Politiek en Regering (VK)

Politics and Government (UK)

• Parliament consists of two houses: the House of Commons (elected MPs) and the House of Lords (appointed and hereditary members).
• The House of Commons makes laws and is directly elected. The House of Lords reviews laws and comprises appointed or hereditary members.
• Hereditary peers inherit their titles, while life peers are appointed by the sovereign for life and cannot pass on their titles.
• The current sovereign is King Charles III, and the Prince of Wales is Prince William.
• An MP represents a district in the House of Commons and is elected in general elections.
• The Prime Minister's address is 10 Downing Street, London.
• The Shadow Cabinet is formed by the opposition party to challenge government policy.
• Backbenchers are MPs who are not ministers or part of the Shadow Cabinet and sit on the back benches in Parliament.
• The Dutch equivalent for Whitehall is "Het Binnenhof."
• The Labour Party is a left-wing party focused on social equality and workers' rights, with Keir Starmer as its current leader.
• The Conservative Party (Tories) is a right-wing party supporting free markets and traditional values. Rishi Sunak is the current leader and Prime Minister.
• The Liberal Democrats are a centrist party promoting civil liberties and environmental policies; Ed Davey is their leader.
• Devolution grants Scotland and Wales their own parliaments to handle local issues like education and health.
• The Home Office manages internal affairs like immigration and policing. The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, leads this department.

Early Occupants and History (UK)

• Early occupants of Britain were Celts, followed by Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, and Normans.
• The Roman occupation lasted from 43 to approximately 410 AD.
• The Angles, Saxons, and Jutes conquered Britain from around 400 to 700.
• Vikings conquered Britain from around 700 to 900.
• 1066 is a key date because William the Conqueror defeated Harold II at the Battle of Hastings, marking the beginning of Norman rule.
• Magna Carta (1215) limited the king's power and established that everyone, including the monarch, must abide by the law.
• Henry VIII (16th century) broke from the Catholic Church, creating the Church of England, and had six wives.
• Elizabeth I ruled from 1558 to 1603, and Shakespeare wrote plays like Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet.
• The Commonwealth was a period (1653–1658) where Oliver Cromwell was "Lord Protector."
• Britain lost its American colonies around 1776 during the American Revolutionary War.
• Queen Victoria lived from 1819 to 1901 and reigned from 1837 to 1901.
• In 1921, Ireland was divided into Northern Ireland (UK) and the Irish Free State (now the Republic of Ireland).
• Margaret Thatcher was the first female British Prime Minister (1979-1990) known for privatizing industries.

Conflicts and Issues (UK and Ireland)

• The Troubles in Northern Ireland stemmed from conflict between Catholics (nationalists) desiring a united Ireland and Protestants (unionists) wanting to remain part of the UK.
• IRA members were Catholics.
• The Commonwealth of Nations is a group of countries, primarily former British colonies, with shared goals.

Australia and New Zealand

• The original inhabitants of Australia were Aboriginal people.
• Australia's 19th-century function was as a British penal colony.
• Main Australian exports include minerals (gold), wool, and wheat.
• Māori were the original inhabitants of New Zealand, and its main exports are meat, dairy, and wool.

Territories and Regions

• Gibraltar is a British territory near Spain.
• Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 but maintains some autonomy.
• The South of England is generally wealthier and more urban, while the North is more industrial and rural.
• Key regions in England include: The Midlands, The Home Counties, Kent, Devon, and Cornwall.

Religion

• The state religion in England is the Church of England (Protestant).
• Scotland's state religion is Presbyterian, and in Ireland, it is Catholic.

Holidays

• Bank holidays are public holidays where banks and many businesses are closed.

U.S. Politics and Government

• U.S. Congress consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.
• The American President is elected by the Electoral College and serves a four-year term, with the possibility of re-election.
• The two leading U.S. political parties are the Democratic and Republican parties.

U.S. History

• The U.S. became independent from Britain around 1776.

Additional Questions

• Congress has two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives.
• The American President is elected by the Electoral College.
• The two leading U.S. political parties are the Democratic and Republican parties.
• The U.S. became independent from Britain around 1776.

Education

• State schools are free and funded by the government.
• Independent schools charge fees.
• "Kerndoelen" and "leerlijnen" are the Dutch parallels to the National Curriculum's learning objectives.
• The British equivalents for peuterspeelzaal, basisschool, and voortgezet onderwijs are nursery school, primary school, and secondary school, respectively.
• The American equivalents for "onderbouw" and "bovenbouw" (voortgezet onderwijs) are middle school/junior high and high school, respectively.
• GCSEs are exams taken by British students at age 16, and A-levels are advanced exams for university entry.
• In Britain, Public Schools are elite private schools, while in Scotland and the U.S., Public Schools are government-funded.

Other

• Key regions in England (map): Devon, Cornwall, Lake District, York, Midlands, Cambridge, Oxford, Home Counties, Canterbury, Kent.
• A U.S. "melting pot" refers to the diverse mix of people from many different cultures and countries who live there.
• "Silicon Valley" is a U.S. tech hub in California.