1、Book1 Unit 11.What was the British Empire? What do you know about it? In what way is the “Empire” still felt in Britain and in the international field?The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom, tha
2、t had originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.In the international field, Britain has great voice in politics, economy and culture and so on.2.Why impossible to sum up British people with a few simple phrases: The UK is
3、 made up of different elements. It includes 4 parts within the one nation-state. It is now a multiracial society with different religion believes. It is divided economically and it is a society with a class-structure. And within each of the four countries there are different regions. Since this coun
4、try was so complicated both in history or humanity, it is impossible to sum up their people.3.A history of invasions: (1) Before the 1st century AD Britain was made up of tribal kindoms of Celtic people. They brought the central Europen culture to Britain. Then in 43AD, Roman Empire invaded Britain
5、and controlled it for slave society but also disseminated their Catholicism. (2)However, in the 5th century, the Roman Empire rapidly waned in power and Britain was conquered by the Angles and the Saxons. In order to defend the Saxons, a great leaderKing Arthur appeared. He created the “round table“
6、 to satisfy all the knights requirement of having equal precedence. Thus it gradually formed the monarchy in Britain as a more democratic system. Whether Arthurs a real person in the history or not, Anglo-Saxons did succeed in invading Britain and they were the forefathers of the English. (3)In the
7、8th century, the Vikings from Denmark controlled the nothern and eastern England. A Anglo-Saxon herio, king Alfred the Great fought against the vikings with the truly English. And thats why theres a certain cultural difference between northerners and southerners in England (4)Later, the Nomans from
8、northern France, under the leading of William of Normandy, killed the king and William became the Frist of England. They imported a rulling class that French-speaking Norman aristocracy rulled Saxon and English-speaking population. In this condition, there werent a lot of rebellions among the Englis
9、h people. That directly formed an English unique character: a richly unconventional interior life hidden by an external conformity. Even today, we can still find this personality from the British people through their lifestyles.How did they influence culture:接着上边一起看 (2) a lot of stories of King Arth
10、ur, which brought a lot of singers, poets, novelists and filmmakers. Places associated with his legend. Round table was ween as an indicator of the way in which the English have wished to see their monarch as something other than a remote dictator. (3)anglo-saxon invaders were the forefathers of the
11、 English. By Vikings settlements the Enlish heroes were truly English. There remains to this day a certain cultural divide between northerners and southerners in england. (4)Norman aristocracy ruling a largely Saxon and English-speaking population. the legend of Robin Hood.4.General characteristic o
12、f Scotland: Scotland is the second largest of the four nations, both in population and in geographical area. It is also the most confident of its own identity because alone amongst the non-English components of the UK it has previously spent a substantial period of history as a unified state indepen
13、dent of the UK. (1) rugged. (2) not conquered by the Romans (3) maintain its separate political identity for more than a hundred years.(4) eager for independence.How Scotland became part of the union of Great Britain: in 1707 by agreement of the English and Scottish parliaments, Scotland joined the
14、Union. In 1745 there was a brutal military response from the British army. The rebel army was destroyed at the battle of Culloden in northern Scotland.5.Describe Wales and the unification with Britain: (1) wales was an important element in Britains industrial revolution, as it had rich coal deposits
15、. It is successful in attracting investment from abroad. Wales has been dominated by England for longer than the other nations of the union. Despite this nearness and long-standing political integration Wales retains a powerful sense of its difference from England. (2)Wales has been dominated by Eng
16、land for longer than the other nations of the union. Despite this nearness and long-standing political integration Wales retains a powerful sense of its difference from England. In 1536, wales was brought legally, administratively, and politically into the UK by an act of the British parliament. Thi
17、s close long-standing relationship means that modern wales lacks some of the outward signs of difference which Scotland possesses - its legal system and its education system are exactly the same as in England.6.Differences between England, Scotland and Wales in terms of cultural tradition: 书上说的比较散，建
18、议参考 festival 那章的答案，这里只有一些零散的不系统的比较 (1) English character: a richly unconventional interior life hidden by an external conformity. But young people are not all stereotypes. But it is certainly true that the lifeless fronts of many english houses conceal beautiful back gardens. (2)The dream of an inde
19、pendent Scotland has not vanished. They are always eager for freedom. Scotland has a great tradition of innovation in the arts, philosophy and science. “Superficially fully integrated into the UK, but concealed beneath this is a still-strong Scottish identity.“ Some people speak Gaelic.(3)Wales is d
20、ifferent, and one of the key markers of that diffenece is the Welsh language - the old British Celtic tongue which is still in daily use. Modern wales lacks some of the outward signs of difference which Scotland possesses. (its legal system and education system are exactly the same as in England)Uni
21、t 21. Why is Northern Ireland so significant in the UK: Though Northern Ireland is small it is significant because of the political troubles there.Its political problem: The problem is in Northern Ireland in 1921 in southern Ireland independence from Britain, Ireland North and South following the se
22、paration of issues left over by history, mixed it with historical, political, ethnic and religious conflicts, extremely complex. Irelands independence, to remain under British rule within the framework of the 6 in the northern island of Ireland residents of the pro-British Protestant majority (about
23、 51%), the Catholic nationalist minority (about 38%), as a result of the two major forces in Northern Ireland On the contrary position of ownership and lead to confrontation, conflict. 因为发现实在太难 sum up 了，所以就搜了一下，以下是 wikipedia 版本Northern Ireland was for many years the site of a violent and bitter ethn
24、o-political conflict the Troubles which was caused by divisions between nationalists, who are predominantly Roman Catholic, and unionists, who are predominantly Protestant. Unionists want Northern Ireland to remain as a part of the United Kingdom,6 while nationalists wish for it to be politically re
25、united with the rest of Ireland, independent of British rule. 网络其它版本Until 1921 the full name of the UK was “The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland“, not only “Northern Ireland“, because the whole island of Ireland was politically integrated with Great Britain, and had been since 1801, while
26、 Britains domination of the Irish dated back centuries even before that date. But Irish desires for an independent Irish state were never lost, and one of the key issues in late nineteenth century British politics was a campaign in parliament for what was called “home-rule“Irish political control of
27、 Irish affairs. The Home Rule Bill was finally passed in 1914, but the process was overtaken by the First World War and was suspended for the duration of the war.2.Factors in Irish and English history that affect the situation in Northern Ireland today: Along with the political campaign for home-rul
28、e there were groups who followed a more direct method of pursuing Irish independence, engaging in guerilla or terrorist activities against British institutions and the British military forces. During the First World War and immediately after, this activity increased, sometimes brutally suppressed by
29、 British forces.3.Sum up solutions to NIs political problems of different parties and groups in the UK: Margaret Thatchers government did not give in to this demand for political status and 11 prisoners starved to death. This event revitalised the political campaign of Sinn Fein, the legal political
30、 party which supports the IRAs right to fight. Its leaders spoke of a twin campaign for union with Ireland, both political and military, which they called the policy of “The Bullet and the Ballot Box“.4.What do you think should be the right solution to the political problem in Northern Ireland: I th
31、ink they can ask the UN for help. / Keep the present status. Turn to other countries for help. 自由发挥啦Unit 31.Characteristics of the British constitutional monarchy: The monarch of the country has limited rights because of Bill of Right. For example, while the official head of state is the queen, her
32、powers are largely traditional and symbolic. The government at national and local levels is elected by the people and governs according to British constitutional principles.How the English monarchy evolved to present constitutional monarchy: Originally the power of the monarch was largely derived fr
33、om the ancient doctrine of the “divine right of kings“. For a thousand years Britain has had a hereditary king or queen as the head of the state. While the King in theory had God on his side, in practice even in medieval times it was thought that he should not exercise absolute power. King John was
34、unwilling to receive advice from prominent men, which led battles between the king and other powerful groups. Finally the king granted them a charter, named Magna Carta, of liverty and political rights. The civil war 2. The civil war was rooted in a dispute over the power of the king vis-a-vis Parli
35、ament. James I and his successor Charles I both insisted on their divine right as kings. They felt Parliament had no real political right to exist, but only existed because the king allowed it to do so. It was the effort to reassert the rights of parliament that led to the civil war. English Revolut
36、ion: “English Revolution“ has been used to describe two different events in English history. The first was the Glorious Revolution of 1688, whereby James II was replaced by William III and Mary II as monarch and a constitutional monarchy established, was described by Whig historians as the English R
37、evolution.1In the twentieth-century, however, Marxist historians used the term “English Revolution“ to describe the period of the English Civil Wars and Commonwealth period (1640-1660), in which Parliament challenged King Charles Is authority, engaged in civil conflict against his forces, and execut
38、ed him in 1649. This was followed by a ten-year period of bourgeois republican government, the “Commonwealth“, before monarchy was restored in the shape of Charles son, Charles II, in 1660.3.History of English parliament: Traditionally, when medieval kings wanted to raise money he would try to persu
39、ade the Great Council, a gathering of leading, wealthy barons which the kings summoned several times a year. Later kings found this group was so small that they could not make ends meet. So they widened the Great Council to include representatives of counties, cities and towns and get them to contri
40、bute. It was in this way that the Great Council came to include the House of Lords(who were summoned) and the House of Commons(representatives of communities).What role did the parliament play in the Civil War: Since James I and Charles I both thought that Parliament didnt need to exist, the Parliam
41、ent was enraged. Leading politicians and church authorities asked William of Orange to replace them two. In 1689 Parliament passed the bill of Rights which ensured that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament.4.Characteristics of British constitution: Unlike many nations, Britain has no co
42、re constitutional documents. Contents: Statute laws(laws passed by Parliament); the common laws(laws which have been established through common practice in the courts); and conventions(rules and practices which do not exist legally but are nevertheless regarded as vital to the workings of government
43、).5.Why parliament is supreme: because it alone has the power to change the terms of the Constitution. There are no legal restraints upon Parliament. Parliaments function: First, it passes laws. Second, it provides the means of carrying on the work of government by voting for taxation. Third, it scr
44、utinises government policy, administration and expenditure. Fourth, it debates the major issues of the day.Queen/Kings role: To symbolise the tradition and unity of the British state. To represent Britain at home and broad. To set standards of good citizenship and family life. She is legally head of the executive, an integral part of the legislature, head of the judiciary, commander in chief of the armed forces and “supreme governor“ of the Church of England.
