Imperial Federation

During the late Victorian period there was a proposal to replace the British Empire with a federated union. It never got off the ground, but say that the movement was more successful than IOTL, and that Britain and at least some of her colonies agreed to join. Do you think it could be successful? And what impact might it have on twentieth-century history?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperial_Federation
 
The problem with the proposal was that it arose far too late. Pre-1900, communications and transport limitations would have rendered the operation of such a centralized venture all but impossible. After WWI, the Empire is basically on a downward spiral. At any rate, the Raj is out. Not only would it demand at least half of the federal parliament's seats, it's dubious the Brits would be willing to even consider representation of the Indians on equal terms with white men. Ireland can have no part in this, either, but that's about as obvious.

This is more foreseeable with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the other, more distinctly 'British' dominions (if you get the sauce).
 
The problem with the proposal was that it arose far too late. Pre-1900, communications and transport limitations would have rendered the operation of such a centralized venture all but impossible. After WWI, the Empire is basically on a downward spiral. At any rate, the Raj is out. Not only would it demand at least half of the federal parliament's seats, it's dubious the Brits would be willing to even consider representation of the Indians on equal terms with white men. Ireland can have no part in this, either, but that's about as obvious.

This is more foreseeable with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the other, more distinctly 'British' dominions (if you get the sauce).

Well, WW1 (or its analogue) could probably be delayed for a bit to give the Federation time to get off the ground. As for the Indian question, I agree that they wouldn't be admitted, at least if the members' votes are apportioned by population. Ireland might actually be in, since one of the reasons IOTL for forming the Federation was that it would provide a way of answering the Irish question.

Anyway, though, my main query in starting this thread was whether such a Federation could actually form a viable political entity, or whether even with advances in communications it was still too far-flung and disparate to really work.
 
Well, WW1 (or its analogue) could probably be delayed for a bit to give the Federation time to get off the ground. As for the Indian question, I agree that they wouldn't be admitted, at least if the members' votes are apportioned by population. Ireland might actually be in, since one of the reasons IOTL for forming the Federation was that it would provide a way of answering the Irish question.
Even prior to 1914, Britain was simply waiting it out in Ireland. There was no way the Irish people were going to accept anything less than independence from Old Blighty. The benefits of keeping it were vastly outweighed by the cons.
Anyway, though, my main query in starting this thread was whether such a Federation could actually form a viable political entity, or whether even with advances in communications it was still too far-flung and disparate to really work.
It all depends under which circumstances it's formed. Avoiding WWI, and thereby preventing the rise of national consciousness in the Dominions - plus a morass of debt and irrevocable, widespread psychological damage -, would help a lot.
 
I'm sure some sort of Imperial Federation could work long-term. The idea has been proposed multiple times, occasionally with detailed plans and more often in a more general sense.

What could work out very well would be a very loose system, wherein British North America, the British Caribbean, India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand (and ideally Ireland) are largely self-governing, but bound by the same fundamental legal system as the UK. They'd all have the same monarch, would all be obligated to pay certain taxes to the crown, would be in an economic and military union with the UK... but would otherwise be functionally independent. Benefits, ultimately, would include a great big internal market (from which all participants profit) and the enduring protection of the Empire's military power.

This would be an Imperial Confederation instead of Federation; essentially a Commonwealth-Plus. But it would avoid the problems that a more unified federation would inevitably face. Mainly the issue of representation: if the aforementioned polities are almost fully autonomous, they would not need representation in Parliament, and the ever-lurking threat of a Federation become the 'Indian Empire' is avoided.

Needless to say, Britain had many other colonial possessions, but I'm assuming that places like, say, Nigeria or Sierra Leone would remain powerless colonies. Eventually, during the era of decolonization, such colonies would either become self-governing parts of the Empire or split off and become independent states.

(Disclaimer: the view presented here might be overly optimistic, as it is an illustration of my firmly held belief system that hinges on the idea that decentralization is good for all and therefore Confederations Solve Everything™.)
 
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