Editing History of Tonga (section)

== 20th century ==
[[File:Coat_of_arms_of_Tonga.svg|thumb|[[Coat of arms of Tonga]] (1875)]]
[[File:George Tubou II, Auckland Weekly News, 16 December 1909.jpg|thumb|King [[George Tupou II]], 1909]]

=== Kingdom of Tonga (1900–1970) ===
{{Main|British Western Pacific Territories|Kingdom of Tonga (1900–1970)}}
Tonga became a [[protectorate|British protected state]] under a Treaty of Friendship on May 18, 1900, when European settlers and rival Tongan chiefs tried to oust the second king. The Treaty of Friendship and protected state status ended in 1970 under arrangements established prior to her death by the third monarch, Queen [[Salote Tupou III|Sālote]].

On 18 May 1900, to discourage German advances,<ref name="britannica.com">{{Cite web | url=http://www.britannica.com/place/Tonga/History | title=Tonga &#124; Culture, History, & People | access-date=December 12, 2017 | archive-date=September 28, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190928115033/https://www.britannica.com/place/Tonga/History | url-status=live }}</ref> the [[Kingdom of Tonga]] became a [[British protectorates|Protected State]] with the United Kingdom under a Treaty of Friendship signed by [[George Tupou II]] after European settlers and rival Tongan chiefs attempted to overthrow him.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://famousdaily.com/history/tonga-protectorate-uk.html | title=Tonga becomes a protectorate to the United Kingdom | access-date=December 12, 2017 | archive-date=April 1, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160401145350/http://www.famousdaily.com/history/tonga-protectorate-uk.html | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.infoplease.com/country/tonga.html | title=Geography, Government, History, Tonga | access-date=December 12, 2017 | archive-date=March 9, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170309230719/http://www.infoplease.com/country/tonga.html | url-status=live }}</ref> 
Foreign affairs of the Kingdom of Tonga were conducted through the British [[Consul (representative)|Consul]]. The United Kingdom had veto power over foreign policies and finances of the Kingdom of Tonga.<ref name="britannica.com"/>

Tonga was affected by the [[1918 flu pandemic]], with 1,800 Tongans killed, around eight percent of the residents.<ref>{{Cite book | first = George C. | last = Kohn | title = Encyclopedia of plague and pestilence: from ancient times to the present | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=tzRwRmb09rgC&pg=PA363 | publisher = Infobase Publishing | year = 2008 | page = 363 | isbn = 978-0-8160-6935-4 | access-date = December 12, 2017 | archive-date = January 1, 2016 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160101182730/https://books.google.com/books?id=tzRwRmb09rgC&pg=PA363 | url-status = live }}</ref>

For most of the 20th century [[Tonga]] was quiet, inward-looking, and somewhat isolated from developments elsewhere in the world. Tonga's complex social structure is essentially broken into three tiers: the [[King of Tonga|king]], the nobles, and the commoners. Between the nobles and commoners are Matapule, sometimes called "talking chiefs," who are associated with the king or a noble and who may or may not hold estates. Obligations and responsibilities are reciprocal, and although the nobility are able to extract favors from people living on their estates, they likewise must extend favors to their people. Status and rank play a powerful role in personal relationships, even within families.

<gallery>
File:George Tupou II going to the Opening of Tongan Parliament in 1900.jpg|King [[George Tupou II]] going to the Opening of Tongan Parliament in 1900
File:Richard Seddon and wife at the openinig of the Tongan parliament.jpg|Richard Seddon and wife at the opening of the Tongan parliament, 1900
File:Royal Throne of Tonga, 1900.jpg| Royal Throne of Tonga, 1900.
File:Tonga-Italian Capitulation Parade.jpg|Members of the Tonga Defence Force of 2nd NZEF on parade in Tonga celebrating the capitulation of Italy in 1945
File:Officials watching dancing, Kolofo'ou, 1967.jpg|Bishop John Rogers, Pīsila (wife of Fusitu'a) and Suli Seuli (matāpule of Fusitu'a) watching dancing. Inauguration of the Catholic church in Kolofo'ou. 1967
</gallery>

====World War II====
Upon the [[United Kingdom declaration of war on Germany (1939)|British declaration of war against Germany]] in 1939, the government of Tonga issued a declaration "placing all of its resources at the disposal of the British" and formally declared war against Germany in its own right (since the British controlled Tonga's external affairs, it coerced Tonga to declare war on Germany). Queen Sālote directed the re-establishment of the national militia and donated {{convert|160|acre|ha}} to the British for the construction of an airfield. The people of Tonga subsequently raised enough funds to buy three [[Spitfire]]s for the [[Royal Air Force]].{{sfn|Weeks|1987|p=402}} In August 1941, Sālote proclaimed a [[national day of prayer]] for the British war effort.{{sfn|Weeks|1987|p=403}}

In mid-1941, the [[New Zealand Army]] despatched 70 military advisors to Nuku'alofa to train the Tongan Defence Force. Following the [[attack on Pearl Harbor]] in December 1941, Tonga also declared war on Japan. In anticipation of a Japanese invasion, citizens were evacuated from Nuku'alofa and barbed wire and trenches were erected on the beaches of Tongatapu.{{sfn|Weeks|1987|p=404}}

=== Independence (1970) ===

[[File:Tonga 1 Pa'anga 1980 front.jpg|thumb|Tongan 1 [[Tongan paʻanga|paʻanga]] coin depicting Queen [[Salote Tupou III]].]]
[[File:Royal_Tongan_Wedding_of_1976.jpg|thumb|Royal Tongan wedding, 1976]]

On 4 June 1970, protected state status ended under arrangements established prior to her death in 1965 by the third monarch, Queen [[Salote Tupou III|Sālote]].

Tonga joined the [[Commonwealth of Nations]] in 1970, and the United Nations in 1999. While exposed to colonial forces, Tonga has never lost indigenous governance, a fact that makes Tonga unique in the Pacific and boosts confidence in the monarchical system. The British High Commission in Tonga closed in March 2006.

Tonga's current king, [[Tupou VI]], traces his line directly back through six generations of monarchs. The previous king, [[George Tupou V]], born in 1946, continued to have ultimate control of the government until August 2008. At that point, concerns over financial irregularities and calls for democracy led to his relinquishing most of his day-to-day powers over the government.<ref name="Tonga's king to cede key powers">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7530209.stm "Tonga's king to cede key powers"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208145840/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/7530209.stm |date=February 8, 2011 }}, BBC, July 29, 2008</ref>

Tongans are beginning to confront the problem of how to preserve their cultural identity and traditions in the wake of the increasing impact of Western technology and culture. Migration and the gradual monetization of the economy have led to the breakdown of the traditional extended family. Some of the poor, once supported by the extended family, are now being left without visible means of support.

Educational opportunities for young commoners have advanced, and their increasing political awareness has stimulated some dissent against the nobility system. In addition, the rapidly increasing population is already too great to provide the constitutionally mandated 8.25 acre (33,000&nbsp;m<sup>2</sup>) API for each male at age 16. In mid-1982, the population density was 134 persons per square kilometer. Because of these factors, there is considerable pressure to move to the Kingdom's only urban center.