1948 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference facts for kids
Quick facts for kids 3rd Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference |
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| Host country |  United Kingdom |
| Dates | 11–22 October 1948 |
| Cities | London |
| Participants | 9 |
| Chair | Clement Attlee (Prime Minister of the United Kingdom) |
| Follows | 1946 |
| Precedes | 1949 |
| Key points | |
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Independence of India, Pakistan & Ceylon; economic, military and diplomatic co-operation
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The 1948 Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference was an important meeting. It brought together the leaders of countries in the Commonwealth. This was the third time such a meeting had happened. It took place in London, United Kingdom, in October 1948. The host was Clement Attlee, who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
This meeting was special because it included leaders from newly independent countries in Asia. These were Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India, and Pakistan. Their joining meant the Commonwealth was growing. It also changed how close the leaders felt at the meetings. A big question came up: could a country stay in the Commonwealth if it became a republic? This question was not fully answered until the next conference in 1949.
Ireland was first asked to come to the conference. But then, Ireland said it would cut its last ties with the British king. Because of this, the invitation was taken back. Even so, the Commonwealth still saw Ireland as a member at that time. Ireland had not been to these meetings since 1932. Irish officials, Seán MacBride and Patrick McGilligan, attended one day as observers.
At the end of the meeting, the leaders released a statement. In this statement, some names changed. The terms 'Dominion' and 'Dominion Government' were replaced. They became 'Commonwealth country' and 'Commonwealth Government'. Also, the word 'British' was left out of 'British Commonwealth of Nations' for the first time. This showed the Commonwealth was changing.
Who Attended the 1948 Conference?
This section lists the countries and their representatives. These leaders were important people from each Commonwealth nation. They came together to discuss shared interests and future plans.
Leaders and Their Roles
| Nation | Name | Role |
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 United Kingdom |
Clement Attlee | Prime Minister (chairman) |
 Australia |
H. V. Evatt | Minister for External Affairs |
 Canada |
William Lyon Mackenzie King | Prime Minister |
 Ceylon |
Don Stephen Senanayake | Prime Minister |
 India |
Jawaharlal Nehru | Prime Minister |
 New Zealand |
Peter Fraser | Prime Minister |
 Pakistan |
Liaquat Ali Khan | Prime Minister |
 South Africa |
Eric Louw | Minister of Mines and Economic Affairs |
 Southern Rhodesia |
Sir Godfrey Huggins | Prime Minister |
Images for kids
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Prime Ministers of the Commonwealth in London, 1948.
