United Kingdom

1
United Kingdom

• Brief Political History

2
Gradualism

• Westminster Model government
• How that government evolved
• Gradualism

3
Fives Themes of British History

• Building the nation-state
• Defining the relationship between church and
  state
  
• Establishing a liberal democracy
• Dealing with the impact of the industrial
  revolution
  
• Development of the Welfare State
• Adapted from Hauss, Charles. 1997. Comparative
  Politics Domestic Responses to Global
  Challenges. NY West Publishing.

4
Building the Nation-State

• Nation
• People cultural entity
• State
• Legal/political entity
• Country
• Territory geographic entity
• When and how did England/Great Britain/UK become
  a nation-state?

5
Building the Nation-State

• History of invasions
• 1066 William the Conqueror (Norman/French)
• 1200s breaks with Normandy/France
• Island/isolation
• Begins a sense of nationhood
• 1450 nation with self-identity
• 1600s England existed and had a sense of
  nationhood

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Building the Nation-State

• Wales
• conquest started by Normans in 1000s
• By 1283, Edward I had conquered Wales
• Political organization, laws, etc. were patterned
  after English and under English control.
  
• Revolt in 1400s but ultimately failed.
• Act of Union in mid-1500s.

7
Building the Nation-State

• Scotland
• Normans never really conquered Scotland
• 1100s imported nobility who then owned and
  controlled the better lands.
  
• In 1296 Edward I tried to formally conquer, but
  resistance (William Wallace) and independent by
  mid-1300s.
  
• Back and forth, incursions, revolts, etc.
• Act of Union in 1707.

8
Building the Nation-State

• Ireland
• Spread of Anglo-Normans gradual, winning
  independently lands and lordships.
  
• 1171 King Henry II
• By 1300s, however, seriously weakened English
  hold over Ireland
  
• 1541 Henry VIII

9
Building the Nation-State

• Ireland (contd)
• 1600s Plantation period
• Rebellion in 1640s -- Ireland again temporarily
  united with England.
  
• 1782 a nation on its own, but a Protestant one
• Act of Union 1800
• 1840s Great (potato) famine
• Home Rule
• 1916 Easter Uprising
• 1919-1921 War of Independence
• 1920-1921 Irish Free State

10
Defining relationship between church and state

• 16th Century the Reformation
• split between Catholics and Protestants
• split Europe and led to religious wars
• In Britain, Reformation nowhere near as divisive
  or destructive as in rest of Europe
  
• Henry VIII broke with Rome and established Church
  of England.
  
• State religion
• Settled fairly easily in England/Britain but
  leads to later difficulties/developments in
  British that have an impact on political
  structure.
• However, less easily settled in Scotland and
  Ireland

11
Establishing a liberal democracy

• What is a liberal democracy?
• government that tries to combine democratic
  institutions of government with liberal values of
  individual freedom and responsibility (p.

12
Establishing a liberal democracy

• 1215 Magna Carta
• Great Council
• By 1265 commoners or townspeople
• By 1322, it was customary to call Parliament to
  discuss national issues and concerns.
  
• By 1340s, no tax without Parliament permission.
• By mid-15th century, House of Lords and House of
  Commons, same structure as today

13
Establishing a liberal democracy

• Right to representation is not the same as right
  of consent . . .
  
• Council/Parliament never intended to be check on
  Kings right to rule (?).
  
• Occasional battles between monarch and
  Parliament.
  
• Kings could ignore Parliament completely if
  financially independent.

14
Establishing a liberal democracy

• Charles I
• Civil War
• Cromwell
• Charles II
• Expanded role for Parliament
• Religious tolerance

15
Establishing a liberal democracy

• Development of early national political parties
• Whigs get rid of James II
• Tories keep James II
• Issues different today . . . Who are the Tories?
  Who are the Whigs?
  

16
Establishing a liberal democracy

• Glorious Revolution of 1688
• James IIs daughter Mary and her husband William
  of Orange (Dutch) to share the crown with two
  conditions
  
• Monarch would be Anglican
• Monarch would be accountable to Parliament
• Bill of Rights
• Supremacy of Parliament

17
Dealing with the Industrial Revolution

• Industrial revolution resulted from a conjunction
  of
  
• technology,
• imperialism (resources), and
• capitalist/entrepreneurial spirit.

18
Dealing with the Industrial Revolution

• Political Affects
• Urban/rural population distribution
• Protection of workers
• Those with economic power seek political power as
  well

19
Dealing with the Industrial Revolution

• Great Reform Act of 1832
• Founding of Labour Party in 1900
• Universal suffrage in 1928
• Power shifts from House of Lords to House of
  Commons 1911

20
Development of the Welfare State

• What is a welfare state?
• Government provision of social services
• Need to understand popular expectations of
  government and the responsibilities government
  bears for its population
  

21
Development of the Welfare State

• Responsibilities of British government expanded
• Increased demands of industrialists and workers,
  especially as gain right to vote
  
• Government responds to demands. Why?
• Adjusts to demands/realities
• VOTES
• Not too much of an economic burden

22
Development of the Welfare State

• Cradle to grave safety net brought into being
  with such legislation as
  
• 1946 National Insurance Act
• 1948 National Assistance Act
• 1948 National Health Service

23
Development of the Welfare State

• Both Labour and Conservative Parties support
  development of the welfare state
  
• Moving into the 1960s and especially 1970s
  through to today
  
• economic downturn begins
• beginning of policy problems re welfare state
• popular expectations for such services but taxes
  never popular . . .