1、The Rise and Fall of the British Empire (1688-1990),I. Whigs and Tories II. Agricultural changes in the late 18th century III. The Industrial Revolution (1780-1830) IV. The Chartist Movement (1836-1848) V. Trade Unions and the Labor Party VI. Colonial Expansion VII. Twentieth Century,The Rise and Fa
2、ll of the British Empire (1688-1990),I. Whigs and Tories （辉格党和托利党） 1. Parliamentary politics in the late 18th and early 19th centuries What were the Parliamentary politics like in the late 18th and early 19th centuries? (1) The Constitutional Monarchy The Glorious Revolution in 1688 resulted in the
3、constitutional monarchy, in which parliament played an important role in the British politics. (2) Parliamentary politics In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, two political parties, the Whigs and the Tories, controlled Parliament. 2. The Whigs and the Tories They refer to the two parties origi
4、nated with the Glorious Revolution.,I. Whigs and Tories,(2) the evolution of the Whigs and Tories A. The Whigs a. Whigs was a derogatory name for cattle drivers b. The Whigs formed a coalition with dissident Tories in the mid-19th century c. Become the Liberal Party that disintegrated and disappeare
5、d after WWI. B. The Tories a. Tories an Irish word meaning thugs. b. The Tories were the forerunners of the Conservative Party c. The Conservative Party still bears the nickname today.,I. Whigs and Tories,(3) Different ideas A. The Whigs a. Opposed absolute monarchy b. Sympathy towards Nonconformist
6、s c. Demanded greater freedom (religious) and less government control B. The Tories a. Support hereditary monarchy and were reluctant to remove kings b. Wanted to preserve the Church of England c. In favor of maintaining social order,II. Agricultural changes in the late 18th century,1. Importance of
7、 farming in England in the 18th century (1) What kind of society was England in the 18th century? Agricultural society. (2) What was the most important occupation in an agricultural society? Farming was an important occupation in England then. (3) What was considered the backbone of the nation in th
8、e 18th century? Farm village and agriculture were the backbone of the nation. (4) What did changes in farming methods imply? Changes in farming methods would affect lives of millions.,2. Agricultural Revolution in the late 18th and early 19th centuries (1) What were the features of the traditional f
9、arming in England A. Traditional farming involved the open field village a. Villages were surrounded by hedge-less fields which centered all the arable land. b. These fields were divided into strips shared out among the villagers. c. Much was done on a community basis. B. Large pieces of field left
10、fallow each year a. the soil would recovered its richness after 2 years cultivation. b. This meant only 2/3 of the land was cultivated. C. Simple community life of the countryside Besides the fields there were commons and wastelands used by all villagers to graze livestock. This system was an ideal
11、basis for the simple community life of the countryside and subsistence farming before the modern industrial age.,(2) What were the Drawbacks of such a system? A. it was wasteful for labor and time B. fallow fields caused shortage of food C. the open field system was a barrier to experiments (3) Agri
12、cultural revolution A. Causes of the revolution a. In the mid-18th century the population in England increased rapid, and most of this increase was in the towns, depending on the countryside for food. b. Greater productivity meant handsome profits, so the small farms on the “open-field” system were
13、replaced by larger and more efficient farms with hedge-divided fields. B. The revolution a. The “open-field” system was replaced by enclosed fields b. A system of crop rotation was introduced c. Artificial fertilizer and new agricultural machinery were invented and used,Norfolk Four-course Rotation,
14、3. The result of land enclosures in England The enclosures had good as well as bad results: (1) Farms became bigger and bigger as the great bought up the small, and farming became more efficient. (2) The living standard was improved. More vegetables, milk, and dairy produce were consumed, and diet b
15、ecame more varied. (3) Enclosure was a disaster for tenants who made a living on the land. (4) Urbanization was increased as more and more people migrated to towns and became wage laborers.,III. The Industrial Revolution (1780-1830),1. What was the industrial revolution? It refers to the mechanizati
16、on of industry and the consequent changes in social and economic organization in England in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Or it means the invention and appliance of various machines in production and the changes that transformed Britain from a rural and agricultural country into an urban a
17、nd manufacturing one.,2. Why was Britain the first to initiate industrial revolution? (1) Political conditions A. Parliament became dominant in political life after the 1688 Palace coup B. It represented the interests of the bourgeoisie for development and expansion. (2) External conditions A. The B
18、ritish-Spanish War enabled Britain to be a sea power B. English capitalists could expand foreign markets and plant overseas colonies. (3) Primitive Capital The capitalists accomplished their “primitive accumulation of capital” through plunder and exploitation (4) Cheap labor The enclosures drove pea
19、sants off their land and they had to seek employment (5) Mentality changes Making money and profit was no longer a sin; interests became moral(1) (6) Theoretical basis: Free competition and free trade (7) Scientific basis: Scientist like Newton,3. How did the English Industrial Revolution proceed? (
20、1) The Industrial Revolution began with the textile industry. (2) It was characterized by a series of inventions and improvements of machines, such as John Rays flying shuttle (飞梭) James Hargreaves spinning Jenny（詹妮纺纱机） Richard Arkwrights waterframe（水力纺纱机） and Samuel Cromptons mule（走锭纺纱机） James Watt
21、s steam engine (3) The most important element in speeding industrialization was the breakthrough in smelting iron with coke（焦炭）instead of charcoal（木炭）in 1709. (4) Improved transportation (road and canal construction) ran parallel with production. (5) As a result of the Industrial Revolution Britain
22、was by 1830 the “workshop of the world”. No other country was yet ready to compete with her in industrial production.,IV. The Chartist Movement (1836-1848),The Chartist Movement is also called The Peoples Charter. 1. Background of the Chartist Movement Appalling living and working conditions(The wor
23、king men worked and lived in appalling condition, e.g. workers in factories were treated badly, working 15 hours a day in poor light and deafening noise. They began to destroy the hated machines.) The working class, the Proletariat came into being. Organized as trade unions, as an independent class
24、Fight for higher wages and better living conditions Defend their interests, reform of Parliament(Representative in Parliament),2. Parliament Reform (1) Reasons for the reform A. Power was monopolized by the aristocrats. a. In the 18th and 19th centuries the Lords had far more influence than it has t
25、oday and the Commons were also really “gentry” on edge of aristocracy. b. The Commons were elected only by a very small proportion of the population. c. The vote was a privilege for a small number of male citizens. No females were allowed to vote.,B. Representation of town and country, and North and
26、 South was unfair. Today the country is split into equal sized units for voting, but in the 19th century it was not. C. There were also various so-called rotten or pocket boroughs.（衰败选区和口袋选区） Rotten boroughs: had been busy market towns, and were deserted, but they could still elect Members of Parlia
27、ment. Pocket boroughs: elections were not won by political views but by influence or money,(2) Result of the reform A. Between 1832 and 1884 three Reform Bills were passed. B. The Reform Act of 1832 (also called the “Great Charter of 1832”) abolished “rotten boroughs”, and redistributed parliamentar
28、y seats more fairly among the growing towns. C. It also gave the vote to many householders and tenants, based on the value of their property.,3. The Chartist Movement (1) the Chartist Movement A. Nature: It was an industrial working class political movement. B. Duration: It happened in England from
29、1836 to 1848. C. Participants: In 1836, a group of skilled workers and small shopkeepers formed the London Working Mens Association.,(2) the Peoples Charter They drew up a charter of political demands (known as the Peoples Charter) in 1838, which had 6 points: Vote for all adult males; Voting by sec
30、ret ballot; Equal electoral districts; Abolition of property qualifications for members of Parliament; Payment of members of Parliament, and Annual Parliament, with a General Election every June.,(3) the result of the Chartist Movement A. Support for these 6 demands was loudly voiced all over the co
31、untry. B. Other workingmen formed Chartist groups throughout the country to press Parliament to accept the 6 points. C. But Parliament rejected them three times. D. In the end, the Chartist Movement failed. (4) Two groups of the Chartists A. The Moral Force Chartists: wanted to realize their aims by
32、 peaceful means (political persuasion) B. The Physical Force Chartists: wanted to achieve their purpose by violence.,(5) Comment on the Chartists A. Chartism failed because of its weak and divided leadership B. Its lack of coordination with the trade-unionism. C. The working class was still immature
33、, without the leadership of a political party armed with correct revolutionary theory. D. However, it was the first nationwide working class movement and drew attention to serious problems. E. As Lenin put it the Chartism was “the first broad, really mass, politically formed, proletarian revolutiona
34、ry movement.”,V. Trade Unions and the Labor Party,1. Background (1) The new working class was established in the industrial town in the late 18th century (2) various working class organizations were formed which brought about the formation of a political party, the Labor Party 2. Origin The Labor Pa
35、rty had its origins in the Independent Labor Party (ILP), which was formed in 1893.,3. Labor Representation Committee (LRC) The foundation of an effective party for labor depended on the trade unions. In 1900, representatives of trade unions, the ILP, and a number of small societies set up the Labor
36、 Representation Committee (LRC) 4. The LRC changed its name to the Labor Party in time for the general election which was called for 1906. 5. The Labor Party remains one of the 2 major parties in Britain until today.,VI. Colonial Expansion,1. English colonial expansion began with the colonization of
37、 New-foundland in 1583. 2. the British colonialists stepped up their expansion in the late 18th century and the early 19th century. 3. the colonial expansion included the following aspects: (1) The growth of dominions.（自治领的发展） In the late 18th century Britain acquired vast, underpopulated territorie
38、s: Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. (2) the conquest of India. (3) The scramble for Africa. (4) Aggression against China. 4. By 1900 Britain had built up a big empire, “on which the sun never set”. It consisted of a vast number of protectorates, Crown Colonies, spheres of influence, and self-gove
39、rning dominions; and it included 25% of the worlds population and area.,VII. Twentieth Century,1. Britain and the First World War (1) Competition of the imperialist powers At the beginning of the 20th century, France, Germany and America were becoming powerful competitors for world markets. Germany
40、was emerging as the biggest threat to Britain. (2) The First World War A. Duration: 1914-1918 B. Two Parties: The war was primarily fought between 2 European power blocs: a. the “Central Powers” （同盟国）: Germany and Austria-Hungary b. the “Allies” （协约国）: Britain, France and Russia. C. British involvem
41、ent Britain was afraid that Germany would overrun Europe and gain control of parts of the British Empire. D. The result the Central Powers sued for peace, and an armistice came into effect on November 11, 1918. The Treaty of Versailles imposed on Germany formalized the Allied victory. E. Influence T
42、he number of British colonies reached its zenith,2. Britain between the two World Wars The First World War had great effects on British society. (1) Great unemployment: by 1921 there were over 2 million unemployed. (2) Political unrest: Political unrest led to 4 general elections in just over 5 year
43、s. In 1926 a general strike paralyzed the country. (3) The Great Depression: the effects of the New York Stock Market crash of 1929 soon spread throughout Europe and by 1931 Britain was entering the Great Depression. Nationalist movement sprang up and the former colonies declared their independence
44、one after another.,3. Britain and the Second World War (1) Background The harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles after WWI had left Germany embittered（怨愤已极） and unstable. With the coming to power of Adolf Hitler and Nazism in Germany, the Versailles arrangements began to crumble. (2) WWII The Germa
45、n troops invaded Poland on September 1, 1939. The British, who found that the policy of appeasement（绥靖政策）of German aggression was no longer tenable, was forced to declare war on Germany on September 3. It was not until 1945 that Britain won final victory. (3) Social influence in Britain A. Britain s
46、uffered far fewer military casualties in WWII than in WWI. Some 250,000 were killed, with a further 110,000 dead from Empire and Commonwealth forces. B. Britain, having devoted her entire strength to the war, was left gravely impoverished. She lost 1/4 of her national wealth and entered upon a perio
47、d of economic and financial difficulties.,4. Postwar Britain (1) Return from Conservative government to Labor government A. At the general election of 1945 Winston Churchill was heavily defeated. B. People did not want Britain to return to the politics of the 1920s and 1930s and hoped that the Labor
48、 Party would be able to sort out the problems of the war-torn country. (2) Founding of welfare state The foundation of the welfare state was laid during these years, providing free medical care for everyone and financial help for the old, the sick and the unemployed. (3) End of the empire One of the
49、 most far-reaching consequences of the war was that it hastened the end of Britains empire. Britain found the “Commonwealth of Nations” or “the British Commonwealth” to replace the “Empire” India gained independence in 1947, Burma in 1948; Newfoundland joined the Dominion of Canada in 1949; several
50、British colonies in Africa won their independence. Soon few of Britains old colonial possessions were left.,(4) Leading industrial power By the mid-1950s things were definitely looking up. A. Unemployment was low B. Wages were far higher than they had been before C. More and more people were buying cars and going on holidays D. By the 1960s Britain was one of the worlds leading industrial as well as nuclear powers.,
