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Political Set-Up of the UK

British Parliament - supreme legislature of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The New Palace of Westminster , the neo-Gothic complex of buildings, was built between 1840 and 1850 and is still officially called.

The House of Commonshas 659 members, elected from equal-size districts by British citizens at least 18 years old. The maximum life of a Parliament is five years. Members of the House of Commons are elected from geographical constituencies determined by population, and each MP represents approximately 60,000 people.

The House of Lords.- the upper chamber of the British Parliament with about 1200 members, is made up of the bishops of the Church of England and the hereditary and life peers, all of whom are appointed by the Crown.

The British constitution comprises multiple documents. The written part consists of the Magna Carta, written in 1215; the Petition of Right, passed by Parliament in 1628; and the Bill of Rights of 1689. It also includes the entire body of laws enacted by Parliament, precedents established by decisions made in British courts of law, and various traditions and customs.

Common Law -the main body of English unwritten law that evolved from the 12th century onward. The name comes from the idea that English medieval law, as administered by the courts of the realm, reflected the “common” customs of the kingdom. This system of law prevails in Britain and in those countries, such as Canada and the United States, that were originally colonized by English settlers.

Commonwealth of Nations, worldwide association of nations and their dependencies, whose members share a common commitment to promoting human rights, democracy, and economic development. All members accept the British monarch as the symbolic head of the Commonwealth.

Elizabeth II became queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland upon the death of her father, King George VI, in 1952. The primary role of Elizabeth throughout her reign has been as a symbol of unity and continuity within the Commonwealth of Nations.

The Privy Council is a large, and generally ceremonial, body of more than 450 members that developed out of the royal council that existed in the Middle Ages. By the 18th century the Privy Council had taken over all the powers of the royal council. The Privy Council comprises all current and former Cabinet members, as well as important public figures in Britain and the Commonwealth. The council advises the monarch and arranges for the formal handling of documents.

Prime Minister or Premier in government, the highest ranking minister and in practice often the chief executive, even though a nation's constitution might provide for a king (monarchy) or a president (republic) as head of state.

The Cabinet - has about 20 members, or ministers, all of whom must be members of Parliament (MPs). The Cabinet Members of the Cabinet are leaders of the majority party in the House of Commons or, more rarely, members of the House of Lords.



Whig, member of a former British political party, traditionally in opposition to the Tory party. Later the Whig party became known as the Liberal party and the Tory party as the Conservative party.

Tory, member of a former British political party, traditionally in opposition to the Whig Party.

Conservative Party (Britain), oldest political party in the United Kingdom. The Conservative Party evolved as the successor to the Tory Party in the 1830s.

Labour Party(United Kingdom), political party in the United Kingdom, organized in its present form in 1906.

Liberal Party (UK), political party, formed by the coalition of the Whigs and Radicals about 1830 and advocating reform on constitutional lines. Once a major political force, the party has undergone a decline in the 20th century.

 

Arts in Britain.

 

The Arts Councilsof England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland oversee independent local arts councils and allocate funds to national arts organizations such as the Royal Opera and the Royal Ballet.

Holbein, Hans, the Younger (1497?-1543), German artist, one of the most accomplished masters of Renaissance portraiture, and a designer of woodcuts, stained glass, and jewelry.

Sir Anthony van Dyck, (1599-1641), Flemish painter, who was one of the most important and prolific portraitists of the 17th century and one of the most brilliant colorists in the history of art.Van Dyck was one of the most influential 17th-century painters. He set a new style for Flemish art and founded the English school of painting; the portraitists Sir Joshua Reynolds and Thomas Gainsborough of that school were his artistic heirs. He died in London on December 9, 1641.

William Hogarth, (1697-1764), English painter and engraver, who satirized the follies of his age.

Sir Joshua Reynolds, (1723-1792), English painter in the Grand Manner, who was the foremost portraitist of his day and one of the most important and influential figures in the history of English painting.

Thomas Gainsborough, (1727-1788), English painter, considered one of the great masters of portraiture and landscape painting.

Romanticism (art) - European and American movement extending from about 1800 to 1850.

Joseph William Turner, English artist, influenced the founding of the impressionist movement. By 1835 he had minimized details in his work to reveal form with diffused light and glowing colors.

Constable, John (1776-1837), English painter, who was a master of landscape painting in the romantic style.

Impressionism (art),a movement in painting that originated in France in the late 19th century. Instead of painting an ideal of beauty that earlier artists had defined, the impressionists tried to depict what they saw at a given moment, capturing a fresh, original vision that was hard for some people to accept as beautiful. They often painted out of doors, rather than in a studio, so that they could observe nature more directly and set down its most fleeting aspects—especially the changing light of the sun.

Sir Edwin Henry Landseer (1802-1873),English painter, sculptor, and engraver, born in London.

Frederick Leighton, Baron Leighton of Stretton (1830-1896), English academic painter and sculptor, born in Scarborough, England (see Academic Art and Architecture).

Pre-Raphaelites, a group of 19th-century English painters, poets, and critics who reacted against Victorian materialism and the neoclassical conventions of academic art by producing earnest, quasi-religious works. The group was inspired by medieval and early Renaissance painters up to the time of the Italian painter Raphael.

Arts and Crafts Movement,art movement of the last half of the 19th century that strove to revitalize handicrafts and applied arts during an era of increasing mass production. The movement coalesced in 1861, when the English designer William Morris founded the firm of Morris, Marshall, & Faulkner.

Art Nouveau (from French for “new art”),movement in Western art and design, which reached its peak during the 1890s. Hallmarks of the art nouveau style are flat, decorative patterns; intertwined organic forms such as stems or flowers; an emphasis on handcrafting as opposed to machine manufacturing; the use of new materials; and the rejection of earlier styles.

Glasgow School,group of progressive architects and designers associated with the Glasgow School of Art in Scotland, who made a profound impact on the development of art nouveau

Henry Moore, (1898-1986), British sculptor known for his large, semiabstract sculptures of the human figure.

(Dame Jocelyn) Barbara Hepworth, (1903-1975), English sculptor, known for her abstract works in stone, metal, and wood.

Paul Nash, (1889-1946), English painter, celebrated for his war canvases and landscapes.

Sir Stanley Spencer (1891-1959) - English painter, whose style was greatly influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites. Spencer's paintings often place traditional biblical scenes in contemporary settings. Spencer was also an accomplished landscape and portrait painter.

Graham Vivian Sutherland, (1903-80),English modernist painter, born in London. At first he was primarily a painter of romantic landscapes, but his mature style was molded by World War II, which led him to seek a visual equivalent for the destructiveness and malevolence of human behavior.

Francis Bacon, (1909-1992),Irish-born British artist noted for paintings in which the human body is bizarrely, even terrifyingly, distorted.

Norman Architecture, building style developed by the Normans in the Middle Ages in northern France, England, southern Italy, and Sicily.

Tower of London, historic fortress of the City of London, on the north bank of the Thames River, built on the remains of Roman fortifications. William the Conqueror ordered the original tower (the White Tower or Keep) built and work was begun in 1078. The tower was used as a royal residence as well as for a prison until Elizabethan times It is now largely a showplace and museum. It holds the crown jewels of England and is one of the country's greatest tourist attractions.

Westminster Abbey,the most famous church in Great Britain, enshrining many of the traditions of the British people. Construction was begun by the English king Edward the Confessor in 1050, and English monarchs since William the Conqueror in 1066 have been crowned in the abbey, and many from Edward's time until 1760 (George II) are buried in its chapels. The tombs of famous citizens—among them the poet Geoffrey Chaucer, the physicist Isaac Newton, and the naturalist Charles Darwin—are located in the main church of the abbey.

Buckingham Palace, official town residence of the British monarch since 1837, located near Saint James's Park, London.

Windsor Castle, principal residence of the British sovereigns. It is situated in the municipal borough of Windsor, or New Windsor, England, about 35 km (about 22 mi) west of London.

Renaissance Art and Architecture,painting, sculpture, architecture, and allied arts produced in Europe in the historical period called the Renaissance. Broadly considered, the period covers the 200 years between 1400 and 1600.

Inigo Jones, (1573-1652), England's first major architect and designer, who introduced into his country the classical architecture of the late Italian Renaissance.

Sir Christopher Wren, (1632-1723), English architect, scientist, and mathematician, who is considered his country's foremost architect.

Saint Paul’s Cathedral (London), built by British architect Sir Christopher Wren and a universally known landmark of the city..

Globe Theatre, 17th-century English theater in Southwark, London, notable for the initial and contemporaneous productions of the dramatic works of English writers William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, Beaumont and Fletcher, and others.

Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC), British theater company of international stature, whose repertoire includes works by British dramatist William Shakespeare as well as plays by Shakespeare's contemporaries, classic and international theater, and work by modern playwrights.

Old Vic Theatre, theater in London, known for its productions of the plays of English poet and playwright William Shakespeare.

(Edward) Benjamin Britten, (1913-1976), British composer, whose operas are among the finest English-language operas of the 20th century.

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, (1899-1980), British-born American motion-picture director, noted for his technically innovative and psychologically complex thrillers.

British Museum, the national museum of antiquities and, until 1973, the national library of the United Kingdom, located in London. The British Museum was founded in 1753.

National Gallery (London), one of the principal art galleries in Britain and among the most important in the world, located in Trafalgar Square, and opened in 1838. The National Gallery now has over 2000 works representing the principal schools of European painting from the 13th century to 20th century.

Victoria and Albert Museum, one of the world’s major museums of fine and applied art, covering every major civilization, located in London, England

Tate Gallery,group of museums in England that house national collections of British art and modern art from around the world. The Tate comprises four museums: Tate Britain and Tate Modern in London, England; Tate Liverpool in Liverpool, England; and Tate St Ives in St Ives, Cornwall, England.

British Library, national library of the United Kingdom, established in 1972.

The library's collection, developed over 250 years, aims at representing every age of written civilization, every language, and all topics. The collection comprises more than 18 million volumes of printed books, periodicals, and journals (including 130,000 current periodicals and journals), 33 million patent specifications, about 2 million cartographic items, 8 million philatelic items, 600,000 volumes of newspapers, about 900,000 sound discs, and millions of manuscripts and papers of international importance.

 

 

 


Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1398


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