geeky英语国家概况(英国部分)

2

Loch Nes s

：尼斯湖，位于苏格兰高原北部的大峡谷中，面积并不大，却很深。平均深度达

200

米，最深处有

300

< br>米。该湖

终年不冻，湖北端有河流与北海相通，是英国内陆最大的淡水湖。

3

Gulf s tream

：墨西哥暖流，简称湾流，是大西洋上重要的洋流。世界大洋中最强大的暖流 ，起源于墨西哥湾，是英国温和气

候的关键。如果没有来墨西哥暖流，大不列颠群岛的气 温将下降

4

至

6

摄氏度。

2

the Jutes settled in the south and southeast of the island, the Angles in the east, the middle and the north, and the

Saxons in the south and midland. Therefore, during this period the Britain was divided into the Seven Kingdoms of

Northumbria, Mercia, Anglia, Wessex, Essexm, Sussex and Kent.

The

Anglo-Saxon

Kingdoms

in

650

In the late 8

th

century, the Vikings from the Scandinavian countries of northern Europe, which is now Denmark

and Norway, came across the North Sea and attacked the English coast. They conquered part of the country and

drew the Saxons out. In order to resist the Vikings, the Saxon king of Wessex, Alfred the Great, unified the seven

kingdoms and fought them in a great battle, but he failed to drive them out thoroughly because the Vikings were too

strong. A compromise was made that allow the eastern part of England to be subject to Danish law called Danelaw

in 878. However, the fight for territory was far from over. In the next over 130 years, the conflicts between the

Saxons and the Vikings continued and the power shifted between them constantly. It was not until 1066 that this

situation changed.

In 1066, William the Conquer, from Normandy in the northern France, crossed the English Channel with his

formidable

army

and

defeated

King

Harold,

the

last

king

of

the

Anglo-Saxons,

in

the

Battle

of

Hastings.

He,

thereby, conquered Britain and crowned himself the King of England, which is the beginning of Norman Conquest.

It is considered one of the most important historical events in Britain and marked the establishment of feudalism in

England.

During this period, federal system in England was completely established, which is based on the ownership of

land. According to the system, all the lands were owned the king personally. William distributed the lands to the

No

rman lords and the church in order to secure his authority. The lord’s land was then divided and given to the

knights in turn of military services. The knights had serfs to work on their farms. The king had the power to call on

the lords and knights to fight in times of trouble. On the contrary, all the lords had the right and duty to attend the

king’s council

1

and offer their advices.

2. The Decline of Feudalism and the Rise of the English Bourgeoisie

In

this

period

of

time,

many

historical

events

like

wars

and

signing

of

important

documents

gradually

influenced the development of British society. The British history experienced a period of the decline of feudalism

and the rise of the Bourgeois class.

After the death of William the Conquer, the conflicts between the king and the lords began to occur. In order to

consolidate the royal power and limit the power of the

nobles, Henry

II, the grandson of William, carried out a

series

of

reforms

in

administrative

and

judicial

system.

The

major

achievements

of

Hen

ry

II’s

reform

were

his

1

King’s council:

英国国王枢密院，又称元老院或国王法庭，主要由权贵、教士和重要官员所组成。分别就 立法、行政和司法

事务向君主提供意见。

3

introduction

of

jury

system

and

institutionalization

of

common

law,

which

greatly

consolidated

the

British

feudalism and enabled the country to enjoy a period of security and prosperity.

However, in the reign of King John, Britain was defeated by France and lost its territory in northern France in

1204. In order to avenge himself on France, John demanded more feudal taxes and army service, which led to great

dissatisfaction

among

the

nobles.

Therefore,

the

nobles

forced

John

to

sign

a

long

document

in

1215,

which

is

known as the Great Charter (or Magna Carta). The Great Charter covered a wide field of law and feudal rights but

the most important clauses were: No extra taxes should be imposed on nobles without the permission of the Great

Council; no free man should be arrested or penalized or banished in any way unless convicted by a jury; merchants

would be allowed to move about freely; in addition, the nobles should be entitled to declare war against the King if

the King seriously violates the provisions of the Great Charter.

The

Great

Charter

was of

progressive

significance

and considered

as

an

important

turning

point of English

history. It granted to the townspeople freedom of trade and self-government. The merchants and craftsmen appeared

for the first time as a political force in the British history.

It also lays a foundation for the British constitutional

monarchy and provides basic principles for the protection of civil rights in the Western World.

After King John died, Henry I

II succeeded the throne in 1216. However, the king’s failed campaigns in France

(1230 and 1242), his choice of friends and advisers, together with the cost of his scheme to conquest Sicily, Italy,

and his obedience to the Pope, led to further disputes with the barons. Then, at the meeting of Parliament at Oxford

in 1258 the barons stated their dissatisfaction with Henry III, and tried to force him to accept a set of conditions

called

the Provisions

of Oxford.

These

radical

proposals

called

for

regular

meetings

of Parliament

three

times

a

year to limit the power of the king. It also requested that 12 non-noble representatives chosen from the counties

should be involved in the meetings as well.

Henry III refused to agree to the provisions and a war broke out between him and the leader of the barons,

Simon

de

Montfort,

who

won

the

war

initially

in

1264.

In

January

1265,

de

Montfort

called

the Great

Council,

which was attended by the knights and representatives as well as nobles and clergymen from each county and from

the

cities

and

towns.

This

is

the

earliest

forerunner

of

the

modern

parliament,

because

it

is

for

the

first

time

common people without noble titles to take part in discussion. In the 14

th

century, parliament developed into regular

meetings comprising three bodies: Lords, Commons and Monarch.

Then a series of wars from 1337 to 1453, called the Hundred Years War, broke out. They were fought between

England and France over territory, trade, and the throne. In the beginning of the war, the English army

achieved

numerous

victories

and

gained

many

territories

in

France.

By

1360

Britain

controlled

over

a

quarter

of

France.

However,

with

the

use

of

guns

and

gunpowder

in

France,

and

the

resistance

of

the

French

peasants

under

the

leadership of Joan of Arc

1

, Britain lost its superiority and was defeated by France. By the time the war ended, they

had lost almost all the territories gained during the war.

The

Hundred

Years

War

had

a

great

impact

on

the

English

society.

On

the

one

hand,

the

war

witnessed

a

considerable

rise

in

the

importance

and

frequency

of

parliaments,

and

in

the

influence

of

the

Commons.

The

position of bourgeois class increased dramatically both in the society and in politics. On the other hand, the military

reserve and loss of continental territory greatly weakened British feudal reign. Additionally, in the early stage of the

war,

the

nobles

secured

great

profits,

but

the

long-lasting

war

made

the

common

people

in

Britain

suffered

an

increased

taxation,

military

service,

and

higher

inflation,

which

led

significant

social

conflicts

between

the

two

classes. All these factors led to the decline of feudalism in Britain.

The Wars of Roses followed up with the Hundred Years War two years later in 1455. It was a series of dynastic

civil wars between the two royal families, the House of York and the House of Lancaster, for the English throne.

1

Joan of Arc:

圣女贞德，法国民族英雄，在百年英法战争中带领法国农民，在对抗英国的战斗中取得转折性的 胜利。后被法

国贵族出卖，死于

1431

年。

4

The wars were named because of the badge of the two houses: The white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster.

The

war

lasted

for

30

years.

The

final

victory

went

to

the

House

of

Lancaster

led

by

Henry

Tudor,

who

later

succeeded the throne of England as Henry VII, and therefore, began the rule of House of Tudor. The war started

from two families, however, at the end of the war, almost all the nobles were involved. They suffered great losses of

life

and

property,

which

led

to

the

decline

of

feudal

nobles

and

paved

the

way

for

the

development

of

the

bourgeoisie (

资产阶级

).

3. Transition to the Modern Age

Began

with

the

English

Reformation,

this

period

of

British

history

witnessed

the

end

of

feudalism

and

the

establishment of constitutional Monarchy system. Then the fast-growing economy and national capability as well

as the rise of Bourgeois class contributed the Industrial Revolution. Consequently, these great changes in the British

society accelerated its transition to the Modern Age.

The English Reformation was a series of events in 16th century by which the Church of England broke away

from the authority of the Roman Pope and the Catholic Church.

There were many factors contributed to the process: The growing resentment among the people towards the

power

of

Pope

and

the

church

because

of

the

burden

of

taxation

placed

by

the

Catholic

Church,

the

decline

of

feudalism and the rise of nationalism. However, the direct cau

se of the religious reformation is King Henry VIII’s

divorce with his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, the princess of Spain. Divorces at that time could only be granted

by the Pope, but considering the power of Spain, the Pope refused Henry VIII’s divorce

. Therefore, Henry VIII

started a large scale of reformation by declaring the Church of England’s break from Rome. In 1534, he issued the

Act of Supremacy, which recognized that the king was ―the only supreme head of the Church of England‖.

Henry VIII

Elizabeth I

Henry VIII

Elizabeth I

After the accession of Edward VI in 1547, the reform moved in a more Protestant direction. However, when

Edward

died

in

1553,

Mary

I,

a

devout

catholic,

succeeded

the

throne

and

brought

a

Catholic

reaction.

Many

Protestants were burnt to death as heretics, including children and women. It was not until Elizabeth I

’

s reign did

the bloody religious prosecution come to the end, and the Church of England was in charge of the British monarch

again. Although she made a compromise between the Catholics and the Protestants, she still defended the fruit of

religious reformation and consolidated the Church of England.

In

the

17

th

century,

the

English

Civil

War

(1642

–

1651)

broke

out.

It

was

a

series

of

armed

conflicts

and

p

olitical

machinations

between

Parliamentarians,

also

known

as

the

―Roundheads‖,

and

Royalists,

known

as

―Cavaliers‖,

in

the

Kingdom

of

England

over

the

manner

of

its

government.

It

was

the

result

of

the

rising

bourgeoisie,

because

the

British

Feudalism

hindered

their

further

development.

In

the

reign

of

Charles

I,

the

relationship

between

the

king

and

the

parliament

became

worse.

In

order

to

support

the

war

against

Spain

and

France,

Charles

I

tried

to

raise

a

large

amount

of

money,

but

encountered

great

refusal

from

the

parliament.

5

Dissatisfied with the parliament, he dismissed the parliament in 1629. Therefore, supporting by the peasants, the

parliament, which represented the bourgeoisie and new aristocrats, waged a fight with the king.

However, being

afraid to lose their lands and privilege in the country, the landowners and old aristocrats supported King Charles in

the fight.

In

1649,

King

Charles

was

executed

and

the

monarchy

was

abolished.

Oliver

Cromwell,

the

leader

of

Parliamentarians,

began

to

rule

the

country

as

the

Lord

Protector

of

the

Commonwealth.

However,

Cromwell’s

conservation in social reform and high taxes policies soon led to the resentment of the Parliament. In 1660, Charles

II, the son of Charles I, was crowned the king. Consequently, the short period of Commonwealth in British history

ended then.

In the wake of

Charles II’s death, James II ascended the reign, but since he was a strict Catholic, soon after his

succession, he started a series of reforms to reestablish Catholicism in the country. Then in 1688 there followed the

―bloodless revolution‖ known in British history as the ―Glorious Revolution‖. The Parliament declared William and

his wife Mary, James II’s daughter, as the joint sovereig

ns. In the following year, William and Mary signed the Bill

of

Rights

passed

by

the

Parliament,

which

guaranteed

the

authority

of

Parliament

and

limited

the

power

of

the

monarch. Therefore, the Glorious Revolution was complete and the ruling monarch was removed. Since then the

constitutional monarchy was established and became the system of government in the country.

Since then Britain had experienced a period of continuous development in every aspects of the society. By the

middle

19

th

century,

the

Industrial

Revolution

was

accomplished

in

Britain.

It

is

the

first

country

to

start

and

complete this great revolution in industry.

There

are

several

reasons

that

contributed

to

the

Industrial

Revolution

in

Britain.

First,

Britain

had

a

huge

market. After the Glorious Revolution, the Britain formed a single largest domestic market in Europe. Meanwhile,

with its expansion in the world, it occupied a large number of colonies in the world and became the most powerful

colonial country. The colonies provided it with enormous wealth, raw materials and a large market for its industrial

development. Second, the enclosure movement

1

deprived the small landowners of their property and forced them

to move to the cities and towns to make a living. The landless laborer, therefore, became a large number of free

labors

in

the

industrial

market

and

promoted

the

economic

development

in

Britain.

Third,

with

the

rapid

development of economy and industry, higher productivity became necessary in order to meet the higher demand

for manufactured goods in the market. The entrepreneurs began to seek new ways to promote productivity.

Steam locomotive

Spinning Jenny

A

series

of

important

inventions

in

the

textile

industry,

such

as

the

Spinning

Jenny,

the

water

frame,

the

spinning mule and the power loom, marked the beginning of Industrial Revolution. These inventions promoted the

mechanization of the textile industry and motivated the development of Industrial Revolution in other areas. For

example, the dig of canals, the complete of the first railway and invention of steam engine and steam locomotive in

the

transportation

industry.

By

the

middle

of

the

19th

century,

the

Industrial

Revolution

was

accomplished

in

1

Enclosure movement:

圈地运动。英国新兴的资产阶级和新贵族 通过暴力把农民从土地上赶走，强占农民份地及公有地，剥

夺农民的土地使用权和所有权 ，限制或取消原有的共同耕地权和畜牧权，把强占的土地圈占起来，变成私有的大牧场、大农

场。大批的农民因此而失去赖以生存的土地，倾家荡产，流离失所。

6

Britain.

The Industrial Revolution accelerated the process of modernization and the economic development of Britain,

and

also

had

a

significant

impact

on

the

British

society.

Firstly,

the

industrial

productivity

was

dramatically

increased because of the inventions of machines. Secondly, it promoted the process of urbanization in Britain. With

numerous free labors moved into cities and towns, many new cities such as Manchester, Leeds, Birmingham and

Sheffield

sp

rang

up

and

became

Britain’s

industrial

centers.

Thirdly,

it

also

brought

with

some

changes

in

class

structure. The capitalist class replaced the old aristocrats and became the most important force in the country.

4. The Rise and Fall of British Empire

The British Empire started from the reign of Queen Elizabeth I with colonization of Newfoundland in 1583.

Britain defeated the Spanish fleet in 1588 and Holland in the 17

th

century, which contributed to the establishment of

its superiority in the sea power. It kept expanding in the following hundreds of years. The Empire acquired a lot of

colonies and seized countless wealth through foreign expansion. The colonies were turned into its sources of raw

materials and important markets for its products.

By the time Queen Victoria started to reign the country, it had occupied many overseas colonies, such as the

colonies in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and many small states in the West Indies. Then the Industrial

Revolution in the 19th century accelerated its colonization in the world. On the Eve of World War I in 1914, the

total area of the British colonies had reached 33,500,000 km

2

, that is, over 137 times more than its native land, with

a colonial population 9 times more than that of its natives. It has developed into the largest colonial empire in the

world, which occupied nearly 1/4 of the world land area, and became ―a country on which the sun never sets‖.

However, the two world wars in the earlier 20th century gradually weakened

Britain’s power and

led to the

decline of the British Empire. Britain lost a great number of people, the sea supremacy in the world and was into

huge national debt in order to support the wars. Additionally, after the World War II, a wave of national liberation

and a movement of national independence swept the world. In 1921, 26 counties on the island of Ireland became

independent from the United Kingdom and formed the Republic of Ireland. In 1931, Australia, New Zealand and

Canada

became

independent

countries

in

the British

Commonwealth.

In

the

1960s, the

independence

movement

swept the entire British Empire, including its colonies in Asia, Africa and South America. More than 20

Britain’s

colonies won their independence. Consequently, the British Empire completely fell apart in the late 1960s.

The

Empire

had

been

replaced

by

the

British

Commonwealth

of

Nations

1

,

which

is

an

intergovernmental

organization composed of 53 countries. It is not a political union, but a loosely organized community of former

British colonies. All but two of these countries are formerly part of British Empire. Though the British Monarch is

still considered as the head of Commonwealth, its members have full autonomy to manage their own internal and

external affairs. The primary goal of the Commonwealth is to encourage and promote the cooperation and mutual

assistance among member states.

Watch the video clip of

The British Empire

and finish the tasks that follow.

Task 1: Story

–

retelling

Now,

work

in

groups

(3-4members)

on

the

clip

and

retell

what

you

have

seen.

Then

each

group

sends

one

representative to tell the whole class your interpretation of the

British Empire.

Task 2: Group discussion

Discuss with your partners about the way the British Empire was established

1

British Commonwealth:

英联邦。是一个以英国为主导的国家联合体，由