How Has the Government and Politics of England Been Shaped by Its History?

The British history starts with ancient times in Britain with the Celtic people who ruled over the land. Their rule was short lived as the Romans and their empire took over in 150 C.E. The Romans had the largest empire in world history and their superior weaponry, military strategy and superior number of soldiers overwhelmed the Celtic forces. In the 9th and 10th centuries the Vikings arrived and by that time the Roman Empire was already falling apart. In 1066 William the Conquerer took over and Normandy united England in the Battle of Hastings.�

The real history and more modern period of time in British history began in 1215 with the Council of 1215 that led to the Magna Carta. In 1236 the term Parliament was first used in Britain. It is here where the first seeds of a consitution and parliamentary government was formed. The term Parliament was used to describe the assembly and meeting of the aristocrats and land owners who were needed to come together to raise taxes for the king. In 1295 the Great Council led to the formation of a formal Parliament that would meet regularly.�

In 1536 the Act of Union and the Act of Union of 1542 united Whales and England together. In 1603- 1625 James IV of Scotland became James I of England. This led to the union of Scotland under England. In 1604 the English Civil War ocurred. These series of developments were important in British history because the British kingdom gained more land under the unification of these countries. This led Britain to become a dominant player on the world scale in power.�

In 1688 James II was forced to abdicate his throne and the Glorious Revolution began. In this revolution a Parliament was re-established. This development was extremely important as England was one of the first countries to have a Parliament rule instead of a king. In most countries at this time like in France, the country was ruled by a king like Louis XIV who held absolute power. In 1707 the Act of Union formally united Scotland and England.�

In the 1800s the Industrial Revolution hit England and it brought a great boom to the economy. Change was made in technology, the economy and social status as well. In 1832 the Reform Act extended franchise voting from 5% of the population to 7% of the people. Five years later suffrage was extended to 28% of the people. In 1918 property restrictions for voting was lifted so that everyone could vote. Finally in 1949 the "one man- one vote" principle was established which created universal suffrage. These voting acts allowed for more and more people to be involved in democracy and government in England which satisfied the demands of the people.�

In 1921 the Irish Civil War ocurred. The early 1900s was marked by the World War I and World War II. More up to date history of England�involved the rule of Margaret Thatcher as Prime Minister. She moved the British politcs to the right wing�from 1979 to 1990. Currently,�Tony Blair is in charge in England and politics are at the center of the spectrum. �