Dominions

Term formerly used to describe those countries of the British Empire and Commonwealth enjoying complete autonomy in internal and external affairs. In this context the term was first applied to Canada, the formal title of which is the Dominion of Canada. It was subsequently applied as a generic term, though not as a formal title (except in the case of New Zealand, which has since ceased to use it), to describe Australia, South Africa, and, in 1922, the Irish Free State.

The representation of the dominions in the Imperial War Cabinet during the latter part of World War I, their separate representation at the peace conference at Versailles, and their recognition as separate members of the League of Nations emphasized their autonomy. This was formally recognized by the Balfour Declaration at the Imperial Conference of 1926, which defined the dominions as ‘autonomous Communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any aspect of their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations’. The declaration was given legislative force by the Statute of Westminster in 1931.