Chapter 4:
Great
Britain
Kesho-meter
Absolute Monarchy
Limited Monarchy
Parliamentary Democracy
Robert Walpole
Key Terms / Events
GRADUALISM
Oliver
Cromwell
Lord
Beveridge:
The Abolition
of Poverty
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.
Thinking About Britain
•
4 Key Themes – things that set
Great Britain apart from other
democracies
• 1. Gradualism – What?
Thinking About Britain
•
•
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
Thinking About Britain
•
Key Themes:
• 2. The relative economic
decline of the UK and its
political implications
• EXPLAIN!
Thinking About Britain
•
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
Thinking About Britain
•
Key Themes
• 3. The end of collectivist
consensus
• What?
Thinking About Britain
•
Key Questions
• 3. The collectivist consensus
Cross-party support for the
welfare state that lasted until the
late 1970’s
Thinking About Britain
•
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
Thinking About Britain
•
Key Questions
• 4. Impact of “New Labour”
and Tony Blair – WHAT?
Thinking About Britain
•
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