英语国家概况学期论文

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英语国家概况学期论文The History of Development of British Democracy

班级：英语N113班

姓名：沈晓

学号：201145639303

Abstract

The history of the democracy of the United Kingdom is the history that consists of party politics, monarchy, judicial system, parliamentary system, and cabinet system, the history that parliament gradually replaced King to rule the nation, the history that the principle which cabinet should be responsible to Parliament produced, developed and finally established, the history that party began and grew in its interior, the history that democracy defeated despotism and equality defeated privilege constantly, the history that the United Kingdom society make progress constantly.

The whole process of the history is exactly the process that the United Kingdom establishes the constitutional regime and gradually realizes the democratization.

In a word, the political democracy of the United Kingdom went through its process of gestation, birth, growth and maturity. And with this process, United Kingdom-style political democracy gave the world its unique nature.

Keywords：democracy Knights of Round Table Magna Carta Civil War the Bill of Rights Parliamentary Reform of 1832

Britain is arguably the oldest representative democracy in the world, with roots that can be traced over a thousand years. Other countries also have long political histories but these histories are marked by periods of sudden, and often violent, change. Although Britain too has had its periods of political instability, in contrast to say, France or the United State, the process of state-building has been one of evolution rather than revolution. This long, unbroken history is still apparent in Britain’s current political institutions and in its political culture.

Knights of Round Table

Round table is the meaning of "equality" and "solidarity". There was a legend that King Arthur’s knights had reached 150 up. The knights fought on the battlefield and discussed the domestic affairs in round table. When round table was held, King Arthur was around the big round table with the 30 knights, sitting in a circled. At this point, they were equal, no difference of king and knights. They could speak freely, adopting the principle that minority must obey the majority when dealing with national affairs. Though they would form some factions because of opposing political views, only on the round table there were no differences of status and everyone was allowed to speak freely.

This kind of democratic institutions was too advanced in the medieval, dark and ignorant Europe. Whether it existed or not, wide and long spread of this thought is enough to surprise. No wonder that Europe ended the feudal era and stepped into the era of the rapid development and modern civilization hundreds of years earlier than Asia.