View source for British Commonwealth Union

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
The '''British Commonwealth Union''' (BCU) was a [[protectionism|protectionist]] organisation formed in the [[United Kingdom]] in 1916 to "found a solid [[business]] group in [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|parliament]]" and to "press for the protective tariffs and restrictions on [[import]]s discussed at the [[Paris Economic Conference of 1916]] and in the [[Balfour of Burleigh Committee]] on post-[[World War I]] commercial policy." Conservative [[Patrick Hannon]] was a key figure.<ref>Capie, F. (1998) "[https://books.google.com/books?id=EtKAmC4TcOUC&dq=british+commonwealth+union+1916+FBI&pg=PA250 The Sources and Origins of Britain's Return to Protection, 1931-2]", in {{cite book | title=Freedom of Trade and its Reception: 1815-1960: Freedom and Trade - Volume 1 | author=Parry, G. ''et al.'' (eds) | publisher=Routledge | isbn=0-415-15527-4 | pages=''pp''246–261 | year=1998 }}, ''p.''250 ([[Google Books]])</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title=The British Commonwealth Union and the General Election of 1918 | author=Turner, J. A. | journal=English Historical Review | volume=93 | year=1978 | pages=528–559 | doi=10.1093/ehr/XCIII.CCCLXVIII.528 }}</ref>

As well as being protectionist, the BCU was strongly opposed to [[trade unionism]], and supported a number of [[anti-socialist]] and [[Opposition to trade unions|anti-labour]] activities.<ref name="Thomas">{{cite book|last=Linehan|first=Thomas|title=British fascism, 1918-39 : parties, ideology and culture|date=2000|publisher=Manchester University Press|location=Manchester|isbn=0719050243|page=43}}</ref>

==Bibliography==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Organizations established in 1916]]
[[Category:Economic history of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Political history of the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Business organisations based in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1916 establishments in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Protectionism]]


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