During the Imperial Conference of 1926, autonomous countries within the British Empire were granted ........ status.

Step 1: Analyze the question The question asks what status was given to the autonomous countries within the British Empire at the Imperial Conference of 1926.

Step 2: Explain the concept The 1926 Imperial Conference in London produced the Balfour Declaration, drafted by Lord Balfour. It described Great Britain and the Dominions (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, the Irish Free State and Newfoundland) as:

> "Autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in their domestic or external affairs, though united by a common allegiance to the Crown, and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations."

The Statute of Westminster (1931) later gave legal force to this declaration.

Step 3: Work through the options

• A. Commonwealth – This is the name of the association (the British Commonwealth of Nations), not the status given to each country.
• B. Colonial – Colonies were not autonomous, so this is wrong.
• C. Dominion – Correct. The self-governing countries were called Dominions, with equal status to Britain.
• D. Independent – The declaration stressed equality and free association under the Crown, and the term used for these countries was dominion, not "independent."
• E. Trusteeship – This relates to the League of Nations mandates and later UN trust territories, not self-governing countries.

Step 4: Answer The autonomous countries were granted Dominion status, which is option C.

Exam tip: Link the keywords "1926 → Balfour Declaration → Dominion status → 1931 Statute of Westminster." Also remember that Nigeria only became a Dominion-type member at independence in 1960 and a republic in 1963.