The UK, Commonwealth & WTO (AQA GCSE Citizenship Studies): Revision Note

The UK and the Commonwealth

• The Commonwealth of Nations was created after the Second World War as countries that had once been part of the British Empire became independent

• Today it has 56 countries, and some of them have no past connection with the UK

  • The Commonwealth contains about 30% of the world’s population

  • Its members include both very rich and very poor countries, and more than 30 of them have populations below 1.5 million

• Membership is voluntary, so countries can choose whether to join

• The Commonwealth is guided by a charter, which sets out shared values such as democracy, human rights, equality and development

  • The organisation also provides education, technical support and economic help to its members

• The UK Monarch is the Head of the Commonwealth,

  • Leading the Commonwealth gives the UK a strong international role and helps it maintain influence across many different parts of the world

• This leadership also strengthens the UK’s soft power

  • It can build positive relationships, support development projects and increase its global reputation with member countries

The UK and the World Trade Organisation (WTO)

• The World Trade Organisation (WTO) was created as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) after the Second World War to help countries trade fairly

• Today the WTO has 166 member countries and is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

• The UK first joined GATT in 1948

What the WTO Does