Q&A · 51:34-52:09

Dominion autonomy after the Statute of Westminster

A constitutional answer contrasts formal Dominion sovereignty with practical imperial defence dependence.

Question

Could a Dominion under the 1931 Statute of Westminster declare war independently of Britain?

Short answer

In law it could, but in practice its military and logistics remained too closely integrated with Britain for a wholly independent war to be realistic.

Notes

Legal capacity and usable strategic autonomy were different questions. Even after the Statute of Westminster, shared logistics and institutions made unilateral war against Britain's position extremely difficult in practice.