If Britain, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands allied to stop post-WWII decolonisation, would it work?
Views & attitudes toward the Empire changed with the social advances in Britain itself and this is one of the great positives of the Empire. As most of Europe were dealing with issues of religion & democracy & the nation state in the early 1800’s, Britain had moved on & became very scientific and philosophical. It also started to reflect on & question the nature of the Empire it had somehow acquired (there was never a master plan!) This led to a sense that Britain could & morally should lead these countries to become a success in their own right. The Abolition of Slavery in 1807, home rule for Canada, New Zealand, Australia & South Africa all being a case in point over 100 years. As far back as the late 1800’s the British Empire was seen as old fashioned and immoral by many British people, (see pictures of Gandhi in East London for a view of how working class Britons felt about him) it was also financially increasingly expensive to police and administer. Views toward India, Malaysia et
