r09 History of Britain II
| Autor: David Vyhlídal | Škola: G Opatov |
| Strany: 2 A4 | Obrázky: ne |
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| Textový náhled: THE TUDORS: Under Henry VIII. (1509-1547), the protestant Church of England was established (the Pope have no more power over Church of England) and he made himself the head of the Church, because he wanted to be divorced with one of his wife and marry another and Holly Father didn't allow him to do it. Henry VIII. had six wives in his effort to have a son. After his death, his daughter Marry I. (1553-1558) became a queen. She was very cruel and executed protestants. Sometime she is called Bloody Marry. Fortunately she didn't reign very long, because she was too old. ELIZABETH I.: When Mary died in 1558, Henry's daughter Elizabeth I. (protestant) became Queen of Britain. She reigned for 45 years. She was a great queen and brought peace and prosperity. Britain became a major sea power, leading to the founding of colonies in the New World and the expansion of trade with Europe and the Orient. The slave trade began. This was the first step towards the British Empire. Her conflict with Roman Catholic Spain led to the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588. THE STUARTS: Elizabeth I. never married and had no children, so her closest relative James VI., son of her old rival Marry Stuart Queen of Scotland (catholic, she was sent to the court, because she was leading an uprising against Queen Elizabeth), became King James I. (1603 – 1625) of England and Stuart dynasty began. CIVIL WAR: A struggle between parliament and the Stuart kings led to a bloody Civil War (1642 - 1649). The country was divided between the supporters of Charles I., who wanted to rule absolutely, and the supporters of Parliament, who wanted to limit the King's powers. Finally Oliver Cromwell, the Puritan Army leader, established republic and King Charles was publicly executed. During the following period Oliver Cromwell as the Lord Protector (1653-1658) ruled England. THE GLORIOUS REVOLUTION: The monarchy was restored in 1660 (Charles II 1660-1685) but The Glorious Revolution in 1688 confirmed the sovereignty of Parliament. In 1689 the Bill of Rights, signed by William III. definitely put the power into the hands of the Parliament. Britain became a constitution monarchy. The Act of Union in 1707 united Scotland with England as Great Britain. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: From 1760 to 1850 inventions in the textile industry and enormous industrial changes led to extensive industrialization (Stevenson invented a steam engine, textile machines were developed). This was the era of the Industrial Revolution, when production began to be made in factories instead of in the home. The workers were paid very little and lived in terrible conditions, but the factory owners made a lot of money, using the cheap raw materials brought from the colonies. The Industrial Revolution brought great social changes, too. A new social class was created: besides the nobles, the middle class of rich merchants, and the peasants (lower class), a new class of industrial workers was created. NAPOLEONIC WAR: In 18th and 19th century Britain established many new colonies controlled great world empire, which involved of course whole Irish Island, Canada, many colonies in Africa, Australia and India. At the beginning of 19th century was Britain one of powers, which destroyed Napoleon's army; after the victory of admiral Nelson in the battle at Trafalgar English entered the war on continent and defeated Napoleon at Waterloo. THE BRITISH EMPIRE: One of the most important periods in British history was the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901. Britain now had many colonies and Victoria was named Empress of India. When Victoria died Britain was the richest country in the world and had an enormous empire. THE TWO WORLD WARS: Through victorious World War I (1914 – 1919) Britain suffered huge casualties and economic losses. Ireland had fought for independence for hundreds of years and, in 1921, Britain finally consented. Only the northern region of Ulster chose to remain part of the United Kingdom. The people living there are mainly Protestant while the rest of the country, now called the Republic of Ireland, is Catholic. World War II slowed down economic and social improvements but in 1947 the National Health Service was established, giving free care (hospitals, doctors, dentists) to all citizens. THE COMMONWEALTH: Many of Britain's colonies began fighting for independence: Canada, Australia and New Zealand were the first to leave the Empire and this was bad for the economy. In 1931 the Commonwealth was founded. It is an association of 50 countries, which used to be part of the Empire. They co-operate economically and culturally. Many Commonwealth citizens have come to live in Britain making her a multi-racial nation. MARGARET THATCHER: Britain's first woman prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, leader of the Conservative Party, ruled the country for 11 years and her name will certainly be remembered in the history books. Known as the "Iron Lady", she introduced many unpopular reforms like making cuts in state education and hospital services, selling public housing and making state industries (electricity, telephones) private. Thatcherism, as her economic policy was called, reduced inflation and made many British people feel important again. Loved or hated, she was certainly a very capable stateswoman. 09.R History of Britain II | |