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THE TWENTIETH CENTURY

 

Around the beginning of the twentieth century, Britain ceased to be the world’s richest country. The British Empire reached its greatest extent in 1919. By this time, however, it was already becoming less of an empire and more of a confederation. At international conferences Australia, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa were all represented separately from Britain.

A couple of years later, Britain lost most of its oldest colony, Ireland. In 1920, the British government partitioned the country between the (Catholic) south and the (Protestant) six counties, giving each part some control of its internal affairs. But this was no longer enough for the south. War followed. The eventual result was that in 1922, the south became independent from Britain. The six counties, however, remained within the United Kingdom. They became the British province of Northern Ireland.

The real dismantling of the empire took place in the 25 years following the Second World War. In the same period, it gradually became clear that Britain was no longer a ‘superpower’ in the world.

At the end of the century in 1997, Britain handed Hong Kong back to China, thus losing its last imperial possession of any significance.

It was from the start of the twentieth century that the urban working class finally began to make its voice heard. In Parliament, the Labour party gradually replaced the Liberals (the ‘descendants’ of the Whigs) as the main opposition to the Conservatives (the ‘descendants’ of the Tories). In addition, trade unions managed to organize themselves. In 1926, they were powerful enough to hold a General Strike, and from 1930s until the 1980s the Trade Union Congress was probably the single most powerful political force outside the institutions of government and Parliament. Since then, the working class has faded as a political force.

In the 1960s Britain decided to ask for membership of the newly-formed European Communities. There was opposition to the idea from those who argued that Britain was an ‘island nation’ and thus essentially different in outlook from nations in mainland Europe. Finally, ten years after its first application, Britain joined the European Economic Community in 1973.

 

QUESTIONS:

 

1. What helped English monarchs to increase their power?

2. What House of Parliament was more important for the monarchs? Why?

3. What was the role of Henry VIII in English history?

4. What was the role of Elizabeth I in English history?

5. What was the political situation in the seventeenth century be like?

6. What led to the Civil War?

7. What were the results of the Civil War?

8. What happened after Oliver Cromwell’s death?

9. What two parties were formed in Parliament?

10. What cultural and economic change was most marked in the XVII century?

11. How great was the British Empire in the nineteenth century?

12. What was the attitude of the British to the peoples in their colonies?

13. What social changes took place in the XIX century?



14. What was the role of Queen Victoria?

15. What values are now called Victorian?

16. What happened to the British Empire in the XX century?

17. What role did the urban working class play in the middle of the XX century? How important political force was the Trade Union Congress?

 

 

UNIT SIX

 


Date: 2015-01-12; view: 1754


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