This is a timeline of the Commonwealth of Nations from the Balfour Declaration of 1926. Some regard the Balfour Declaration as the foundation of the modern Commonwealth.

1920s (from 1926)

Year	Date	Event
1926	25 October	The Balfour Declaration of 1926 establishes the principle of the separate and equal status of the dominions within the British Empire, "freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth".[1]
1927	12 April	The Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act 1927 changes the title of the British monarch, to reflect the secession of most of historic Ireland from the United Kingdom

1930s

Year	Date	Event
1930	16 August	The first British Empire Games, the forerunners of the Commonwealth Games, open in Hamilton, Canada.
	1 October	seventh Imperial Conference convenes in London. Meeting drafts what becomes the Statute of Westminster.
1931	11 December	The Statute of Westminster 1931 is enacted, formalises the Balfour Declaration 1926, with the Parliament of the United Kingdom renouncing legislative power over the dominions. It is adopted by Canada, the Irish Free State, Newfoundland, and the Union of South Africa. Australia and New Zealand decline to adopt it.[1]
1932	21 July	The British Empire Economic Conference is convened. Policy of Imperial preference adopted.
1934	16 February	The self-government of the Dominion of Newfoundland is suspended, replaced by the Commission of Government. Newfoundland ceases to be in the Commonwealth.
	4 August	The second British Empire Games open in London, the United Kingdom.
1936	20 January	King George V dies, being succeeded by Edward VIII.
	10 December	King Edward VIII signs the instruments of abdication, effective the next day.
	11 December	The United Kingdom passes His Majesty's Declaration of Abdication Act 1936 (which, at the request of those countries' Parliaments, equally applies to Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa), effecting Edward VIII's abdication and succession by George VI. Canada passes the Succession to the Throne Act to the same effect.
		The Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act 1936 of the Irish Free State comes into effect, removing reference to the King in the Constitution.
	12 December	The Irish Free State passes the Executive Authority (External Relations) Act 1936, conferring statutory functions on the British monarch and recognising George VI as Edward VIII's successor, one day after the rest of the Commonwealth.
1937	14 May to 24 June	eighth and final Imperial Conference held in London following the coronation of King George VI; rejects concept of Imperial Federation.
	29 December	A new Irish constitution is promulgated establishing the state under the name 'Ireland', creating the position of President, and calling into question whether Ireland still formed part of His Majesty's dominions.
1938	5 February	The third British Empire Games open in Sydney, Australia.
1939	1 September	Nazi Germany invades Poland, precipitating an ultimatum from the United Kingdom, which was ignored by Germany, leading inexorably to the Second World War.
	2 September	Irish Taoiseach Éamon de Valera announces his intention to remain neutral in the impending war, regardless of British policy. The government declares the Emergency.
	3 September	The United Kingdom declares war upon Nazi Germany, beginning the British Empire and Commonwealth's involvement in the six-year conflict.
		The Australian Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942 (see below) was backdated to this date.
	4 September	South Africa's United Party refuses to accept Prime Minister Barry Hertzog's declaration of neutrality in the war, and vote to replace him as party leader with Jan Smuts.
	6 September	South Africa declares war upon Nazi Germany, becoming the first dominion to do so independently of the United Kingdom.
	9 September	Canada declares war upon Nazi Germany.

1940s

Year	Date	Event
1942	9 October	Australia passes the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1942, adopting the Statute of Westminster 1931, but back-dating it to 3 September 1939, when the United Kingdom (and therefore Australia) declared war upon Nazi Germany.
1944	1 May	The first Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London.[2]
1945	4 April	A Commonwealth Statesmen's Meeting convenes in London to co-ordinate members' demands and expectations of the impending end of the war.
	8 May	Nazi Germany surrenders to the Allied Powers, ending the Second World War in Europe.
	15 August	The Empire of Japan surrenders to the Allied Powers, ending the Second World War.
1946	21 February	The British Commonwealth Occupation Force is formed from Australian, British, Indian, and New Zealand occupation forces in Japan.
	23 April	The second Commonwealth Prime Ministers Conference convenes in London.[2]
1947	3 February	In response to Canada's passage the previous year of the Canadian Citizenship Act the previous year, a Commonwealth conference on nationality and citizenship is convened. It is agreed to redefine the concept of citizenship in the Commonwealth so that, rather than all those in the British Empire and Commonwealth being British subjects, each Commonwealth state is free to also define its own separate citizenship. As a result, the British Nationality Act 1948 is passed the next year by the British parliament which creates a distinction in that country between British citizens and British subjects; Australia and New Zealand also pass their own citizenship acts. Eventually, the category of British subject develops into that of a Commonwealth citizen whose rights are greater than those of a foreign national but often less than one of a full citizen of the country in question. Ireland had already passed citizenship legislation in 1935 defining its own citizenship laws.
	15 August	India joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom. Pakistan (including modern Bangladesh) joins the Commonwealth following the Partition of India.
	21 October	India and Pakistan begin the first Indo-Pakistani War, over the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu. It is the first armed conflict between two members of the Commonwealth.
	25 November	New Zealand passes the Statute of Westminster Adoption Act 1947.
1948	4 February	Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	16 June	Three European plantation managers are killed in Perak, sparking the Malayan Emergency, leading to deployment of Commonwealth soldiers to Malaya.
	11 October	The third Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London.[2]
	31 December	India and Pakistan sign a cease-fire, ending the first Indo-Pakistani War.
1949	31 March	Newfoundland, a Dominion until 1934, joins Canada as a province.
	18 April	Ireland ceases to be regarded as a member of the Commonwealth by the Commonwealth countries. They took this view on the basis that the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 had come into effect. The legislation ended the statutory role of the British monarchy in Ireland. In contrast, Irish leaders had long regarded Ireland as a republic outside the Commonwealth but associated with it.
	22 April	The fourth Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London.[2] The agenda is dominated by the imminence of India becoming a republic and its future within the Commonwealth.
	28 April	The Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the London Declaration. It allows India (and, thenceafter, all other members) to remain in the Commonwealth as a republic, creates the position of Head of the Commonwealth, and changes the name of the organisation to the Commonwealth of Nations. The decisions of the 1947 Commonwealth ministerial conference on nationality and citizenship are affirmed which allow states to create their own citizenship rules. Indians are agreed to be recognised as Commonwealth citizens, rather than British subjects, once India becomes a republic.

1950s

Year	Date	Event
1950	26 January	India becomes a republic, being the first republic in the Commonwealth of Nations.
	4 February	The fourth British Empire Games open in Auckland, New Zealand. These would be the last under that name.
1951	4 January	The fifth Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London.[2]
	28 July	The 1st Commonwealth Division is created to amalgamate Australian, British, Canadian, Indian, and New Zealand forces engaged in the Korean War.
1952	6 February	George VI dies, being succeeded as monarch of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ceylon, Pakistan and South Africa by Elizabeth II, as well as Head of the Commonwealth.
	28 April	The British Commonwealth Occupation Force is officially disbanded, having transferred control of Far Eastern forces to British Commonwealth Forces Korea.
	20 October	Sir Evelyn Baring, Governor of Kenya, declares a state of emergency, recognising the severity of the Mau Mau Uprising.
	28 November	Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Economic Conference convenes in London to discuss proposals to expand trade within the Commonwealth.
1953	3 June	The sixth Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London.[2]
1954	30 July	The British Empire Games are renamed the 'British Empire and Commonwealth Games', with the opening of the 1954 Games in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
1955	26 January	The seventh Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London.[2]
1956	27 June	The eighth Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London.[2]
1957	6 March	Ghana, previously the Gold Coast, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom, becoming the first majority-ruled African member.
	26 June	The ninth Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London. The new Canadian prime minister, John Diefenbaker, proposes the intensification of trade relations within the Commonwealth. His call for an Empire Trade Conference are resisted by the British government which has an eye towards the UK developing stronger trade relations with Europe and the newly formed European Economic Community. However, a Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference is called for the next year.[2]
	31 August	The Federation of Malaya joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom. It is the first monarchy in the Commonwealth except for the Commonwealth realms.[3]
1958	3 January	The Federation of the West Indies is formed from the British West Indies as a self-governing colony.
	30 July	The 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games open in Cardiff, the United Kingdom.
	28 September	The Commonwealth Trade and Economic Conference concludes with a communique agreeing that the pound sterling should be made fully convertible and that trade barriers within the Commonwealth should be progressively removed

1960s

Year	Date	Event
1960	3 February	British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan issues his 'Wind of Change' speech to the Parliament of South Africa.
	3 May	The tenth Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London; Malaya demands South Africa's expulsion from the Commonwealth due to its racial policies.[2]
	1 October	Nigeria joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1961	8 March	The 11th Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London.[2] South Africa's application to request to remain in the Commonwealth upon becoming a republic is rejected due to the country's policy of apartheid.
	13 March	Cyprus joins the Commonwealth,[4] having gained independence from the United Kingdom the previous year. Heavily opposed by the United Kingdom, it is the first small country to join.[3]
	27 April	Sierra Leone joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	31 May	South Africa becomes a republic, temporarily withdrawing from the Commonwealth.
	9 December	Tanganyika, now part of Tanzania, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1962	31 May	The Federation of the West Indies collapses. Its constituent states revert to being colonies of the United Kingdom, and preparations begin to grant them separate independence within the Commonwealth.
	6 August	Jamaica joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	31 August	Trinidad and Tobago joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	10 September	The 12th Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London. Concerns of Commonwealth countries about the implications for trade and economic relations in regards to Britain's possible entry into the European Common Market is the main topic of discussion.[2]
	9 October	Uganda joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	22 November	The 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games open in Perth, Australia.
1963	10 December	Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom. It is, albeit briefly, the first hereditary monarchy in the Commonwealth except for the Commonwealth realms.
	12 December	Kenya joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1964	26 April	Two Commonwealth members, Tanganyika and Zanzibar, merge to form the United Republic of Tanzania, which joins the Commonwealth.
	6 July	Malawi, previously Nyasaland, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	8 July	The 13th Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London. The leaders agree to a communique declaring the Commonwealth's commitment to racial equality and an end to discrimination. The idea of a Commonwealth Secretariat is proposed. The government of the colony of Southern Rhodesia, whose prime ministers had frequently attended Imperial and Commonwealth conferences since 1930, is excluded due to a decision to confine attendance at meetings to leaders of independent states.[2]
	21 September	Malta joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	24 October	Zambia, previously Northern Rhodesia, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1965	18 February	The Gambia joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	17 June	The 14th Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London.[2] The Conference approves the creation of the Commonwealth Secretariat. The meeting also discusses the crisis in Rhodesia, relations with South Africa and Portuguese colonies in Africa, and opposition by Asian and African Commonwealth countries to British, Australian and New Zealand's support for American intervention in the Vietnam War. The Commonwealth reaffirms its declaration that all Commonwealth states should work for societies based on racial equality.
	1 July	The Commonwealth Secretariat is founded. The first Secretary-General is Canada's Arnold Smith.
	9 August	Singapore joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by Malaysia.
	15 August	India and Pakistan begin the second Indo-Pakistani War, over the princely state of Kashmir and Jammu.
	23 September	India and Pakistan sign a cease-fire, ending the second Indo-Pakistani War.
	11 November	Rhodesia issues a Unilateral Declaration of Independence, which is rejected by the United Kingdom, sparking a 15-year crisis in the Commonwealth.[5]
	12 December	The United Kingdom imposes full economic sanctions on Rhodesia.[5]
1966	10 January	The 15th Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in Lagos, Nigeria to discuss the Rhodesian crisis. It was the first Conference held outside London.[2]
	10 March	The Commonwealth Secretariat Act 1966 is passed, coming into effect retroactively on 1 July 1965, the date of the Secretariat's foundation, granting the Secretariat legal immunity in the United Kingdom.
	26 May	Guyana, previously British Guiana, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	4 August	The 1966 British Empire and Commonwealth Games open in Kingston, Jamaica. It was the first time the Games were held outside the so-called 'White Commonwealth', and the last time the Games included the British Empire in their name.
	6 September	The 16th Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London.[2] Discussion is again dominated by Rhodesia with the United Kingdom announcing NIBMAR policy towards the rogue colony: refusing independence until the Black majority is given the vote.
	30 September	Botswana,formerly Bechuanaland Protectorate, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	4 October	Lesotho, formerly Basutoland, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	30 November	Barbados joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1968	31 January	Nauru joins the Commonwealth as a 'Special Member' upon being granted independence from a joint Australia-New Zealand-United Kingdom trusteeship. It is the first microstate to join.[3]
	12 March	Mauritius joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	6 September	Swaziland joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1969	7 January	The 17th and last Commonwealth Prime Ministers' Conference convenes in London and is again dominated by discussion of how to bring white minority rule in Rhodesia to an end. Also discussed is the Biafra crisis in Nigeria and discrimination against South Asian communities living in Africa and Black and Asian immigrants living in the UK.[2]

1970s

Year	Date	Event
1970	2 March	Rhodesia declares itself a republic and a new constitution takes effect.[5]
	4 June	Tonga joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	1 July	Arnold Smith begins his second term as Commonwealth Secretary-General.
	16 July	The 1970 British Commonwealth Games open in Edinburgh, the United Kingdom. It was the first time the Games use the metric system.
	28 August	Western Samoa joins the Commonwealth, having gained independence from New Zealand in 1962.
	10 October	Dominion of Fiji joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1971	14 January	The first Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Singapore.[2]
	22 January	At the conclusion of the first CHOGM, the assembled Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the Singapore Declaration, setting out the core political values of the Commonwealth. It is considered, along with the 1991 Harare Declaration, one of the two most important documents of the Commonwealth's constitution.
	26 March	East Pakistan declares its independence as Bangladesh.
	3 December	India intervenes in Bangladesh, sparking the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971.
	16 December	Pakistan surrenders to India, ending the war.
1972	18 April	Bangladesh joins the Commonwealth, having gained independence from Pakistan the previous year.[6] Pakistan temporarily withdraws from the Commonwealth in protest at the Commonwealth's recognition of Bangladesh's independence.
1973	10 July	The Bahamas joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	2 August	The second Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.[2]
1974	24 January	The 1974 British Commonwealth Games open in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is the last time that the Games' name includes reference to "British".
	7 February	Grenada joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1975	29 April	The third Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Kingston, Jamaica.[2]
	1 July	Guyana's Shridath Ramphal succeeds Arnold Smith as Commonwealth Secretary-General.
	16 September	Papua New Guinea joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by Australia.
1976	29 June	Seychelles joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1977	8 June	The fourth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in London, the United Kingdom.[2]
1978	7 July	The Solomon Islands joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	3 August	The 1978 Commonwealth Games open in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is the first time that the Games are held under the current name.
	1 October	Tuvalu joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	3 November	Dominica joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1979	12 July	Kiribati joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	1 August	The fifth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Lusaka, Zambia.[2]
	7 August	At the conclusion of the fifth CHOGM, the assembled Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the Lusaka Declaration, reaffirming the Commonwealth's opposition to racism and demanding legal equality for all people of the Commonwealth.
	27 October	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	12 December	Zimbabwe Rhodesia dissolves itself, returning power to the United Kingdom (formally as Southern Rhodesia) in preparation for recognised independence.[5]
	21 December	The Lancaster House Agreement is reached, setting the terms of independence for Southern Rhodesia.[5]

1980s

Year	Date	Event
1980	1 July	Shridath Ramphal begins his second term as Commonwealth Secretary-General.
	1 October	Zimbabwe, formerly Southern Rhodesia and Rhodesia, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	30 July	Vanuatu, formerly the New Hebrides, joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence from a joint France-United Kingdom condominium.
1981	21 September	Belize joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	30 September	The sixth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Melbourne, Australia.[2]
	1 November	Antigua and Barbuda joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1982	30 September	The 1982 Commonwealth Games open in Brisbane, Australia.
	9 July	Maldives joins the Commonwealth as a 'Special Member', having been granted independence by the United Kingdom in 1965.[7]
1983	19 September	Saint Kitts and Nevis joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
	23 November	The seventh Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in New Delhi, India.[2]
1984	1 January	Brunei joins the Commonwealth upon being granted independence by the United Kingdom.
1985	1 July	Shridath Ramphal begins his third term as Commonwealth Secretary-General. He becomes the first, and (so far) only, Secretary-General to serve three terms.
	20 July	Maldives becomes a full member of the Commonwealth, having joined as a 'Special Member' in 1982.[7]
	16 October	The eighth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Nassau, The Bahamas.[2]
1986	24 July	The 1986 Commonwealth Games open in Edinburgh, the United Kingdom. The Games are boycotted by 32 countries, including almost all African, Caribbean, and Asian nations, to protest against the British government's attitude to sport in apartheid-era South Africa.
	3 August	The ninth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in London, the United Kingdom.
1987	13 October	The tenth Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. It is the first meeting held outside the host country's capital city.[2]
	15 October	Fiji is deemed to have left the Commonwealth of Nations by decision of the assembled Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, after two coups d'état, and Sitiveni Rabuka's declaration of a republic in Fiji.
1989	29 September	Cameroon applies for observer status in the Commonwealth, paving the way for its membership six years later.[8]
	1 October	Pakistan returns to the Commonwealth.
	18 October	The 11th Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting convenes in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[2]
	21 October	At the conclusion of the eleventh CHOGM, the assembled Commonwealth Heads of Government issue the Langkawi Declaration, committing Commonwealth members to environmental sustainability.

1990s

Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=Timeline_of_the_Commonwealth_of_Nations
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Year	Date	Event
1990	24 January