Conservative Party 1945-1960

The Conservative Party throughout 1945 to 1960 often acted in such a way to keep colonial change within bounds. Although many recognised by 1945 that the British Empire was headed towards change, its colonies were inevitably on the path to full self-government, there were a myriad of differing opinions on the optimal pace and character of decolonisation within the empire. After coming to power in 1951, Conservatives believed Britain’s power to largely lie in its international prestige; its economy inexplicably linked to a vast network of influence emanating from overseas territories. With this in mind, the Conservative government was hesitant to enact devolution in the colonies. Nevertheless, rising nationalist spirit often demanded constitutional concessions, and Britain, too weak to resist such demands, often gave in through appeasement.

The landslide victory of the Labour Party in the 1945 elections signalled the changing priorities of the British electorate. Post-war Britain had become more concerned with homefront issues such as jobs, housing and
Historian Nicholas Owen attributes this to the Labour Party’s strong majority in Westminster and the Conservatives’ general incoherency leaving them too uncoordinated to field any substantial opposition. Nevertheless, when the Conservative Party came to rewrite their own imperial policy in 1949, the experience provided by India’s independence imparted a few understandings for any future implementations of self-government in the colonies. Some of the points the document addressed included ethnic conflict and its implications for the stability of self-government. The absolute importance of economic stability was also noted. Additionally, it was agreed that Britain needed to vigilantly guide colonies in operating the mechanisms of self-government if devolution was to be