Fact File UK History (PDF)

FACT FILE UK 1. General facts - UK = The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, unitary sovereign state made up of 4 countries 2. UK’s history - until 410 large parts of Britain under Roman occupation (Celtic resistance) - from 5th century onwards Angles, Saxons an...

FACT FILE UK 1. General facts - UK = The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, unitary sovereign state made up of 4 countries 2. UK’s history - until 410 large parts of Britain under Roman occupation (Celtic resistance) - from 5th century onwards Angles, Saxons and Jutes invade British Isles and establish several kingdoms - 8th – 11th century continued Viking attacks and settlements - 1534 English Reformation: Henry VIII separates the English church from Rome, monarch is now head of church - 1558-1603 Elizabethan Age: Elizabeth I‘s reign, England becomes Europes leading sea power, foundation of the English Empire, time of flourishing sciences and arts - 1642-1651 English Civil War between the Crown and Parliament troops - 1688/89 the Glorious Revolution: strengthens Parliament‘s position and makes Britain constitutional monarchy - 18th century Britain becomes world‘s leading colonial power despite the loss of the 13 American colonies 1783 - 1760-1840 Industrial Revolution: change from society that was agricultural and based on cottage industry to factory-based - 1837-1901 Victorian Age: Queen Victoria‘s reign, height of British Empire - 1914-1918 WW1 - 1918 suffrage (right to vote) for all men - 1928 equal suffrage - 1939-1945 WW2 - 1945 Britain is one of the founding members of the United Nations - 1997 handing over of Hong Kong to China is seen as the official end of the British Empire - 1953 coronation Queen Elizabeth II - 1973 Britain joins the EC (later to become EU) - 2016 Brexit referendum: 51,9% of the British vote to leave EU - 2020 Britain leaves EU officially - 2022 Queen Elizabeth II dies after reign of 70 years - 2023 Coronation of King Charles 2.1 From Empire to Commonwealth o first overseas possessions and trading posts under Queen Elizabeth I o Britain's rise to main colonial power after controlling large parts of India (1757) and North America (1763) o end of the "First Empire": losing the American War of Independence (1775-1783) o after loss of American colonies, new focus on Australia, India and Africa o 19th century and early 20th century: height of Britain's wealth and power: "the empire on which the sun never sets" (covers about one fifth of the world's land surface and rules over a quarter of the world's population) o from the end of the 19th century and especially in the course of the 20th century, through a combination of violent protests and Britain's voluntary granting of power, more and more countries gradually become independent o Imperial Conference (1926) and Statute of Westminster (1931): “British Commonwealth of Nations" as a community of equal and free member states who owe allegiance to the British monarch o London Declaration of 1949 officially founds the modern Commonwealth of Nations o today: 56 member states; Charles III is Head of the Commonwealth, but head of state in only 15 of the member states; several states plan to become republics in the near future; three more recent countries to join the Commonwealth, Rwanda, Mozambique and Gabon, have no historical ties to the British Empire at all 2.2 Diverging views on the British Empire 1 Positive impact Negative impact - "progress" and "greater good" - "progress" view based on racist and condescending (e. g. schools, hospitals, technological advancements attitudes (cultural imperialism: imposing of British culture in colonised countries) destroyed other cultures) - democratic structures, representative assemblies, - apparent democratisation only achieved through force rule of law, ideal of personal liberty introduced in and violence (e. g. support of slavery, ethnic cleansing of different countries indigenous peoples, suppression of rebellions) - for Britain, a time of great and unsurpassed - exploitation of the colonies prosperity  “progress” view mainly from a  racism and brutality behind the Empire Eurocentric perspective Consequences today: o English as a lingua franca o trigger for post-war immigration to Britain o British international influence (seat on the UN Security Council); the Commonwealth o national pride because of Britain's imperial past (problems with the EU/ Brexit and problems with Scotland as a result of this attitude) o controversy over the evaluation of the British Empire; the Black Lives Matter movement calls for a critical examination of Britain's imperial past 3. UK’s politics o constitutional monarchy: a state form in which the monarch "reigns, but does not rule"; the monarch is bound to parliamentary sovereignty as well as to the rule of law o parliamentary democracy is not the same as a presidential democracy; leader of the government/executive derives their power from Parliament/ the legislative o uncodified constitution: The UK does not have a single document in which the constitution is laid down. Instead, the UK's constitutional rights are made up of historical documents and conventions, statute law (all acts passed by Parliament) and common law (court decisions). 3.1 Politics and different parties - "first-past-the-post voting": simple majority voting system, no proportional representation - in a constituency, only the candidate receiving the largest number of votes is the winner, all votes for other parties are lost, - criticism: lack of representation, for example candidate A: 35 % of all votes candidate B: 34 % of all votes candidate C: 31 % of all votes, —> candidate A wins the seat, although more people voted against him/ her than for him/ her - UK is officially a multi-party system, but first-past-the-post voting favours big parties - two main British parties are the Conservatives (Tories) and Labour - Since 1922, either the Conservatives or Labour have provided the British PM - smaller British parties include: Liberal Democrats, Green Par-ty, Scottish National Party, DUP (Democratic Unionist Party, Northern Irish anti-Catholic party, against Irish union), UKIP (United Kingdom Independence Party, strong supporters of Brexit, right-wing, nationalist) - There has only been one coalition in recent history: Conservatives -Liberal Democrats (2010-2016). Conservative Party Labour Party history: founded in 1834, emerged from the former history: founded in 1900, traditionally linked to the Tory Party; before emergence of Labour, the working class Conservatives' main opponents were the political position: centre-left "Whigs" (Liberal Party) some political standpoints: political position: centre-right o governmental economic intervention some political standpoints: o taxation to support the redistribution of wealth o free market economics o pro-devolution (but also pro-union) o critical of devolution o tends to be socially liberal o socially conservative important politicians: Clement Attlee, Tony Blair, o for a strong military capability Jeremy Corbyn, Keir Starmer important politicians: Winston Churchill (with an 2 interlude for the Liberal Party), Margaret Thatcher, David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson 3.2 Monarchy The British monarch is Head of State with representational functions. They have no power to make laws. Their roles include: o royal assent to all laws o appointment and dismissal of prime minister and other ministers o opening and dissolving of Parliament o weekly audience with the prime minister o Head of the Church of England o Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces o Fount of Justice (justice is carried out in the name of the monarch) Public opinion of the monarchy in the UK o Republicanism has always been a minority opinion in Britain, but it is usually stronger when members of the Royal Family interfere in political debate or are involved in scandals (e. g. Prince Andrew's involvement in a sex scandal, Charles as Prince of Wales a very outspoken supporter of environmental protection). o Republicanism is generally stronger among the younger generations (survey 2021: 61 % in favour of the monarchy, but among 18- to 24-year-olds only 31 % in favour, 41 % against). o "Megxit" = Duke and Duchess of Sussex (Prince Harry and Meghan) step down from their roles as senior royals in January 2020 amid allegations of racism in the Royal Family -* loss of what used to be the most popular members of the Royal Family among the younger generation; harm to the public image Arguments for monarchy Arguments against monarchy - monarch's position above party politics creates a - monarchy is inconsistent with democratic principles: a sense of continuity, unity and stability. head of state should be elected, not a function that is - tries to be seen as adaptable to modern society inherited and its values: e. g. Charles was allowed to marry a - deference shown to the Royal Family perpetuates divorced woman, male children are no longer inequality, hierarchy and general unfairness (Britain as a favoured in the line of succession "class-ridden" society) - Members of the Royal Family head many different - work the royals do is out of proportion to the tax-payers charities, lending them their image and popularity. money they consume and the advantages they get from - important function for the tourism industry: the their privileged positions international popularity of the British royals attracts - extensive media coverage of trivial royal activities diverts tourists from all over the world national attention from more substantial topics. - connecting link to the former colonies (monarch as - Royal Family is not representative of a modern (and Head of Commonwealth and official head of state in multicultural) Britain (e. g. close alliance to the Church of some Commonwealth countries) England, outdated gender roles, etc.) - monarchy as a financial and political asset - monarchy as an outdated institution that for the UK perpetuates the “wrong” values 3.3 Brexit o 1973: Britain joins the EC (European Communities, later to become the EU) o EU membership has always been controversial in Britain ("island mentality", fear of losing the country's independence) o criticism comes to a head with financial and Euro crises (2008/2009 and 2010-2012) and with UKIP's anti EU propaganda o David Cameron, a supporter of the EU himself, promises the British electorate a referendum on EU membership as part of the Conservative election campaign for the 2015 election o Brexit referendum is held on 23 June 2016 and results in 52 % voting for "Leave" and 48 % for "Remain" o Possible reasons for the outcome of the referendum are the following:  two big parties are divided on the issue of Brexit (Labour pro-European, but also critical of the EU; Cameron himself pro-Euro-pean, but enables the referendum to stop critics in his own party) 3   "Remain" campaign is led with arguments too far removed from people's everyday worries whereas the "Leave" campaign is based on populist and nationalist agendas focusing on the glorification of Britain's imperial past (*taking back control") and an anti-immigration stance (in line with people's worries during the migration crisis of 2015)  A referendum appeals to people's emotional decisions, which are more cleverly manipulated by the "Leave" campaign  referendum reveals a huge split in society (along class and employment lines, along geographical lines, according to age, etc.). o Cameron resigns and Theresa May takes over as prime minister in 2016 o negotiations for a Brexit deal take years and lead to several political crises and parliamentary blockades (May resigns in 2019 and is succeeded by Boris Johnson as PM) o Brexit finally takes effect on 31 January 2020 o during one-year transition Periode, EU an UK engage in fierce battles and final sign the EU-UK Trade an Cooperation Agreement on 30 Dec 2020 Arguments for Brexit Challenges connected with Brexit o EU limits the UK's sovereignty, restricts o Britain might lose its international influence, which free trade is dependent on its being a part of the "global o EU is associated with an unwieldy player" EU bureaucracy o Economic difficulties are expected to result from o EU membership stokes fears of Brexit (e. g. supply and labour shortages; the UK uncontrolled immigration and poses a and particularly London, as a financial capital, security risk as well as a challenge for profited from the EU) the British workforce o inner unity of the UK is threatened more than ever o Britain is seen as a "giver country" which (renewed cries for Scottish independence, Irish has to finance other "weaker" economies peace endangered by new borders) in the EU o Brexit must be seen as a success for populism and nationalism and a defeat for open- mindedness and tolerance (cf. future insecurities as to foreign students, expats, etc.). o It could also pose a safety risk due to less cooperation. "Vote leave, take control“ ("Leave“ campaign "Britain Stronger in Europe" ("Remain" campaign slogan) slogan) 3.4 Scotland and the issue of devolution - devolution: different from federalism because in federal system state‘s powers are constitutionally fixed, in devolution a central government decides to grant more powers to its substrates - Holyrood: area in capital Edinburgh, where Parliament is located —> also used as synonym for the Parliament - 1707 Treaty of Union: new UK with one single parliament - 1746 Battle of Cullodem: serious defeat of Scottish Highlanders claiming right to throne, typical example of English oppression in Scottish national consciousness - 1934 Scottish National Party established, campaigns for independence - 1979 1st referendum on devolution, slight majority but not enough voters of electorate to be valid - 1997 2nd referendum on devolution, strong majority in favor —> Scotland Act: more power given to Scottish Parliament, areas in which Scotland can make its own laws - 2014 Independence Referendum rejected by a small margin because UK promised more power to Scottish Parliament - 2016 2nd Scotland Act - 2016 new calls for Scottish Independence after Brexit referendum, in which majority of Scottish (62%) voted for remain 4. UK’s society 4.1 Britishness - is a highly controversial term and cannot be clearly defined 4 - fairness, politeness, distinctive sense of humor, the Royals, Shakespeare, cultural and religious diversity could be mentioned - term “Britishness“ has often been exploited to serve nationalists in their vision of a uniform country - Britain is diverse because of migration as well as the four nations (Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland) and their traditions and roots 4.2 Immigration -1948 British Nationality Act - gives people from former colonies the status of British citizens—> mass immigration, also as work force from West Indies, Asia (Parkistan, India, Bangladesh) - 1971 Immigration Act - limiting immigration (especially from former colonies) - after 2004 - migration from Eastern Europe due to the enlargement of the EU - 2005 suicide bombings in public transport - widespread Islamophobia, renewed debate about integration - after 2015 “Migration crisis“ - refugees seek shelter in the UK - 2020 Brexit - motivated to a large extend by anti-immigration/nationalist mood roused by populist politicians - Societies and governments have three different approaches to integrating immigrants: - separation: immigrants should be kept separate because they have little in common with majority population - assimilation: immigrants should lose distinctiveness and adopt customs of host country (belief, style of dress) - pluralism: ethnic groups should accept the society, participate and contribute to host country, while maintaining their identity, same rights and access to service 4.3 Multiculturalism today - 14% of the population belong to other ethnic groups, most divers region is London - despite efforts aimed at achieving equality and anti-discrimination and the success of people from ethnic minorities (business, arts, sports, politics), they still face widespread disadvantages in areas such as housing, education, health care, employment - Black Lives Matter movement highlights police violence, racial profiling and investigation into racist history of the Empire is often demanded - generational conflicts between 1st, 2nd and 3rd-generation immigrants presents urgent problems such as conflicts between local and foreign customs, immigrants who feel dismissed by UK society, lack of orientation, radicalization —> „“homegrown terrorist“ 4.4 The north-south divide The north The south Economy mainly public sector also private investments Income lower higher Unemployment higher lower House prices lower higher Education on average lower marks, less more Top Marks, best schools opportunities for students to and universities concentrated in study at elite universities the south Life expectancy lower higher 5