1、Lecture 3,National Economy,Group Work,Work in groups of four or five. Each one gives the presentation she/he is resposible for: -industry -agriculture -transport & communication -Thatcherism Listen to others and ask a question when you dont understand. Discussion is a must. A summary of the British
2、economy is to be handed in next time. Group members take turns in writing a summary. The summary writer should put her/his name on the page/s she/he hands in, for the summary will be graded.,Questions,1. Why is U.K. a trading nation? 2. What are the major industries in U.K.? And their respective cha
3、racteristics? 3. What role did the textile industry play? 4. Whats the characteristic of agriculture in U.K.? 5. Whats the transportation & communication like in U.K.? 6. What is “British Disease”? 7. Make comments on Thatcherism.,Contents,1. General Survey 2. Company Law and Framework of Industry 3
4、. Industries 4. Agriculture 5. Transportation and Communication 6. British Disease and Thatchers Medicine 7. Cities,1. General Survey,first to start the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century; many of its mineral resources have been exhausted now coal, iron ore, tin ore, lead ore, oil, gas, among
5、 which coal and oil are the most important comprehensive industial system based on a large number of skilled workers, scientific management, advanced technology London as a financial centre of the world (economy) Long coastline with many fine harbours (foreign trade) Favourable climate (agriculture
6、and husbandry),The UK is a trading nation: -limited domestic market -inadequate home supply of raw materials -import & export Britains major trade partners are industrial countries. Sino-British trade has been expanding for years: -Chinas exports to UK: handicrafts, textiles, farm & sideline produce
7、 -UKs exports to China: power generating equipment for oilfields, auto fittings, container ships, air ground equipment, foodstuffs, tobacco manufacturing equipment,The UK is a market economy. Its economic system is known as capitalism which protects private ownership and free enterprise. It provides
8、 the investment climate for capitalist production through competition. forms of industrial orgazinations: -company -corporation -incorporation -limited liability (Ltd.) company -unincorporated private business,2. Company Law and Framework of Industry,State-owned enterprises : -public trasportation ,
9、 water supply, production of coal, steel, electricty, oil -less than of UKs GDP Private businesses: -agricultural, manufacturing, distributive, financial, service induatries -over of UKs GDP Monopoly -the English law defines a monopoly as “a situation where at least a quarter of a particular kind of
10、 goods or service is supplied by or to a sigle person, or more people acting in the same manner” -passed laws to fight against monopolies and to prevent monopolies from distorting the role of market forces,-coal-mining -oil production -nuclear power -iron & steel industry -motor vehicle industry -ne
11、w industries,3. Industries,coal-mining -Coal Act of 1938 made coal resources property of the state in 1942 -Coal Industry Nationalization Bill nationalized the coal-mining industry -National Coal Board has the exclusive rights to extract coal and to license private operators -most important collieri
12、es in Central Scotland, Central England, South Wales, around big cities such as Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester, Birmingham, Swansea -sick industry, falling output and consumption since WWI,oil production -no land-based oilfields -almost wholly dependent for its oil
13、supplies on imports in the past -gradually became self-sufficient after the first oil was brought ashore from the North Sea in 1975 -net exporter of oil -oil reserves belong to the state, oil production under government control,private oil companies have a large stake in Middle East oil production,n
14、ulear power -first nuclear power station built in 1956 -more than 15 nuclear power stations by now iron & steel industry -largest manufacturing industry -major steel-producing nation, exporting a large proportion of its steel to US and EU nations -main steel-producing areas: Yorkshire, Wales, Scotla
15、nd, West Midlands -not self-sufficient in iron ore, importing more than half of its domestic consumption -the British Steel Corporation & privatization,motor vehicle industry -1/3 cars for export -leading world producer/exporter of agricultural tractors -most auto companies owned by foreign investor
16、s -famous brands: Austin Morris, Range Rover, Dodge, Rolls Royce new industries -microprocessors, computers, biotechnology, other high-tech industries -europes largest collection of foreign-owned chip factories in Scotland (Silicon Glen between Glasgow & Edinburgh),Textile Industries,UK once had the
17、 worlds largest textile industry and possessed more than half of the total spindles of the whole world. They were for many years the mainstay of Britains prosperity and contributed to the accumulation of capital for capitalist development. Now UKs textile industries have passed their heyday. -wool (
18、“Woolsack”) -cotton (South Lancashire, including Manchester) -artificial fibres,4. Agriculture,UK is an industrialized country, but its agriculture remains important. Nearly 80% of UKs land area can be used for agricultural purpose. Farmers acounts for less than 2% of the total population. Most farm
19、ing units belong to farmers, and the agriculture is highly mechanized. -main agricultural products: wheat, barley, potatoes, sugar-beets, oats -husbandry: green grassland all year round in the Highland Zone; dairy, beef cattle, sheep, mutton, poultry; domestic supply of livestock products ensured -p
20、roduction of milk,UK has built a modern transportation system. -300 seaports -densest and most heavily used railroads (built the first railway in the world in1825, 13 terminals in London) -highways Heathrow Airport in London handles half of all the international flights to and from UK),5. Transporta
21、tion and Communication,Postal services are controlled by the Government through the Post Office which, founded in 1635, was the first to issue postage stamps. The 999 emergency dialing service is free of charge and connects the caller with the police, ambulance, and fire brigade. Service industry, o
22、r tertiary industry has been rising steadily in importance. -employs about 60% of the nations total work force -accounts for about 60% of GDP -includes management, design, research & development, computing, marketing & distribution -steady development of public health & education,6. British Disease
23、& Thatchers Medicine,After WWII, UKs products were confronted with fierce competition in overseas markets and UK had to restructure its production industries.UKs rate of economic growth was low in comparison with that of most other industrialized countries. UKs declining productivity, soaring inflat
24、ion, and high unemployment rate gave birth to the mocking term “British Disease”. Factors: excessive socialism & from-cradle-to-grave welfare programme, heavy taxes, the Establishment & the workers,Thatcherism After Margaret Thatcher was elected UKs prime minister in 1979, she adopted a new program
25、to cure the “British disease”. Her new programme, known as Thatcherism, advocated tight fiscal and monetary policies 紧缩的财政货币政策, curbs on trade unions, reduction of taxes, and privatization of SOEs. To make better use of market forces, Thatcher-ism tried to stimulate competition by reducing governmen
26、t interference and encouraging free business. She also promised to push forward with “popular capitalism” to turn company emplyees into share-holders and encourage people to start household businesses.,Success: -inflation reduced -3% increase in economic growth -workers pay increased by 20%, profita
27、bility of industrial companies at its highest level -2/3 people owned houses (1/2 in the past) -many people are shareholders The Achilles heel 阿喀琉斯的脚后跟: -widened gap between the poor and the rich -high unemployment rate -increased crime rate -complaints about poor quality of social services,7. Citie
28、s,UK is an urban nation. With less than 2% of its labour force going in for agriculture, the nation has many cities and towns, both big and small. Introduction of major cities,Summary Writing: The British Economy Preview Sections 1 & 2, Chapter 2 Presentations in a group: -Each member in the same 4-person group chooses 1 topic from the following and prepare an oral presentation: 1. Henry II & His Reform 2. The Great Charter 3. The Hundred Years War 4. The Black Death & the Peasant Uprising Get information from textbook and the Internet.,Homework,
