Britain and Her Empire

[Music] Danes and Normans in it was founded today battered but indomitable London is still in the process of recover from the greatest ordeal of its long history out of War Two Britain's basic institutions the the democratic form of government which functions under it emerg little altered but only time can tell what Z War may have done to weaken the vast Empire which centers in London and which has long supplied Britain with the overseas Commerce which is its life blood for a thousand years British Merchant ships have sailed the Seas extending British trade Horizons and British power throughout the world since the 16th century the Empire has grown by Discovery by treaty and by Conquest to include over one quarter of all the land and of all the peoples on Earth making tiny Britain one of the world's great powers of this vast Empire some two score colonies protectorates and mandates are ruled through the colonial office in London with its staff of civil servants though most of these dependencies are allowed some measure of self-government their code of law comes from Britain's Parliament and their Administration from her Colonial office vastly different is the status of the nations of the British Commonwealth Canada Australia New Zealand and South Africa are virtually independent nations free and self-governing associating voluntarily with the mother country of the Commonwealth na most remote from Britain are the dominions of and nearby New Zealand from the time the first English settlers a wild island continent AUST Australia has derived most of its wealth from livestock Colonial Australia's dependence upon the mother country as a primary market for the wool and other raw material she produced was a strong bond between them but as it emerged from the colonial stages Australia began seeking more economic self-sufficiency the development of it own Industries begun in World War I increased on a huge scale in World War II Australia is a self-governing commonwealth its Parliament consists of a senate and a House of Representatives though Australians are jealous of their independence they are strongly conscious of the ties of blood and tradition which link them with Britain in prosperous New Zealand smaller Dominion neighbor of Australia problems are simpler New Zealand has remained an essentially non-industrial country for her richest natural resources are agricultural and she had continued to depend for her mainly upon the products of her flocks and herds with the United Kingdom as her Chief Market New Zealand has built up largely from dairy products the greatest export trade per capita in the world during the war New Zealand concentrated upon providing a large part of the food needed by US forces in the Pacific as reversed lend leas far across the world from New Zealand is the biggest and perhaps the most important of the dominions the ruggedly independent nation of Canada among the majority of its citizens British in origin there is a deep-seated attachment to the crown but among the growing French Canadian population of Quebec which now includes over 3 Millions out of the Nations toal to of 112 Millions there exists marked indifference and even hostility to Britain for years wheat was the most important factor in the Canadian economy Canada was the biggest exporter of wheat in the world until International depression destroyed her markets and brought disaster to her Farmers to lessen her dependence on agriculture Canada hopes to take advantage of the industrial expansion brought on by War War but inevitably peace has slowed expansion down the Dominion whose ties to Britain are weakest is the union of South Africa which lacks the strict British tradition that holds the others to the Empire of the white population only 40% are British byen the rest are mostly descendants of Dutch settlers who fought Britain in the bore War bar outnumbering the Europeans are some 8 million natives whom the whites still look upon in Roger Kipling's words as the new caught suen peoples half devil and half child fearful of any Awakening of the natives to us of Their Own Strength the whites feel obliged to keep them in political and economic inferiority with black Resources with her gold deposits and her Diamond Minds South Africa has long waxed prosperous potentially the richest part of the Empire is the great subcontinent though before the British Conquest the Indian people had never known anything but hopeless poverty Wars and oppression under native princes they have never become reconciled to the comparatively enlightened rule of Britain British Administration has brought tangible benefits industrialization and the development of India's resources putting her in eighth place among the world's industrial Nations and it has at least helped to lighten their poverty and given them some measure of [Applause] Hope yet opposition to British rule is today the one thing common to most of India's Waring factions and sect the intense rivalry between India's 92 million Muslims and its 255 million Hindus whose best known leader is the ly mandas K gandi has long been a stumbling block to Independence but there are many who hope that India May reconcile her inner conflicts resolve her differences with Britain and take her place as an independent nation in the great Commonwealth whose heart is London Center of this vast Commonwealth has always been the mother country England a bwork of Western civilization in World War III the achiev ments of Britain's wartime government a coalition including members of all important political parties are memorialized in its report on how the British met the challenge of fascism in this report are recorded the efforts and sacrifices of the British people during 5 years and months in which life was carried on in a total blackout and adjusted to a bleakly austere pattern of [Music] existence oh this is Mrs Finch and Daris they've been bombed out you know but I thought we could manage to put them up for tonight of course we can poor dear here's an empty bunk faced for the first time with Total War Britain bent all her energies to a fight for survival nearly 6 million of her men and women went into the forces though the United Kingdom contains less than a tenth of the total population of the Commonwealth and the Empire she provided more than 50% of the Personnel of all the British armed forces the courage and endurance of Britain's 43 million civilians were tested to the fullest under direct attack by new weapons which turn their Island into a virtual Battlefront look out here it is Buzz bombs and other Nazi weapons killed or wounded over 140,000 civilians and wrecked over 4 and a half million homes and public buildings during nearly six years of War years in which the British people earned the respect of the world for their fortitude to meet a critical shortage of Manpower more than half of Britain's women plunged into work directly related to the war effort in time the only limitation on women's activities came to be that set by their physical strength Britain organized a land Army of women which replaced the farm labor called up to the forces and increased the output of food which was critically low it was due largely to their work that the United Kingdom produced 70% more of her own food than before the war production of raw materials increased tremendously in spite of the constant need for training new workers and in spite of the difficulties caused by the dispersal of factories to lessen the chance of air attacks throughout the war the United Kingdom produced 70% of all Munitions supplied to the forces of the Commonwealth of the empire as bottlenecks occurred villagers were called upon for help under a system called outworking under this system volunteers operated makeshift assembly lines in the village halls or turned out peace work in their homes during the years of war nearly 3,000 000 British Merchant ships were sunk by the blockading AIS submarines aircraft and surface Raiders this represented a loss of 29% of the Merchant Navy but British shipyards on the Clyde and th and Mery and elsewhere built over 42 million tons of merchant shipping in spite of the everpresent threat of enemy bombers moreover hundreds of Warships were over repaired and refitted in British dockyards and some 700 major Naval vessels were built on British ways overseas trade the Keystone of Britain's entire economy before the war had to be reduced drastically her commercial export tonnage decreased by 71% as weapons of war took its place Imports had to be just as rigidly controlled as exports for with Germany and Italy trying to starve Britain out shipping was at a premium and priority went only to the most essential of raw materials and food stuffs Britain was able to reduce her civilian consumption by 21% by sticking to strict rationing and price control systems which ensured that all would obtain a fair share of ration Goods available this worked satisfactorily yet every day in Britain Housewives had to stand in line for hours to purchase even the necessities of life a hardship which like others was accepted with resignation and good humor for most Britain meat in any form was a very rare treat each person was permitted to buy only 23 cents worth a week the health and education of Britain's children Ed while mothers were away at work their children were cared for in government aided nurseries and for many bombed out City children these midday meals were the best they'd ever had to supplement short RS Community restaurants were established in which people could get nourishing if not appetizing meals almost at Cost each year the cost of the war Rose but the proportion of this cost met by government borrowings dropped by the final year taxes were providing 6 0% of the cost of the war while loans were supplying the other 40% of this 40% a large part came directly from the pockets of Britain's plain people who Faithfully supported the war effort by investing much of their earnings and their savings and War [Music] loans on May 7th 19 45 there came at last an end to the war which for almost six harsh years had conditioned the lives and the aims of the British people released from wartime pressures which had become almost intolerable the British joined on a wild celebration of [Music] [Applause] Victory but as the lights went on once more the British soberly realized that if one struggle was ended another was just beginning the struggle to restore to strength and prosperity their battered and almost bankrupt land as the people of Britain began digging out from among their ruins they fixed all their energies upon one goal a post-war Society Stabler and more Equitable than any Britain had ever known all parties joined in support of a government sponsored program for post-war housing and health for Social Security and education today even Britain's young people are being encouraged to take an active and critical interest in planning the Reconstruction of the towns and cities in which they live for it will take years perhaps decades to translate the blueprints of today and of tomorrow and the nation realizes that the younger generation will be the one which must see the job through in the London of the future a city of air and light with slums replaced by tidy homes and pleasant Parks Britain see a simp of the new life they want for themselves and for all the peoples of the British Commonwealth a society in which more than 500 million people of Divergent backgrounds and beliefs may live together in Freedom security and happiness