Chapter 4:Chapter 4:Great Great

BritainBritain

Kesho-meter

Absolute Monarchy

Limited Monarchy

Parliamentary Democracy

Key Terms / Events

Lord Beveridge: The Abolition of Poverty

Oliver Cromwell

Robert Walpole

GRADUALISM

Collectivist Consensus

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• Why is the UK included in a course on Comparative Government?

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• 1. Incubator of Liberal Democracy

• 2. Gradualism and the Collectivist Consensus

• 3. One of world’s great powers and member of the UN Security Council

• 4. Political System is similar to others so a good starting point

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• Of course, times change. Today only 1 and 4 are correct still. So the best answer to the question is that historical connection which means we can learn how democracies develop by studying Britain.

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• 4 Key Themes – things that set Great Britain apart from other democracies

• 1. Gradualism – What?

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• 1. Gradualism – the belief that change should occur slowly or incrementally.

• This has allowed British Democracy to develop successfully without as much conflict as other countries.

BRITISH EVOLUTION

• The British were able to deal with each phase of democratic development separately and without devastating problems – the people reached a general consensus and avoided chaotic divisions in society – thanks mainly to Gradualism and their political culture

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• Key Themes:

• 2. The relative economic decline of the UK and its political implications

• EXPLAIN!

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• Key Themes:

• 2. GB is not a poor country but its economic growth has lagged behind its democratic competitors

• Germany and France have higher standards of living

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• Key Themes

• 3. The end of collectivist consensus

• What?

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• Key Questions

• 3. The collectivist consensus

Cross-party support for the

welfare state that lasted until the

late 1970’s

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• Key Questions

• 4. How Conservative Gov’ts (Thatcher) in 1980’s and 1990’s redefined political life and brought about a renewal of a free market economy

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• Key Questions

• 4. Impact of “New Labour” and Tony Blair – WHAT?

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• Key Questions

• 4. Impact of “New Labour” and Tony Blair – Radical Reorganization and restructuring / adaptation of the Labour Party in order to survive

BRITISH EVOLUTION

• One divisive issue in British society is CLASS but it did not lead to long, intense conflicts

BRITISH EVOLUTION

• Does the UK have a single, written Constitution?

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• 1. NO but there is a “Constitution of the Crown” which refers to important documents created over time including common law precedents, legal codes, and customs

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• 1. “Constitution of the Crown”

• MAGNA CARTA

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• 1. “Constitution of the Crown”

• MAGNA CARTA – When and what significance?

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• 1. “Constitution of the Crown”

• MAGNA CARTA 1215 – King John agreed to consult nobles before important decisions on taxing and spending $$$

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• 1. “Constitution of the Crown”

• MAGNA CARTA 1215

• Great Counsel (precursor to House of Lords) created from Nobles and churchmen

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• 1. “Constitution of the Crown”

• MAGNA CARTA 1215

• LIMITED GOVERNMENT – King is no longer an absolute Monarch

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• 1. “Constitution of the Crown”

• Significance is that the broad outline of a state was in place with gov’t powers shared between King and Parliament

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• Next – 1532-36 – King Henry VIII brakes with Rome and forms Church of England

• -Start of a gradual shift to depoliticize the church and remove religion as a deeply divisive issue by early 1700’s

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• Next – Civil War of 1640’s – Cromwell overthrows monarch and beheads Charles I

• But by 1660 Charles II is back on throne but with more limited powers- forced to accept role of Parliament

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• Next – The Glorious Revolution of 1688

• Clear that King would remain Anglican and would be accountable to parliament

• Created Constitutional Monarchy

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• Next – The British Bill of Rights of 1689

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• 2. “Constitution of the Crown”

• BILL OF RIGHTS – 1689 – Not your Father’s Bill of Rights – Why was this important?

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• 2. “Constitution of the Crown”• BILL OF RIGHTS – 1689 – List of

rights contained by Parliament not individual citizens

• Impact is important policy making power goes to Parliament including the power of the purse! $$$$$$$$$$$

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• 1701 Act of Settlement – created procedures for succession to Throne and asserted that King and Queen had to govern according to Parliament’s laws

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• 1707 – Queen Anne was the last Monarch to fail to give her royal assent to a Bill of Parliament

• Next, George I stopped going to cabinet meetings.

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• 2. EVOLUTION

• B. Ascendancy of Parliament – Who was Robert Walpole?

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• 2. EVOLUTION

• B. Ascendancy of Parliament – Who was Robert Walpole? 1st PM to King George III – firmly established the power of the King’s PM

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• RESULT - Shaping of the Monarchy – the British Limited Monarchy dates back to the 13th century

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• What 2 economic influences combined to make England a major power?

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• Imperialism / Colonial mercantilism

• The Industrial Revolution

• What was the big deal?

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• End of the Feudal System

• Trade worldwide leads to unprecedented wealth held by a new class of merchants and business people

• These groups want power over policy

• Peasants life changes – rural to urban

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• Next – 1832 – Great Reform Act – start of the evolution of taking power from small elite and giving it to workers / people

• It extended male suffrage by about 300,000

•

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• Next – 1832 – Great Reform Act – Significance? Showed that British elite was willing to adapt to changing circumstances rather than cling to power and risk revolution

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• Next – 1867 – 2nd Reform Act• Doubled the size of the electorate to 3

million • 1st modern political parties formed by

leaders in Parliament who need support of new voters

• Leads to Party Leaders controlling electoral process today

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• Next – Representation of the People Acts of 1884 and 1885 –

• Expanded suffrage to the point where working- class males were now the majority of the electorate

• SO??

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• Next – early 20th century – all men could vote

• 1918-1928 – women can vote

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• 1911 – Final step in evolution of modern British Parliamentary Democracy as the House of Lords stripped of final real power

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• 1926 – Trades Union Congress organizes peaceful strikes over working conditions

• 1929 – Great Depression hits UK

• Then WWII

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• 1945 to Mid – 1970’s – The Collectivist Consensus

• WHAT???

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• 1945 to Mid – 1970’s – The Collectivist Consensus

• Cross-Party British support for the welfare state with an emphasis on class, consensus, and cooperation

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• Cross Party support for full employment, provision of social services to give at least a subsistence level living, cooperation with labor unions, and active gov’t intervention to secure economic growth

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• How did CC start? With Churchill during WWII in terms of planning out the war.

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• What is the 1942 BEVERIDGE REPORT?

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• 1942 BEVERIDGE REPORT – Commission set up by Churchill to overhaul the social services system – It called for a social insurance program for every citizen to get healthcare, unemployment, pension and other benefits to guarantee a subsistence level of income

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• 1948 – NHS Created – The National health Service

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• The CC would control UK for 30 years but it would NOT last. The end of the rapid economic growth in the late 1970’s and deeper political divisions would arise

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• 1979 – The Iron Lady comes to power!!!

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• D. Modern Britain

• Thatcher v. Blair

• Labour v. Tories / Conservatives

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• D. Modern Britain

• The Labour Party and Tony Blair