The Society and Culture of Major English-Speaking
Countries
An Introduction
Instructor: Alan Mu
E-mail: alanmushihang@https://www.doczj.com/doc/037486209.html,
Unit 1 A Brief Introduction to the U.K. 1
?
?I. Brief Introduction:
?The United Kingdom (UK) is Europe's largest island and arguably (可论证地) its most influential country.
?In simple terms, it's the wonderful union of the individual countries of England, Scotland and Wales and the region of Northern Ireland (collectively called Great Britain ?In the 19th Century, Great Britain was the world's dominant industrial and maritime power (海洋国家). It played a major part in development of modern democracies, and in the advancements of literature, manufacturing, science and the performing arts.
Quick Facts and Figures:
?Official Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国)
?Capital City: London (11.2 million)
?Languages: English, W elsh, and the Scottish form of Gaelic (盖尔语)
?Population: 59, 247, 000. 00
?Religions: Anglican (英国国教), Catholicism, Christianism, & others.
?Landforms: The island is mostly rugged hills with low, granite mountains.
?Land Divisions (UK administrative divisions):
?England: 39 counties and 7 metropolitan counties
Scotland: 9 regions, 3 islands areas
Wales: 9 counties
Northern Ireland: 6 counties
?Explanations
1. The British Isles
?The British Isles lie northwest of Europe in the Atlantic Ocean.
?They consist of two large islands-Britain and Ireland and several small islands.
2. Celtic people
?They were peoples from north-western Europe who invaded Britain around 700BC.
?By the time the Romans first landed in 55 BC, the Celtic culture was well established.
?They are the ancestors of the Scots, W elsh and Irish today.
3. The Roman Occupation
?The Romans first invaded Britain in 55 BC.
?They eventually conquered the various Celtic kingdoms then flourishing in England, Wales and the Scottish Lowlands.
?The Roman occupation lasted for about 350 years
4. The Highlanders
?They are the Scots who live in the mountainous regions of the Highlands in Northern Scotland.
?They are a proud, independent and hardy people who maintain their strong cultural identity.
?They mainly live by farming sheep in mountain areas or fishing on the coasts and islands.
5.The Protestant Reformation
?They are the Scots who live in the mountainous regions of the Highlands in Northern
Scotland.
?They are a proud, independent and hardy people who maintain their strong cultural identity.
?They mainly live by farming sheep in mountain areas or fishing on the coasts and islands.
England
Quick Facts and Figures:
?Official Name: England
?Capital City: London (11.2 million)
?Official Currency: Pound Sterling
?Population: 49,300,000
?Religions: Anglican, Catholic, Christian, others
?Land Area: 130,423 sq km (50,356 sq miles)
Scotland
Official Name: Scotland
Capital City: Edinburgh 爱丁堡(population, 450,000)
Major Cities: Aberdeen, Dundee,Edinburgh, Glasgow (格拉斯哥) and Inverness Languages: Scots, Gaelic, Scots and English
Official Currency: Pound Sterling
Population: 5,200,000
Religions: Protestant (新教) , Catholic
Land Area: 78,772 sq km (30,418 sq miles)
Landforms: Scotland includes numerous islands, and three (3) distinct regions.
The Northern Highlands (nearly two-thirds of the land) includes the Grampian Mountains and many smaller ranges (山脉).
The Central Lowlands divide the southern farming region from the highlands of the north. Most of Scotland's population lives here. It's the flattest, lowest lying part of Scotland.
The Southern Uplands, the bordering land (mostly farmland) between England and Central Scotland, is so called because it's the most southern part of Scotland, and is hillier than the Central.
Wales
?Official Name: Wales
?Capital City: Cardiff (315,000)
?Languages: Welsh and English, with a small percentage (an estimated 30,000) that speak Welsh exclusively
?Population: 3,005,000
?Religions: Anglican, Catholic, others
?Land Area: 20,761 sq km (8,019 sq miles)
?Landforms: Wales is a hilly, mountainous country, and 25% of the land is above 1,000 ft. (305 m). The coastline stretches for 732 miles (1,180 km), consisting of numerous bays, sandy beaches, peninsulas (半岛) and cliffs.
Unit 2 A Brief Introduction to the U.K. 2（附加2）
British History
?There are six parts in this unit.
? 1. The Middle Ages
? 2. The Sixteenth Century
? 3. The Seventeenth Century
? 4. The Eighteenth Century
? 5. The Nineteenth Century
? 6. The Twentieth Century
Part 1
The Middle Ages
?Focus Points:
●Beginning of the Middle Ages
●King Harold
●Alfred the Great
●King Arthur
●The Crusades
●The Magna Carta
●The Hundred Y ears‘ War
●Joan of Arc
1. King Harold
?Harold II became king of England in 1066 upon the death of Edward the Confessor, who had recommended the throne be awarded to Harold. William of Normandy, who believed he was the rightful heir to the throne, asserted his claim with an army of 15,000 men. The forces of Harold and William met at the Battle of Hastings.
Harold‘s defeat and death made William, thereafter known as the Conqueror, the king of England.
2. Alfred the Great
?(阿尔弗烈德)
?Alfred (the Great) (849-899), king of the W est Saxons (871-899), and one of the outstanding figures of English history. In 893 the Danes invaded England again, and the following four years were marked by warfare; eventually, the Danes were forced to withdraw from Alfred's domain. The only ruler to resist Danish invasions successfully, Alfred made his kingdom the rallying point for all Saxons, thus laying the foundation for the unification of England.
3. King Arthur (亚瑟王)
?Arthur, legendary king of the Britons in ancient times, and the major figure in Arthurian legend. Arthur expelled foreigners from Britain, brought peace to the country, and established a kingdom based on justice, law, and morality. He held court at his castle at Camelot and instituted an order known as the knights of the Round T able. Eventually his realm crumbled, and his illegitimate son Mordred grievously wounded him in battle. Many versions of Arthurian legend say that
Arthur will someday return, when he is again needed by Britain.
4. The Crusades
(基督教十字军)
?The Crusades were a series of wars in the Middle Ages in which armies from all over Europe tried to snatch the ―Holy Land‖(i.e. Palestine, where Jesus Christ once lived) from the Infidels（异教徒）（i.e. the Muslimes)
5. The Magna Carta
(英国大宪章)
?King John of England set his seal to the Magna Carta on June 15, 1215. The document limited the power of the English monarchy and granted rights to John‘s vassals. Many English legal traditions, including the right to trial by jury and equal access to courts for all citizens, had their origins in the Magna Carta.
6. Hundred Y ears‘ War
?Hundred Y ears‘ War, armed conflict between France and England during the years from 1337 to 1453.
?The Hundred Y ears‘ War was a series of short conflicts, broken intermittently by a number of truces and peace treaties.
?It resulted from disputes between the ruling families of the two countries, the French Capetians and the English Plantagenets, over territories in France and the succession to the French throne.
?It was fought entirely in France, and the whole of France very nearly fell into English hands in the famous battles of Crecy and Agincourt.
?Eventually, partly through the inspiration of the brave girl Joan of Arc, and partly through the effective use of guns, the French drove the English from their land for good
7. Joan of Arc (圣女贞德）
?At the age of 13, Joan of Arc convinced a board of theologians that she had a divine mission to save France during the 100 Y ears‘ War with England. She led the French in several military victories over the English in 1429. When she led an unauthorized campaign the following year, she was tried and convicted of heresy for answering to God before the Roman Catholic church. Joan of Arc was burned at the stake in 1431, but after 25 years the church overturned the conviction and later canonized her.
8. Edward III (爱德华三世)
?In 1338 Edward III, king of England and son of Isabella of France, declared himself king of France, instigating the Hundred Y ears‘ War between England and France.
This painting features Edward, seated, wearing a robe decorated with English and Part 2
The Sixteenth Century
Focus Points:
●The Wars of the Roses
●The Characteristics of the 16th century as the beginning of the modern period
●Henry Ⅷ
●The Pope in Rome
●Catholic Church
●Protestant Churches
●The Church of England
●Bloody Mary
●The Elizabethan Age
1.The Wars of the Roses
?It is the name given to the struggle(1455-1485) for the throne of England between two branches of the English royal family
?The houses of Lancaster, whose badge was a red rose, and Y ork, whose badge was a white rose.
?The wars weakened both the nobility and the monarch.
2. The Characteristics of the 16th century as the beginning of the modern period
?In the sixteenth century, the invention of printing made books much easier to produce and therefore much cheaper, so that ideas could spread quickly.
?It was the age of the great voyages of discovery and the beginning of the imperialist expansion;
?It was also the beginning of freedom of thought in the Christian religion.
3. Henry Ⅷ
?king of England (1509-1547), the image of the Renaissance king as immortalized by German artist Hans Holbein, who painted him hands on hips, legs astride, exuding confidence and power.
?Henry VIII had six wives, fought numerous wars in Europe, and even aspired to become Holy Roman Emperor in order to extend his control to Europe.
?He ruthlessly increased the power of royal government, using Parliament to sanction his actions. Henry ruled through powerful ministers who, like his six wives, were never safe in their positions.
?His greatest achievement was to initiate the Protestant Reformation in England. He rejected the authority of the pope and the Roman Catholic Church, confiscated church lands, and promoted religious reformers to power.
4. The Church of England
?The Christian church in England, dating from the introduction of Christianity into that country. More specifically, it is the branch of the Christian church that, since the Reformation, has been the established Church of England.
5. Bloody Mary
?Mary I became queen of England after the death of her brother, Edward VI.
?The daughter of Henry VIII, she became known as ―Bloody Mary‖ after she burned more than 300 high-ranking Protestant clergymen during her five-year reign.
?She had hoped to restore the Roman Catholic church in England.
?She was succeeded by Elizabeth I
6.Elizabeth I
?Elizabeth I, daughter of Henry VIII and his second wife Anne Boleyn, ruled England from 1558 to 1603 during what is known as the Elizabethan Age.
?Elizabeth‘s reign was a time of great prosperity and achievement, and her court was a
center for poets, writers, musicians, and scholars.
7. The Elizabethan Age
?The 45-year reign of Elizabeth I as queen of England and Ireland (1558-1603) was so influential it became known as the Elizabethan Age.
?During her rule, Elizabeth helped shaped the future of England, creating a stable monarchy, developing legal institutions, encouraging commerce, establishing the Protestant religion as England‘s faith, and defending the nation against Spanish forces.
?In 1601, near the end of her reign, Elizabeth delivered to Parliament what came to be known as her Golden Speech. The speech ―T o Be a King‖ demonstrates Elizabeth‘s skills of oratory as well as her devotion to her people.
?It was an age of real literary achievement, especially that of Shakespeare.
?It was an age of adventure on the sea.
8. Defeat of the Spanish Armada
?The Spanish Armada was a fleet of warships that attempted to destroy the English fleet in 1588.
?The English defeated the Armada, however, by sending small boats set afire to float among the Spanish ships as they lay at anchor off the French coast near Calais.
?About 60 English ships sank two Spanish ships and damaged over 50 more. The crippled Armada then sailed back toward Spain, but heavy winds wrecked many more ships. Out of the original number of 130 ships in the Armada, only 67 returned to Spain.
9. Gunpowder Plot
?It refers to the most famous of a number of Catholic conspiracies in English history which occurred in the region of James I
?It was the plot to blow up the King and Parliament, in which a man called Guy Fawkes was caught in the cellars of the House of Commons in the very act of preparing the explosives.
?―Guy Fawkes‖ Night is still celebrated on November 5th each year.
Part 3
The Seventeenth Century
Focus Points:
?The English Civil War
?King Charles I
?Oliver Cromwell
?The Glorious Revolution
1.The English Civil War
?One of the most important events in the whole of British history.
?It is a bitter power struggle.(1642-1648) between the monarchy and Parliament.
?The victory of the Parliament led to the execution(1649) of Charles I and the temporary overthrow of the monarchy, and
?The country became for more than ten years a sort of republic founded by Oliver Cromwell.
2. King Charles I (1600-1649)
?The English Revolution was provoked by the behavior of Charles I.
?Charles believed in the divine right of kings and did not hold himself accountable to Parliament.
?In addition, he supported the Anglican church, alienating many Protestants.
?Defeated and convicted of treason by Parliament, Charles was beheaded.
3. Oliver Cromwell
?Oliver Cromwell was a member of England‘s Parliament and a Puritan and the Roundhead leader during the English Civil War.
?Oliver Cromwell led his forces to victory against the army of King Charles I. Even though he had no military experience, Cromwell was a brilliant cavalry leader.
?The defeat and subsequent execution of the king left Cromwell as virtual dictator of England.
?The monarchy was overthrown, and the country became for more than ten years a republic.
4. The Glorious Revolution
?It refers to the event of 1688 in the English Revolution, when the Catholic king James Ⅱwas forced to free with his baby son to France.
?The throne was offered to his Protestant daughter and her husband Dutch king William.
?The bill of Rights was passed by Parliament to restrict the power of the Monarchy.
?This was the beginning of the Constitutional Monarchy in Britain.
Part 4
The Eighteenth Century
Focus Points:
●Battle of Waterloo
●Battle of T rafalgar
●Nelson‘s Column in T rafalgar Square
●Industrial Revolution
1. Battle of Waterloo
?When Napoleon I ascended the French throne for the second time, after escaping in 1815 from exile on the Mediterranean island of Elba, allied forces united to challenge him militarily.
?An allied army of British, Dutch, Belgian, and German units, joined by Prussian troops, assembled near the Belgian village of Waterloo, where they defeated Napoleon‘s army and put an end to his ambitions to rule Europe. On June 22, 1815, Napoleon signed his final abdication and resumed exile on the island of Saint Helena in the South Atlantic.
2.Battle of T rafalgar
?Naval battle fought on October 21, 1805, by a British fleet and a combined French and Spanish fleet.
?It is one of the most celebrated naval engagements in European history.
?The battle took place off Cape T rafalgar on the southern coast of Spain, pitting a British fleet of 27 ships under the command of Admiral Horatio Nelson against a slightly larger combined fleet of France and Spain, commanded by Vice Admiral
Pierre Charles de Villeneuve of France
?The battle began shortly before noon; when it ended, in the late afternoon, some 20 French and Spanish ships had been destroyed or captured, while not a single British vessel was lost. Villeneuve himself was taken prisoner, along with thousands of his sailors.
?The British suffered about 1500 casualties, among them Admiral Nelson, who was mortally wounded. The overwhelming British victory destroyed Napoleon's plan to invade England and helped secure the supremacy of British naval forces for the rest of the 1800s
3. Industrial Revolution
?It refers to the period history from 1750 to 1850.
?Great changes took place with the invention of the steam engine.
?More factories and big towns were built.
?It made Britain stronger and richer, and at the same time it also created and entirely new social class, the industrial workers.
Part 5
The Nineteenth Century
Focus Points:
?Franchise （公民权）p.33
?Victorianism
?Charles Darwin
1.Franchise
?in government and economics, a special right or privilege granted to an individual or
a group to carry on a particular activity.
2. Queen Victorian
?Queen Victoria reigned for 63 years, the longest reign in the history of England.
Those years, from 1837 to 1901, became known as the Victorian Age and were marked by the rise of the middle class and a deeply conservative morality.
3. Victorian Age
?It refers to the monarch of Britain under the Great Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901.
the longest reign in British history.
?The Victorian age was an age of national development and national optimism.
?The Victorians were very religious and conservative in family life.
?It was also, in its later stages, an age of imperialism.
4. Charles Darwin
?Charles Darwin developed the theory of natural selection, which was to become the foundation concept supporting the theory of evolution.
?Darwin‘s theory holds that environmental effects lead to varying degrees of reproductive success in individuals and groups of organisms. Natural selection tends to promote adaptation in organisms when necessary for survival.
?This revolutionary theory was published in 1859 in Darwin‘s now famous treatise On the Origin of Species
Part 6
The Twentieth Century
Focus Points:
?Labour Party
?Suffragette
?World War I
?Economy Crisis
?World War Ⅱ
1. Suffragette
?Woman Suffrage, right of women to share on equal terms with men the political privileges afforded by representative government and, more particularly, to vote in elections and referendums and to hold public office.
2. Great Depression
?Massive unemployment, factory and mill closings, and mortgage foreclosures characterized the Great Depression all over the world in the 1930s.
3.League of Nations
?international alliance for the preservation of peace. The league existed from 1920 to 1946. The first meeting was held in Geneva, on November 15, 1920, with 42 nations represented. The last meeting was held on April 8, 1946; at that time the league was superseded by the United Nations (UN). During the league's 26 years, a total of 63 nations belonged at one time or another; 28 were members for the entire period
?Unit 2
?A Brief Introduction to the United Kingdom Ⅱ
?
?Population and physical features of Northern Ireland
?Economy of Northern Ireland
?The Home Rule Bill
?The Easter Rising of 1916
?The Sinn Fein Party
?Religious conflicts between the Irish and the British
?Partition of Ireland in 1921
?IRA‘s violence in the 1970s
?Bloody Sunday
?Cooperation between the British and Irish governments
?The Good Friday Agreement
?Part One
?Introduction
?Population and physical features of Northern Ireland
?Northern Ireland, administrative division of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, situated in the northeastern portion of the island of Ireland.
The remaining portion of the island is part of the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland constitutes about 17 percent of the land area of Ireland and has 31 percent of the island‘s population about 1.5 million.
?
?The capital of Northern Ireland is Belfast which is a small town of around 350,000 people. Northern Ireland‘s population is deeply divided along religious and political lines. The schism between the Protestant majority and the Roman Catholic minority extends deep into Northern Ireland‘s past and has strongly influenced the region‘s culture, settlement patterns, and politics.
?Economy of Northern Ireland
?The north of Ireland was heavily forested and lightly populated until the 17th century, when it began to be farmed more intensively.
?Farms were small, and incomes were supplemented by domestic production of linen （亚麻）. In the 19th century Belfast and the surrounding area became a world leader in the factory production of linen.
?Developments in shipbuilding and engineering followed, and industrial enterprises expanded in the period from 1850 to 1914.
?These heavy industries fared badly after World War I (1914-1918) and never fully recovered. Linen and shipbuilding are now small concerns.
?The economy suffered considerably as a result of the post-1969 political violence. ?Since the 1950s Northern Ireland has been the poorest region of the United Kingdom. ?The economy has revived in recent years as major British retailing chains have moved into the province, and the tourism industry has begun to achieve its full potential. ?Most of Northern Ireland‘s import and export trade is with other parts of the United Kingdom.
?The Republic of Ireland is the next most important trading partner.
?Agriculture
?Industry
?
?
?Part Two
?History
?By the 17th century, Protestant British settlers had subjugated(征服) the region‘s Catholic, Gaelic inhabitants.
?The whole of Ireland was part of the United Kingdom until 1920, as the British government—faced with growing violent resistance—offered limited local government to Ireland.
?The island was divided into two regions, Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, both under the control of the United Kingdom. Each region was granted the right to elect
a local parliament while maintaining representation in the British Parliament. ?When local parliamentary elections were held in 1921, the southern Irish parliament
refused to recognize British control.
?As a result, of the original 32 counties of Ireland, the 6 northeasterly counties became
a British province officially known as Northern Ireland. The remaining 26 counties
became independent in 1922 as the Irish Free S tate (later Eire, and subsequently the Republic of Ireland).
?Since then, most of the Catholic minority in Northern Ireland has identified with independent Ireland, and most of the Protestant majority with Britain. ?Catholics seeking integration with Ireland are often referred to as republicans or nationalists, while Protestants who want Northern Ireland to remain part of the United Kingdom are often called unionists or loyalists.
?From 1921 to 1972 Northern Ireland had its own regional parliament that exercised considerable authority over local affairs.
?The Protestant, unionist majority dominated the parliament, which made the government unpopular with the Catholic, nationalist minority. Northern Ireland experienced a nearly continuous period of violent conflict between these two groups from the late 1960s through the mid-1990s.
?The violence extended beyond Ireland, as republican paramilitary groups—in particular the Irish Republican Army (IRA)—also struck targets in London and elsewhere in England. The clashes, bombings, and assassinations in this period were often referred to as ―the troubles.‖
?In 1972 the British government shut down Northern Ireland‘s regional parliament and governed the region directly from London.
? A 1998 accord known as the Good Friday Agreement restored some powers to a new provincial government.
?Home Rule
?Ireland had long been dominated by Britain, but Irish desire for an independent Irish state was never lost. ―Home Rule‖ refers to a c ampaign for Irish control of Irish affairs. The Home Rule Bill was finally passed in 1914, but the process was overtaken by the WWⅠand was suspended for the duration of the war.
?The Easter Rising of 1916
?In order to gain independence, different Irish groups had been fighting against the British institutions and the British military forces.
?One such activity was the Easter Rising which took place in 1916. the rebels occupied Dublin‘s Post Office and forced the British to take it back by military force.
?The leaders of the rebellion were executed by the British authorities.
?Sinn Fein
?Sinn Fein is a legal political party in Northern Ireland which supports the IRA to fight for the union of Ireland. The leaders of Sinn Fein prefer union with Ireland by
a twin c ampaign, both military and political which they call the policy of ―the Bullet
and the Ballot Box‖. It believes that without the participation of Sinn Fein the political problem of Northern Ireland cannot be thoroughly solved.
?
?
?Part Three
?The Troubles
?The Provisional IRA
?In 1919, a group calling itself the IRA (Irish Republic Army) expanded fighting for Irish freedom and independence. The Provisional IRA is the radical faction of the IRA. They prefer the use of force and believe that armed force is the only way to get the British out and to have a unified Ireland.
?
?The Collapse of the Power-sharing Mechanism
?In late 1973, after extensive debate between unionists, nationalists, and the governments of Britain and Ireland, unionist politicians reluctantly accepted a system in which unionists and nationalists shared power in a coalition government.
However, many unionists bristled at the system‘s ―Irish dimension,‖ meaning the plans for joint institutions with the Republic of Ireland.
? A grassroots Protestant general strike (most crucially, of electrical power plant workers) and widespread intimidation forced unionist members of the government to resign. The power-sharing coalition collapsed after five months, and direct rule from London was reinstated in May 1974.
?Many experts believe that the power-sharing settlement scheme failed because it sought agreement among Northern Ireland‘s different political parties but excluded the Irish Republican Army and the rival Protestant paramilitaries.
?Without bringing these paramilitary groups to the bargaining table, internal agreements were unable to offer any short-term prospect of peace. After the collapse of the power-sharing government and a further failure in the following year, the British government gave up serious hope of achieving an internal settlement
?
?IRA‘s violence in the 1970s
?The early 1970s were the bloodiest period in Northern Ireland‘s sectarian violence, with a peak of 467 violent deaths in 1972. That year saw two of the most notorious incidents of the troubles. In January a regiment of British troops shot and killed 13 apparently unarmed demonstrators who had been taking part in a civil rights march in Londonderry/Derry. The shooting came to be known as Bloody Sunday, and it inspired numerous reprisal bombings. On a single July day, which in turn came to be known as Bloody Friday, the IRA detonated more than 20 bombs in Belfast, killing 9 civilians and injuring more than 100 others.
?T errorism was by no means limited to the IRA and other republican paramilitary groups, such as the Irish National Liberation Army. T error campaigns were also carried out by the two rival loyalist organizations, the UDA and the UVF. During the Protestant general strike of 1974, groups associated with the UDA set off several car bombs in Dublin, killing dozens of people. Later that year, following the collapse of the coalition government and the return of direct rule, the IRA initiated a bombing
campaign against Britain, and dozens more were killed in the bombings of several pubs in England.
?The intensity of the conflict diminished somewhat in the late 1970s, but bombings continued and the number of violent deaths remained at around 100 per year, with many times that number of injuries. A stalemate appeared to have been reache d between the security forces and the rival paramilitary forces, while at the same time the division between the communities of Northern Ireland remained as sharp as ever.
?The early 1970s were the bloodiest period in Northern Ireland‘s sectarian violence, with a peak of 467 violent deaths in 1972. That year saw two of the most notorious incidents of the troubles. In January a regiment of British troops shot and killed 13 apparently unarmed demonstrators who had been taking part in a civil rights march in Londonderry/Derry. The shooting came to be known as Bloody Sunday, and it inspired numerous reprisal bombings. On a single July day, which in turn came to be known as Bloody Friday, the IRA detonated more than 20 bombs in Belfast, killing 9 civilians and injuring more than 100 others.
?In 1979 the IRA murdered the uncle of British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, British naval hero Lord Louis Mountbatten, and, on the same day ambushed a party of British soldiers, killing 18 of them. Lord Mountbatten‘s murder was roundly condemned. However, the IRA soon gained sympathy using a new tactic. A number of imprisoned IRA members went on hunger strikes in 1980 and 1981. T en of them starved themselves to death, and each death set off a new cycle of violence.
?The hunger strikes were accompanied by a vigorous anti-British political campaign by Sinn Fein. The first hunger striker to die, Bobby Sands, had only a short time before been elected to the British Parliament from a district in Northern Ireland.
Popular sympathy in the Catholic community for the IRA hunger strikers who died in prison provided a platform that elevated Sinn Fein within the Northern Irish political arena, and the party began winning parliamentary and local council seats. ?
?
?Part Four
?Towards a Solution
?Cooperation between the British and Irish governments
?In the early 1990s the collaboration between Britain and Ireland resulted in a blueprint for a settlement. Based partly on power-sharing between the major political parties of Northern Ireland, it include d an ―Irish dimension‖ of cross-border cooperation sufficient to give full recognition to the sense of Irish identity felt by most northern Catholics, while retaining the British citizenship valued by Protestants. The plan‘s prospects for success were rais ed by indications from the IRA, first in 1988 and then more strongly in 1993, that it was ready to end the war.
?Cooperation between the British and Irish governments
?The possibility of drawing the IRA and other paramilitary groups into the political process, rather than isolating them from it, meant that lasting peace might be delivered as part of a political settlement. This was seen as a way of making concessions potentially more attractive to the unionist side. The IRA was more inclined to take this direction because its associated political movement, Sinn Fein, had become a significant political force since the early 1980s.
?Cooperation between the British and Irish governments
?The IRA announced a cease-fire in August 1994, and detailed peace negotiations began. Political deadlocks in the British Parliament hindered government progress on the peace process, and in early 1996 the IRA resumed a bombing campaign against targets in Britain. An uneasy peace was maintained in Northern Ireland itself, however.
?
?Part Five
?The Good Friday Agreement
?As a result of multi-party negotiations, the Good Friday Agreement was approved on
10 April 1998.
?This agreement assures the loyalist community that Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom and it won‘t chan ge its political status unless the majority of the people of Northern Ireland agree.
?Under the terms of the agreement, Northern Ireland should be governed by three separate jurisdictions: that of the Republic of Ireland, that of Great Britain and that of its own elected executive government of ten ministers.
Unit 3 The Government of the United Kingdom
Unit 4 Politics, Class and Race
?Unit 3
?The Government of the UNITED KINGDOM
?Parliament of UK
?Divine right of kings
?The civil war
?Magna Carta
?The Great Council
?The Bill of Rights of 1689
?The Cabinet
?The Prime Minister
?The Constitution
?The power and the functions of the Parlilament
?The roles of the monarch
?The House of Lords
?The House of Commons
?
?
?Part One
?Introduction
?Introduction of UK politics
?Britain is the oldest representative democracy in the world.
?In contrast to US and France, British state-building has been one of evolution rather than revolution.
?This long, unbroken history is still apparent in Britain‘s correct political institutions and in its political culture.
?
?
?Part Two
?The Monarchy
?Divine right of Kings
?Ancient doctrine that sovereigns are representatives of God and derive their right to rule directly from God.
?The concept was formulated from the theocracies(神权政治) of the East. Before the Reformation, the monarch was considered God's representative in all secular matters. Following the Reformation, in Protestant countries, the ruler filled this function in religious matters also.
?According to the doctrine, a ruler's power is not subject to secular limitation; the ruler is responsible only to God.
?In the 17th century the doctrine was supported by the English Royalists against the Parliamentarians, who maintained that the exercise of political power springs from the will of the people.
?
?Divine right of Kings
?Read this part:
?Find out the following terms and their explanation
?The Civil War
?Roundheads-Royalists
?Oliver Cromwell
?Charles Ⅰ
?Magna Carta-Britain‘s Key expression of the rights of citizens against the Crown.
?
?
?Part Three
?The Parliament
?
?The Great Council
?The great council came into include both those who were summoned ―by name‖ (the
House of Lords) and representatives of communities (the House of commons). ?These two houses exist today and collectively we call them the Parliament.
?The commons quickly gained in political strength.
?The commons also acquired law-making powers by the 15th century.
?Big Ben, London
?
?History of Parliament in UK
?The Constitutional Monarchy
?The Constitutional Monarchy is one in which the Monarchy respects the Constitution. ?In law, the monarch is head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature: head of the judiciary; commander-in-chief of all the armed forces and head of the Church of England. In practice, the real power of monarchy has gradually been reduced and today the Queen acts solely on the advice of her ministers.
?In the Glorious Revolution, William and Mary became the joint rulers of Britain, and the Constitutional Monarchy began.
?The Bill of Rights which was passed in 1689 restricted the power of the monarchy.
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?Part Four
?The Birth of the Prime Minister and Cabinet
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?Cabinet
?Its name applied to the collective body of advisers to the executive head of a parliamentary government.
?The cabinet originated early in the 15th century as a council advising the king of England. As part of the Privy Council(枢密院), the king‘s most important group of advisers, it met in the royal chamber or cabinet and was therefore called the cabinet council.
?In the 18th century, however, when the center of governmental power shifted from monarch to the British Parliament, the Cabinet became the council of the most important minister in the government, the prime minister.
?Since about 1780 the composition of the British Cabinet has been restricted to a limited number of important ministers, who are also department heads. From this organization developed the modern British Cabinet, with the prime minister at the head, collectively responsible to Parliament.
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?Ex-Prime Minister of UK
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?Prime Minister
?Prime Minister or Premier in government, the highest ranking minister and in practice often the chief executive, even though a nation's constitution might provide for a king (monarchy) as head of state.
?In most instances the prime minister is the chief formulator of governmental policy.
And it is commonly held by the leader of the majority party or of a coalition of
political parties.
?He or she is assisted by a cabinet and is responsible to the legislature. The legislature either elects or approves the prime minister and, when a majority of its members oppose government policies, may force him or her out of office.
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?Part Five
?The British Government T oday
?British Government T oday
?British is both a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.
?The Queen is the official head of state while her powers are largely traditional and symbolic.
?The government at national and local levels is elected by the people and governs according to British constitutional principle.
?Other countries which are governed according to the principles of British parliamentary democracy are Australia, Canada, New Zealand and India.
?All but India recognize the Queen as their head of state, and a re presentative of the Crown, called the Governor-General is present to fulfill the role of the monarch.
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?Section 1
?The Constitution
?The British Constitution
?It is unwritten.
?Its components include Acts of Parliament, the Prerogative of the Crown, Conventions of the Constitution, Common Law and Parliament Privilege.
?It is more flexible than the written ones in other countries.
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?Conventions of the Constitution
?They form an important part of the Constitution just as writ(文书).
?They are rules which are not written down but which everyone agrees must be followed in practice.
?They include the following: the powers of the Crown are exercised mainly by Ministers; the Queen must act on the advice of Ministers; Ministers are responsible to parliament for their actions; the sovereignty of Parliament.
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?Common Law
?It is one of the main components of the British Constitution.
?It refers to the Bills which have been passed by courts
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?The Bill of Rights in 1689
?It was the Bill passed by the Parliament in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution.
?It laid down a number of things that future monarchs could not do.
?It marked a sharp decline in powers of the Monarch.
?It marked the beginning of the British Constitutional Monarchy.
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?Section 2
?Parliament
?British Parliament
?It includes three elements: the Crown, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
?It is the supreme law-making authority in Britain.
?The real centre of parliamentary power is in the House of Commons.
?Other functions include: to control and criticize the executive government; to control the raising and the spending of money.
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?Power of Parliament
?First, it passes laws (legislation).
?It provides the means of carrying on the work of government by voting for taxation. ?It scrutinize government policy, administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day.
?It alone has the power to change the terms of the Constitution.
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?Section 3
?The Role of the Monarchy T oday
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?Current Chief of state (国家元首):
?Question: Who is the current Chief of S tate?
?Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
?Heir Apparent (有确定继承权的人) Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)
?Prince Charles and his girlfriend
?Camilla Parker-Bowles in 2004
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?After reading the text on P.42, please try to answer the following questions:
?What are the roles of the Monarchy today?
?Does the Queen really enjoy the supreme power?
?On whose advice does the Queen act?
?What is the role of Queen in Church of England?
?What are the current issues in the royal family?
?What‘s the reaction of Queen Elizabeth Ⅱ?
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?Section 4
?The House of Lords and the House of Commons
?The House of Lords
?It is an important part of Parliament.
?Its members are peers (贵族), most of whom are hereditary(世袭).
?Its powers have been severely reduced by the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949.
?It must pass all financial legislation sent to it from the House of Commons, and can
delay other Bills for only one year.
?It has a special judicial function.
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?House of Lords
?The House of Commons
?It consists of 659 elected Members of Parliament.
?MPs have a number of privileges, eg. The freedom of speech in Parliament.
?It is by far the most powerful and important element in Parliament, therefore plays the key role in the activities of Parliament as a whole.
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?House of Commons
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?Government type (政府模式): constitutional monarchy (君主立宪內阁制)
?英国国王是世袭的国家元首。国家的一切重要行政措施都用女王的名义发布，但其活动多属于礼仪性质，无实权。议会是英国最高立法机构，由国王和上院（贵族院）、下院（众议院）组成。下院的议员由选举产生，每5年大选一次。下院的议长是议会发言人兼大会主席，其地位仅次于首相和枢密大臣。枢密院(Privy Council) 由以枢密大臣为首的约300名左右的枢密顾问官组成，一般为终身制。
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?枢密院在法律上是英国的最高政府机构，内阁的各种重要决定，都以―枢密院令‖ 的形式公布，但其职责主要是礼仪性的。
?国会分上、下两院。下院议员由人民选举，任期5年。上院由世袭或加封之贵族、教士或社会贤达组成。此外，内阁掌握政权，阁员由首相提名，经由国王同意任命。
此外，首相为下议院多数党领袖，有权解散、改选下议院。
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?国家元首(Queen / King)
?最高行政机构(Executive Branch):
?部長内阁大臣(Cabinet of Ministers)
?由下议院(House of Commons) 中获得最多票数的政党的成員组成，正式程序需由首相提名，英王任命. 在下议院中占少数议席的最大政党则成为正式的反对党，拥有自己的领袖和"影子内阁"。反对党有义务对政府的政策提出不同意见，同时提出可供选择的政策方案。
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?內阁首長: 首相(Prime Minister)
?首相为下议院多数党领袖，有权解散、改选下议院.
?最高司法机构(Judicial branch):
?上议院同時也是全英最高法院
?四个地区有各自的最高法院
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?立法机构(Legislative branch):
?全英国会(United Kingdom Parliament)