Indian independence campaigning predated the Atlantic Charter, so the criticism here rejects a claim that the declaration first inspired Gandhi to pursue independence. The wider argument places self-determination within changes already under way during the war. British territories were moving along different paths toward greater self-government, rather than all having reached the same constitutional position. The account of dominion arrangements includes latitude for economic and trade agreements alongside a preference for imperial trade. It presents decisions about war and peace as matters the empire sought to handle collectively. These arrangements form the background for the comparison with a developing Commonwealth relationship.
Notable Point · 1:02:50-1:05:22
Imperial transition already predated the charter
Earlier independence campaigning and movement toward dominion self-government provide the background to the charter's imperial consequences.