...History: The Commonwealth is one of the world’s political association of states. Its History goes back to the British Empire when some countries were ruled by Britain. Some of the countries who were ruled by Britain, became self-governing while retaining Britain’s Monarch (hersker) as head of the state. In 1949 the association – The commonwealth – came into being. Since then, independent countries from all over the world have joined the Commonwealth. The membership today is based on free and equal voluntary co-operation, The 2 newest members of the commonwealth is Rwanda and Mozambique, and they weren’t even is the British empire. Queen Elizabeth the second: Under the formula of the London Declaration, Queen Elizabeth the second is the head of the commonwealth. She is still the head leader of the commonwealth. She was appointed as leader in 1952, after George the 6th, who was her father died. During her reign, The Queen has undertaken more than 200 visits to Commonwealth countries and visited every country of the Commonwealth. One third of The Queen's total overseas visits are to Commonwealth countries. Sport: Many of the commonwealth nations play similar sports against each other, especially in Cricket, Rugby, and netball. They have tournaments only for the countries in the commonwealth. There is an event called commonwealth games, it’s a multisport event. As the usual athletic disciplines, as the summer games. The games includes sport particularly popular in the...
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...Marcus Grønning 2,E Assignment B The Commonwealth is a realm that can be traced back to the old days of the British Empire. The UK has conquered, owed, fought and formed the all of the countries in the Commonwealth throughout the past centuries. The Commonwealth has stood together in time of war, crisis and disasters, which today has formed a very strong bond between the nations. Doing world war two however, the pressure from the US and the war with Germany, caused the British Empire to crumble. After the war, independence was given to most of the former colonies but many of the new independent nations still chose to be part of the Commonwealth. Today the Commonwealth is consisting of 53 members and new applicants is not unusual. A royal salute to the Commonwealth is an article written in 2011 by Peter Oborne who is a British journalist and political commentator. The article was written in order to discuss the significance of the Commonwealth today, because Oborne believes that it is getting less attention than it should. Oborne begins the article by telling about the Duke and Duchess of Cambridges (William and Catherine) visit to Canada and how they are treated as they were the king and queen of Canada. Oborne is very fascinated by this and knows that the English royalties will only get this kind of treatment if they travel to one of the countries in the Commonwealth. Of course Oborne knows that the countries outside the Commonwealth won’t treat the royals unprofessionally...
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...Define the Commonwealth CHAPTER II page 11 Equality CHAPTER III page18 Autonomy CHAPTER IV page 26 Autochthony CHAPTER V page 37 Membership CHAPTER VI page 42 Co-operation CHAPTER VII page 48 Symbols CHAPTER VIII page 56 Members of the Commonwealth REFERENCES page 61 FOREWORD The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and previously as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organization of fifty-four independent member states. All but two of these countries were formerly part of the British Empire. The member states co-operate within a framework of common values and goals as outlined in the Singapore Declaration. 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 not a political union, but an intergovernmental organization through which countries with diverse social, political and economic backgrounds are regarded as equal in status. Its activities are carried out through the permanent Commonwealth Secretariat, headed by the Secretary-General, and biennial Meetings between Commonwealth Heads of Government. The symbol of their free association is the Head of the Commonwealth, which is a ceremonial position currently held by Queen Elizabeth II. Elizabeth II is also monarch, separately and independently, of sixteen Commonwealth members...
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...What is the Commonwealth? The Commonwealth is an association with 54 member states in 2003, which provide support to each other, and work together toward worldwide goals. The Commonwealth is described as a "family" of nations, firstly linked together in the British Empire, and now building over 1.7 billion people of many faiths, races, languages, and traditions, The Commonwealth represents almost one-third of the world's population. Commonwealth countries are able to work together in an atmosphere of greater trust and understand than generally prevails among nations. Commonwealth Day is holiday in most of the country under the day and it held (second Monday of March). Her Majesty The Queen is the Head of the Commonwealth. What is History of Commonwealth? The origins of the commonwealth lie in the British Empire. Starting in the 16th century, Britain invaded other lands. This was very violent most of the times. Some colonies such as India, invaded other land, had large local populations ruled by British overloads. The Commonwealth association became known in 1949. And it is one of the world’s oldest political associations of states. Its roots go back to the British Empire when some countries were ruled directly or indirectly by Britain. That year India became a republic but still wished to remain a member of the association. In response, leaders agreed that membership did not have to be based on allegiance to the British Crown. Since then, independent countries from Africa, the...
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...A royal salute to the commonwealth A royal salute to the commonwealth is an article written by Peter Oborne in 2011 for the newspaper the daily telegraph. Where he, gives a salute to the commonwealth, by over praising the mere concept of the commonwealth. The article is about the commonwealth, which is a term used for the collective ex British colonies and Britain, formerly known as the British Empire. But now it is used as more of a collected union like the UN, which makes it easier to for example enter a country from another if they are both part of the commonwealth. The article is very strangely built, because, at first it seems like he is going to talk about the Duke and duchess of Cambridge’s visit to Canada, but the article says very little about that, and quickly moves on to discussing why the commonwealth is a good idea. The arguments he is using, often times has no direct relation to why the commonwealth is a good solution, but more why The European Union, The U.S.A and NATO are bad solutions to a unity. It is very obvious that this man seems to be very positive about commonwealth, and you can easily see how he tries to better it by trash-talking every other unity of the world. For example “Over the past few decades Britain has been unlucky in it’s leaders. With only a few exceptions, they have been hostile or blind to British history. The two greatest offenders were Edward Heath, who led us into the United Nations, and Tony Blair, with his uncritical connection...
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...A royal salute to the Commonwealth We all know about NATO, it was founded in 1949 after World War 2 to collect the big nations. Following the war there were made several organizations which connect country together. The British Empire established commonwealth and it was after World War II ended the British Empire with all of its colonies was broken up and the organization that we know today as Commonwealth was founded. The union consists of 54 independent member states that are linked together by a common history and set of values. Critics of the Commonwealth emphasize that the organization is an outdated and meaningless construction that builds on xenophobic and oppressive values. In this article “A royal salute to the commonwealth, 2001” by Peter Oborne. In this article there is given answers to the critics and the writer Peter Oborne gives answers to the questions: What will be the role of Commonwealth in the future? Will the organization have anything to say against great powers such as the United States and the European Union? The first point in the article is about the British royal visit to Canada. Peter Oborne is a journalist and political commentator he followed their trip they among other things visited Canada’s National War Memorial. They are at this location to remember the fallen Canadian soldiers who fought alongside the British during the two world wars. Peter Oborne sees this visit as evidence that the two countries work so well together which can be seen as...
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...European imperial powers such as the British Empire is acknowledged as the morally justified stance on imperialism. However, the other side of the argument has been overshadowed due to the negative connotations associated with European colonization. The British Empire’s swift conquest of the Australian continent is no different. This is because the policy has forced us to honestly answer the question of how European imperialism has benefitted the Commonwealth of Australia in the modern globalized world of the 21st century. After the British Empire’s everlasting defeat in the American Revolution, the incentive to colonize yet another nation to compensate for their losses in North America...
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...An event in American history that I would like to witness is Patrick Henry’s “Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech. The Speech took place on March 23, 1775 at St. John’s Church in Richmond, Virginia. Henry gave the speech to the Second Virginia Convention, among the people that were there were Peyton Randolph, Sampson Mathews, and future U.S. Presidents, George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. After Henry gave the speech of a lifetime. He, along with his militia troops, made the British Government give back the gunpowder that was the rightful property of the Commonwealth of Virginia Citizens. The gunpowder was ordered to be taken from Williamsburg, Virginia and put on a Royal Navy ship by Lord Dunmore. The actions that the people of the...
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...Engelsk A – studentereksamen B: A royal salute to the Commonwealth The text ”A royal salute to the Commonwealth” begins by looking back at the history between Britain and Canada, showing the strong band between the nations by referring to the visit of King Edward VII in Canada, and later when the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (William and Kate) visited Canada. The British journalist and political commentator Peter Osborn has written the text. He is wondering if the Commonwealth organization still has its value and importance and what the future should bring for Britain concerning the Commonwealth of Nations. Throughout the text he argues the keeping and protecting of the Commonwealth questioning the influence of the European Union and the United States. Again an argument for Commonwealth is that Peter describes the organization as promoting humane and democratic values, but separates from neo-Conservatism because it doesn’t use force to promote these values. There’s been one central reason for the success of the Commonwealth, which is Queen Elisabeth. In the text she is described as the ”talismanic figure” and ”the heart of it all”. When she passes away it leaves a large position to fill. And Peter Osborne fears this huge gap. Who should fill the position when the perfectly fit applicant for the job, Nelson Mandela, isn’t here anymore? If the Commonwealth is handled in the wrong way, Peter fears that the institution may collapse. In addiction the Conservative...
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...A Royal Salute to The Commonwealth by Peter Oborne “A royal salute to the Commonwealth” is an article about the Commonwealth countries and what the organisation can do for Britain. Oborne claims that previous governments haven’t taken the Commonwealth seriously, and subsequently Commonwealth hasn’t been allowed to evolve into the organisation it could’ve been. Peter Oborne feels that this is a shame, because he sees the Commonwealth as an enormous opportunity in the light of societies realities. These realities consist mostly of Britain’s role in EU, UN and NATO and the consequences these organisations have brought with them – EU’s financial troubles, Britain’s involvement in many wars as a part of their role and placement In the hierarchy in both the UN and NATO. Oborne’s article is heavily subjective on the subject, and as such he doesn’t manage to see the subject from both sides – this leads to a distinctive type of argumentation. Oborne makes a lot of claims about the Commonwealth, former governments and current leading international organisations, but hardly gives any grounds for his claims. Oborne claims that the Commonwealth holds great political influence and power for Britain: “The Commonwealth is ideally suited to this new world, with its multitude of informal connections, many stretching back centuries.” (Oborne, 2011, line 43), but the only reason he gives as to why the Commonwealth is better that EU, UN or NATO is that the Commonwealth is cheaper and that is...
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...British Empire between 1750 and 1850?” Between 1750 and 1850 Britain had revolutionised internally as a dominant industrial figure in Europe. However, although it would be argued that most advances were constitutional, Britain’s foreign relations also enhanced to a certain extent during this period. In the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, Britain had established itself as the first country to industrialise therefore instantly granting it a dominant position in the world economy, this would continue for a further century. During this time it was also advantaged in acquiring the largest empire seen of its time. This therefore suggests that the two developments had a relationship, as without one the other would have been inevitable. The Industrial Revolution and the British Empire are dependent on each other. There would not be an Empire without the Industrial Revolution and vice versa. Although the revolution that occurred was not political, it did however have a number of implications that followed, advantages included its geographical location and nature, expanding empire and worldwide trade network, growing transportation network, rich supply of natural resources, available labour supply and relatively high labour productivity, and expertise in developing technology. Together, these necessary factors set up a suitable foundation on which an industrial revolution could occur. This revolution was an economic one in which there was a transformation from the traditional...
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...ARTISTIC IDEAS OF BYZANTINE Byzantine art is the artistic products of the Eastern Roman, or Byzantine, Empire, as well as the nations and states that inherited culturally from the empire. Though the empire itself emerged from Rome's decline and lasted until the Fall of Constantinople in 1453, many Eastern Orthodox states in Eastern Europe, as well as to some degree the Muslim states of the eastern Mediterranean, preserved many aspects of the empire's culture and art for centuries afterward. A number of states contemporary with the Byzantine Empire were culturally influenced by it, without actually being part of it (the "Byzantine commonwealth"), such as Bulgaria, Serbia, and the Rus, as well as some non-Orthodox states the Republic of Venice and Kingdom of Sicily, which had close ties to the Byzantine Empire despite being in other respects part of western European culture. Art produced by Eastern Orthodox Christians living in the Ottoman Empire is often called "post-Byzantine." Certain artistic traditions that originated in the Byzantine Empire, particularly in regard to icon painting and church architecture, are maintained in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Russia and other Eastern Orthodox countries to the present day. Byzantine Mosaics (c.500-843) Using early Christian adaptations of late Roman styles, the Byzantines developed a new visual language, expressing the ritual and dogma of the united Church and state. Early on variants flourished in Alexandria and Antioch...
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...adapted Naismith's game for her female students. The sport was modified for women to accommodate social conventions regarding their participation in sport, giving rise to women's basketball. Variations of women's basketball arose across the United States and in England. At a physical training college in England, the rules of women's basketball were modified over several years to form an entirely new sport namely netball. She divided the playing court into thirds, each containing three players per team that could not leave their assigned zone. Players could not hold the ball for more than three seconds, dribble it more than three times, or snatch the ball from another player. The first codified rules of netball were published at the start of the twentieth century, and from there, the new sport spread throughout the British Empire. By 1895, women's basketball had spread across the United States, with variations of the rules emerging in different areas. The published rules for women's basketball first appeared in 1895, written by Clara Gregory Baer, who was working as a physical education instructor at Sophie Newcomb College in New Orleans during the 1890s. Baer introduced women's basketball to her female students at Sophie Newcomb...
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...By 1931, mail transported by air from Australia was reaching Britain in just 16 days—less than half the time taken by sea. This was good, but they wanted it to be better. In that year (1931), government tenders on both sides of the world, invited applications to run new mail and passenger services between the ends of the British Empire. Australia's Qantas and Britain's Imperial Airways won the tender by combining a joint bid. They then formed a joint company named Qantas Empire Airways or QEA. QEA's new 10-day service between Rose Bay in Sydney Harbour and Southampton was so successful with letter-writers that soon the quantity of mail was exceeding aircraft storage space. In 1934 the British Government decided to instigate an airmail service for the whole Commonwealth at fixed rates. For this purpose and needing...
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...POSTCOLONIAL THEORY & LITERATURE Postcolonial theory: John McLeod in Beginning Postcolonialism (2000) states that it “involves the challenge to colonial ways of knowing, ‘writing back’ in opposition to such views” (32). Within a literary context it involves “reading texts produced by writers from countries with a history of colonialism” (McLeod, 33). From ‘Commonwealth’ to ‘Postcolonial’: 1950’s-60’s—Field of ‘Commonwealth Literature’: Studies of individual national literatures Late 1970’s-80’s—Theories of colonial discourse: Frantz Fanon and Edward Said 1980’s—Turn to postcolonial theory Founding Work: Albert Memmi—The Colonizer and the Colonized (1957) Frantz Fanon—Black Skin, White Masks (1952), The Wretched of the Earth (1961) Edward Said—Orientalism (1978) Notable Theorist: Homi Bhabha—The Location of Culture (1994) Gayatri Spivak—“Can the Subaltern Speak?” (1988) Writing Back—Some Examples of Postcolonial Literature: Ashcroft, Griffiths and Tiffin in The Empire Writes Back: Theory, and Practice in Post-Colonial Literatures (1989) express that the“…crucial function of language as a medium of power demands that post-colonial writing define itself by seizing the language of the centre and replacing it in a discourse fully adapted to the colonized place” (38). Naguib Mahfouz—Palace Walk (1956) Chinua Achebe—Things Fall Apart (1958) V.S. Naipaul—Mystic Masseur (1959) Jean Rhys—Wide Sargasso Sea (1966) Gabriel García Márquez—One Hundred...
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