The Commonwealth of the Philippines ([fɪlɪˈpinɐs]) was a designation of the Philippines from 1935 to 1946 when the country was a commonwealth of the United States. The Commonwealth was created by the Tydings-McDuffie Act, which was passed by the U.S. Congress in 1934. When Manuel L. Quezon was inaugurated president in 1935, he became the first Filipino to head a government of the Philippines.
The Commonwealth had its own constitution, which remained effective until 1973, and was self-governing although foreign policy and military affairs would be under the responsibility of the United States, and certain legislation required the approval of the American President
The Commonwealth had a strong executive and a Supreme Court. The legislature, dominated by the Nacionalista Party, was at first unicameral, but later bicameral. In 1937, the government selected Tagalog, the dialect of Manila, as the national language, although it would be many years before usage became general. Women’s suffrage was adopted and the economy recovered to its pre-depression level before the Japanese occupation.
The Commonwealth government was in exile from 1942–1945, when the Philippines was under Japanese occupation. In 1946, the Commonwealth ended and the Philippines was proclaimed a republic.
