英国国家概况 Unit2

1）How has the English monarchy evolved gradually to the present constitutional monarchy?

British monarchy evolution was started from the bourgeois revolution in 1640, experienced the civil war, republic, Cromwell military dictatorship phase and the “glorious revolution”four times. British constitutional monarchy is accumulated gradually in the revolution that is out of the perfect, the incompleteness of revolution and compromising make kingship and their representative preserve the systems Enclosure, but the modern constitutional monarchy regime has formed the system of the responsibility cabinet and political party, the parliamentary strength has declined, cabinet became the core power of the nation, the party plays a much bigger role in politics.

2）How did the doctrine of the “divine right of kings”, according to the author, lead to the English Civil War? What do you know about the causes of the English Revolution in the 17th century?

King James I believed the divine right of kings, so did his descent---Charles I. Charles I called his t Parliament only when he needed to collect money. The Civil War was caused by a dispute over the power of the king against Parliament in the 17th C. The Republican “Roundheads, led by Oliver Cromwell, wanted to abolish the monarchy and to reassert the rights of Parliament. In 1642, the royalists were defeated and King Charles I was executed in 1649. The English Civil War

not only overthrew feudal in England but also shook the foundation of the feudal rule in Europe. It is generally regarded as the beginning of modern world history. The Civil War was in essence a capitalist revolution because capitalism paved its way of development

after the war.

3)history: In feudal England,England had came through a lot: Norman Rule including William and Henry, the Great Charter, signed in 1215,which meant the beginning of Parliament.Then in August 1642, the Civil War between the Parliament and the King began.It not only overthrew feudal system in England but also shook the foundation of the feudal rule in Europe. Then the Glorious Revolution of 1688 meant every English monarchy ruled by permission of Parliament since then.

Role: real sovereignty, country gentry, merchants,artisans

4). the major charactersitics and the main content of the British constitution

characteristics:

1.The UK has no written constitution in any document,

2.The constitution is only partly written and contained in multiple documents,

3. the constitution is flexible.

the major Content: ( the British constitution consists of multiple documents including the written part and the entire body of laws encacted