Planning for a Better World

In the closing stages of the Second World War, as the military successes of the Allies were reaching the climax of VE Day, there was also an extraordinary effort within the British government machine to look past the ending of hostilities towards a world which would be better ordered than in the pre-war era, and which would address the aspirations released by victories won in the name of democracy. The Colonial Office was caught up in the ferment from an early stage, encouraging Governors to draw up post-war plans embracing social and economic development, and also to think about the development of manufacturing industries. The Colonial Development and Welfare Act of 1940 already provided a framework for public sector improvements, but a means of stimulating economic activity was also required. This approach to development became intertwined in the immediate aftermath of the war with a British-driven imperative to tackle food and raw material shortages and to reduce dependence on dollar purchases for balance of payments reasons. A virtuous circle was seemingly closed with the notion of a major initiative to increase the productive output of the colonies.