Commonwealth vs Confederation

Commonwealth

name
  • The Commonwealth of Nations, a loose confederation of nations based around the former British Empire. 

  • Virginia, the Commonwealth of Virginia, often referring to its government. 

  • Australia, the Commonwealth of Australia, often referring to its federal government. 

  • The Commonwealth of England, which existed from 1649 to 1660, under Cromwell. 

  • Kentucky, the Commonwealth of Kentucky, often referring to its government. 

  • Massachusetts, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, often referring to its government. 

  • Pennsylvania, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, often referring to its government. 

Confederation

name
  • In Canada, the federal union of provinces and territories which formed Canada, beginning with New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Quebec, and later including all the others. 

  • In Canada, the date of Confederation; 1 July 1867. 

  • In Newfoundland, the political union of Newfoundland with Canada. 

  • In Newfoundland, the date of Confederation; 31 March 1949. 

How often have the words Commonwealth and Confederation occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )