imperial preference become an underlying reason for the collapse of the British empire
- 📝 When and how did the USA and the UK become allies?
- 📝 Did the communication lag become a problem for the ever expanding Roman Empire?
- 📝 How did Moscow become the capital/most important city in Russia?
- 📝 At which point in time did the majority of German population become aware of the Holocaust?
- 📝 When and how did the Han ethnic group become by far the biggest ethnic group in China?
- 📝 When did the Knights Templar dissolve and why?
- 📝 Why did Churchill become the PM of Britain during WWII instead of Lord Halifax?
- 📝 Why did Stalin push for the Great Purge against the Red Army in 1936?
- 📝 When did books first become affordable to the general population?
- 📝 When did the acceptance of diversity become such an important social goal in Western countries?
- 📝 Why did baseball become more popular than cricket in the USA?
- 📝 When did the British monarch become an emperor?
- 📝 When and why did smiling at strangers and in photos become customary in the United States?
- 📝 Why did the original Carthage never become a Roman city?
- 📝 How did Moldova and Romania become separate in the first place?
- 📝 How did former Spanish colonies in the Americas become so fragmented?
- 📝 Why did English become Lingua Franca of the modern world?
- 📝 In what ways did the rise of a true middle class in Europe during the late 19th century become apparent?
- 📝 Did any commoners become prince-electors during the Holy Roman Empire?
- 📝 How did residents of Estonia and Latvia prove that their family settled in the country prior to 1940, in order to become citizens in 1989?
- 📝 How did corn become the most produced crop in the world?
- 📝 When did the parole of prisoners of war become unacceptable?
- 📝 Why did monarchy become common practice after the fall of Rome?
- 📝 How did slavery become permissible in the French West Indies when it was forbidden in France?
- 📝 How did New York become the financial hub of America?
- 📝 How did Egypt become a protectorate of the British empire?
- 📝 How did the Catholic Pope manage to become more powerful than Kings in old Europe?
- 📝 When, where, why did clean shaving for men become the norm?
- 📝 How did the South USA become more overtly Christian than the North?