7.8. Political leaders were interested in commerce. The growing population provided a market. Farmers‘ improved methods of cultivation freed much labor, which became available for employment in the town factories, and also increased food supplies for towns.
7.9 18th century was a time of peace and stability. Foreign plunder, the newly acquired wealth after 7 years’war. Industrial Revolution first began in the textile industry, which was accelerated by important mechanical inventions ---- flying shuttle, spinning jenny, especially the steam-engine by James Watt in 1769.
Results
1. Factories came into being because they brought about more profits to the owners. 2. New cities sprang up, population was concentrated in towns and cities. 3. The power of influence of industrial capitalists grew greater.
4. It gave birth a new social-economic class – proletariat who were exploited cruelly. 5. It brought many economic advantages to Britain and made Britain rich and powerful. Chartist Movement
The Chartist Movement (1836-48): the industrial and commercial classes, with the support of the working classes, demanded to reform the old voting system.
Exercise:
Tell whether the following are true or false:
1) The Magna Carts was designed to protect the rights of both the privileged class and the townpeople. (-)
2) The Hundred Years‘ War was a series of wars fought between England and Normans for trade
and territory. (-)
3) Westminster Abbey was built at the time of Edward the Confessor. (+) 4) The Norman Conquest marked the establishment of feudalism in England. (+) 5) The end of the Wars of Roses led to the rule of the House of Tudor (+)
6) The direct cause for the Religious Reformation was King Henry VIII‘s efforts to divorce his
wife. (+)
Lecture Three Government System P31
A nation of Constitutional Monarchy 1. The Monarch respects the Constitution.
2. In law, the monarch is head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature; head of the judiciary; commander-in-chief of
3. In the Glorious Revolution, William and Mary became the joint rulers of Britain, and the Constitutional Monarchy began.
4. The Bill of Rights which was passed in 1689 restricted the power of the monarchy.
The British Constitution
1.1. It is unwritten
1.2. Its components include Acts of Parliament, the Prerogative of the Crown, Conventions of the Constitution, Common Law and Parliamentary Privilege.
11
1.3. It is more flexible than the written ones in other countries.
2. Conventions of the Constitution
2. 1. They form an important part of the Constitution just as written laws do.
2. 2. They are rules which are not written down but which everyone agrees must be followed in practice.
2. 3. They include the following:
1) the powers of the Crown are exercised mainly by Ministers; 2) the Queen must act on the advice of Ministers;
3) Ministers are responsible to parliament for their actions; 4) the sovereignty of Parliament
3. Common Law
3. 1. It is one of the main components of the British Constitution. 3. 2. It refers to the Bills which have been passed by courts. 3. 3. It marked a sharp decline in powers of the Monarch.
4. The Bill of Rights
4. 1. It was the Bill passed by the Parliament in 1689 after the Glorious Revolution. 4. 2. It laid down a number of things that future monarchs could not do. 4. 3. It marked a sharp decline in powers of the Monarch.
4. 4. It marked the beginning of the British Constitutional Monarchy
5. General Election
5. 1. General Election is held at least every five years.
5. 2. The country is divided into 635 constituencies, each of which returns one Member of Parliament.
5. 3. The one who has the most votes in a constituency becomes a Member of Parliament. 5. 4. The leader of the party with the largest number of members returned to the House of Commons becomes Prime Minister.
6. Party system in Parliament
6. 1. The leader of the party with the largest number of members returned to the House of Commons becomes Prime Minister and is invited by the Queen to form a government;
6. 2. The party with the next largest numbers of supporters in the Commons becomes the official Opposition to Government.
6. 3. The Prime Ministers and other ministers sit on the
7. Political Parties
7. 1. The UK has a two-party system.
7. 2. The Conservative is major right-wing party.
It supports free enterprise and is generally opposed to nationalization and to extending the social services. So conservatives are those who have something to conserve and they usually hate the great changes in society.
It believes actively in the pursuit of greater social and economic equality.
12
The Labor Party is a party of moderate socialism in favor of Nationalization of key industries. It has always been anti-Communist, supported by some middle class and intellectuals. It is also a main party for working class people.
It draws most of its support from highly urban and industrialized people. 7.3 . The Liberal Party is the third largest political party since 1922.
7.4. The Social Democratic Party was formed in 1981 by a small number of right-wing Labor party politicians.
8. British Parliament 8.1. It includes 3 elements: 1) the Crown;
2) the House of Lords;
3) the House of Commons
8.2. It is the supreme law-making authority in Britain.
8.3. The real center of parliamentary power is in the House of Commons. 8.4. Other functions:
1) to control and criticize the executive government; 2) to control the raising and the spending of money.
9. The House of Lords
9.1. Its members are peers, most of whom are hereditary.
9.2. Its powers have been severely reduced by the Parliament Acts of 1911 and 1949.
9.3. It must pass all financial legislation sent to it from the House of Commons, and can delay other Bills for only one year.
9.4. It has a special judicial function. 9.5. The Lord Chancellor=Speaker
10. The House of Commons
1). It consists of 635 elected Members of Parliament.
2.) MPs have a number of privileges, eg. The freedom of speech in Parliament.
3). 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.
4.) The Speaker presides over the meeting in the House of Commons.
Exercise:
1. Answer the following questions:
1) Which of the following is just rules and practices, but don‘t exist legally?
A. Statutory Law B. Common Law C. Conventions
2）The constitution can be altered or amended by Monarchy, so it is subjects to different bodies, like politicians, judges and scholars. right? *
3) Who is the head of the executive branch ____? A. legislature, B .executive C. judiciary 4) Parliament consists of the king or Queen, the house of Lords and the House of Commons. Is it right?
5) Prominent bishops of the church of England are included in the House of Lords? (yes)
13
6) What‘s the legislative function of the House of Lords? to examine the revise bills.
7). How often is a general election of the government held? 5 8). Which of the two Houses has the power of drafting new laws?
9). The one important function of the House of Commons is scrutinize or restrain the actions of the government: such as checking the government ?s estimates and budget, thus controlling expenditures.
10) .What is the British government made up of?
11). The Prime Minister stands on the side of the majority party and form a new Cabinet which is the center of the British political system. 12). What‘s the function of the Privy Council?（枢密院）as a body of advisors or to supervise the Cabinet.
13). The judiciary is different among islands, Scotland has the most distinct legal system, based on Roman Law, which is the legal basis for most European countries.
14). British parliament operates on a two-party system. Those believe in a strong parliament and may associated with the Protestant reformers are known as the Whig Party. Right? 2. Tell whether they are true or False:
1) In reality, the British King or Queen is the source of all government powers. (-)
2) British Parliament is the law—making body of the Commonwealth of the Nation. (-) 3) The members in the House of Commons are appointed rather than elected. (-) 4) The British Prime Minister is the leader of the majority party in Parliament. (+)
5)Cabinet members are chosen by the Prime Minister from various political parties in Parliament. (-)
6) British law consists of two parties: the civil law and the criminal law (+)
Lecture Four Education Media and Holidays
1. Historically, education was voluntary and many British schools were set up by the church. Between the ages of 5 to 11, students mainly attend state primary schools. These schools are called co-educational or mixed schools, because they admit both boys and girls. State secondary schools take in students aged 11, after which compulsory education continues for five years until they have reached the age of 16. Cambridge has thirty-one colleges. Three are for women. Each college is an independent institution with its own property and income. The colleges appointed their own staffs and are responsible for selecting students in accordance with university regulation. Cambridge has more Nobel prize winners than any other institution in Britain. The university celebrated its 800th anniversary in 2009, marking the legacy of eight centuries and determination to remain among the world‘s greatest universities. Oxford University and Cambridge University are sometimes referred to collectively as Oxbridge. Early in 1096, teaching was demonstrated in Oxford and in the following century its schools founded the University of Cambridge in the 13th century. 2. Media
For most British people, a day begins with the morning newspaper and ends with television. It is obvious that the media is central to British leisure culture. It is no exaggeration to say that the media shapes the public opinion, determines people‘s moral and political orientation and consolidates or undermines the rule of a government.
The Observer, which is still published every Sunday, first appeared in 1791, making it the world‘s
14
oldest national newspaper, while The Times, first published in 1785, is British‘s daily newspaper. The Times, The Guardian and The Daily Telegragh are referred as British‘s ―Big Three‖. The Times has a reputation for its cautious attitude. It often reflects the view held by the government. The Guardian is the most left-wing of these newspapers. It is politically closer to the Labor Party than to the Conservative. The Daily Telegraph appears to readers who favor free enterprise over social programs. The News of the World is now Britain‘s best-selling newspaper. 3. Television and Broadcast
The British Broadcasting Corporation(BBC), affectionately referred to as the ―Beeb‖ or ―Auntie Beeb‖, is British main public service broadcaster. Its best selling program, including documentary like Life on Earth has been sold to over 100 countries and watched by an estimated 500 million viewers. The international branch of the BBC is the BBC World Service, which broadcasts in other languages throughout the world. Its global weekly audience is estimates to be at least 140 million people. In 1990, Sky TV merged as a rival to BBC. It‘s a satellite-based television company.
4. Throughout the year the British celebrate many holidays which reflect the religious, historical, social and cultural diversity of their country. Christmas, December 25th, is the biggest the best-loved British holiday. There are three Christmas traditions which are particularly British: one is the Christmas pantomime(童话剧), traditional story like Cinderella is favored by children. Another tradition is the Queen‘s Christmas message, broadcast on both television and radio. A third tradition is Boxing Day, which falls on the day after Christmas. People gave Christmas gifts or money to their staff or servants. Now it is extended to family members.
For church-goers it is Easter. Easter commemorates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ It falls on a Sunday between March 22 and April 25., depending on the date of the first full moon after the spring equinox. The main symbol of Easter is the Easter egg, which has been s religious symbol of rebirth.
Another important and most impressive festival takes place on the second Saturday in June, when the Queen‘s official birthday is officially celebrated in Buckingham Bonfire Night is a day for people to let off fireworks.
There are other days like Mothers‘ Day and April Fool‘s Day. Exercise:
Tell whether the following are true or false:
1) The British government has been responsible for education since the early 1800s. (-)
2) Most British people begin their day with reading the morning newspaper and eds it watching television in the evening. (+)
3)The Times is the world‘s oldest national newspaper.(-)
4)The BBC World Service broadcasts only in English throughout the world.(-)
5)Life on Earth is a kind of documentary program produced by the BBC and is popular among 500 million viewers worldwide. (+)
6) Renaissance is characterized by admiration of Greek and Latin classics.(+)
Lecture Five The United States of America P113
Question for discussion: Why is the United States regarded as a ―melting pot‖ and a ―salad‖?
15