Survival and State Building in the Kingdom of Tonga

Gonschor, Lorenz (2024) Survival and State Building in the Kingdom of Tonga. In: Unconquered States: Non-European Powers in the Imperial Age. Oxford University Press, Oxford, United Kingdom, pp. 527-544. ISBN 978-0-19-886329-8

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Abstract

Throughout the nineteenth century, the Polynesian archipelago of Tonga engaged in a nation-building process. Under the firm and determined leadership of King Tupou I, whose longevity spanned virtually the entire century, Tonga was transformed from a traditional feudal society into a modern constitutional nation-state that towards the end of the century fulfilled almost all Western criteria of statehood and had extended relations with both its Pacific neighbours and the major Western powers. Although suffering major blows of British imperialist bullying, the kingdom managed to escape straightforward colonization and survive seven decades of British protectorate to re-emerge as a sovereign kingdom in the late twentieth century, a unique trajectory among Pacific Island nations. The chapter discusses the development of the Tongan state from its ancient, pre-European origins through the cultural, political, and constitutional changes of the 19th century to its partial subjugation and persistence in the twentieth century, with a special focus on its relations with both neighbouring Pacific Island nations and the Western powers.

Item Type:	Book Chapter
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > DU Oceania (South Seas) J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General)
Divisions:	School of Law and Social Sciences (SoLaSS)
Depositing User:	Lorenz Gonschor
Date Deposited:	03 Jun 2025 23:33
Last Modified:	03 Jun 2025 23:33
URI:	https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/14969

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