Answer the following questions on units 6 and 7, following the pages of British

History for Dummies (pp. 277-323 of your photocopies) given below. Remember
that one or two of these questions will be included in the final exam of the subject.
This activity is for you to do on your own so it will not be assessed or explained in
the face-to-face lectures. We recommend that you prepare the questions in groups
(even if you cannot physically meet with your classmates). You can, for instance,
assign a number of questions to each one in the group and share the answers. In
this way you save work and time.

UNIT 6: THE NINETEENTH CENTURY AND THE BRITISH EMPIRE

1. Summarise the reign of Queen Victoria (pp. 285-286)

2. Read the section Prime Ministers and MPs of the Age (pp. 287- 290) and list the main
accomplishments of the several Prime Ministers of Queen Victoria: Sir Robert Peel,
Lord Palmerston, William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli.
3. Read the section The Irish Famine and consider the following:
a) The origins of the situation
b) the sucess or failure of the British government's measures
4. Read the section The People's Charter (pp. 291-292) and answer the following
questions:
a) What did the Chartists want?
b) Were the Chartists successful in their petitions to Parliament?
c) How was the Labour Party founded?
5. Read the section The Crimean War-not Britain's finest hour (pp. 292-293) and
consider the following:
a) the origins of the Crimean War
b) the consequences of this war for Britain
6. Read section Lady and the Lamp on p. 293. You should be able to have a clear idea
of the importance of the historical figure of Florence Nightingale after reading this
section closely.
7. Read section How Victorian were the Victorians? (pp. 294-296) and write down the
conclusion for each of the subsequent subheadings.
8. Read section Things can only get better (pp. 297-298) and answer the following
questions:
a) When was the Great Exhibition held?
b) Where was it held?
c) What was the Great Exhibition?
d) Who was Isambard Kingdom Brunel and what were his main achievements?
e) Who was Charles Darwin and what were his main achievements?
9. Study figure 19-1 on p. 300 and write down at least four countries which belonged to
the British Empire by the year 1920.
10. Read section New World Order pp. 300-301. You should be able to have a clear idea
of the origins of the British Empire
11. Read pages 302-314 and consider the following:
a) List the main reasons for the rebellion of India against the British Empire
(section This is mutiny, Mr. Hindu!)
b) What was the main use the British gave to their new colony of Australia?
c) What happened to the Maoris of New Zealand?
d) How did the British get Hong Kong and in what year was it returned to
China?
e) Write a brief summary of the origins of the British presence in Africa (The
Cape of Good Hope and the conflicts with the Zulu and the Boers)
f) Why was Egipt important for the British?
g) When did Canada get the independence?
h) When did Australia get the independence?
i) When did New Zealand get the independence?
j) In what year did Britain end slavery?
k) Explain the situation of Ireland during Home Rule. Was Home Rule
successful?
l) Did Britain win the Anglo-Boer War?

UNIT 7: THE TWENTIETH CENTURY IN BRITAIN AND IRELAND.

TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY PERSPECTIVES

1. When was the Armistice of the First World War signed? Why do the British wear
poppies on Armistice Day? (p. 317)
2. Read section Go easy on the ice (p. 318) and make sure you get the main details
about the Titanic and Captain Scott.
3. Read section Not so quiet on the home front (pp. 318-319) and answer the following
questions:
a) In what year was the Home Rule Bill for Ireland passed by the British
Parliament? Did Ireland get the independence? What was the reaction of both Catholics
and Protestants to the Home Rule Bill?
b) Summarise the Suffragette movement
4. Read sections Bullets in Bosnia and General Von Schlieffen's cunning plan and
Britain's ultimatum (pp. 322-323) and answer the following questions:
a) Explain the original cause for the outbreak of the First World War
b) Make sure you understand why Austria, Germany, Serbia and Russia entered
the conflict
c) Summarise General Von Schlieffen's plan
d) Why did Britain declare war on Germany?
5. Read section The Great War (pp. 323-328) and consider the following:
a) The role of 'Your Country Needs You' posters
b) The role of women at home while men were fighting the war
c) The importance of the battle of the Somme for the conclusion of the First
World War
d) When did The United States declare war on Germany and what was their role
in the war?
6. Write a summary of the section Ireland- the Troubles (pp. 330-331) and make sure
you understand the most relevant events in this conflict.
7. Read section Problems back home (pp. 332-333) and answer the following questions:
a) In what year did de national strike take place? What were the reasons for this
strike?
b) Who was the liberal Prime Minister and why did the Conservatives force an
election to get rid of him? Which party won this election?
c) What were the reasons behind the General Strike of May 1926? What were
the consequences for the country?
8. Read section The Years that Roared (pp. 334-335) and answer the following
quuestions:
a) When did women get the right to vote in Britain? How old should a woman be
to be allowed to vote?
b) How did the 1929 Wall Street crash affect British economy?
c) What was the British Union of Fascists (BUF)?
9. Read section The king who never was (p. 336) and make sure your understand the
most relevant aspects of Edward VIII's abdication
10. Read section Gandhi (p. 336) and make sure your understand the most relevant
aspects of Gandhi's movement of resistance against the British Empire
11. Read sections from page 337 to page 344 on World War II and consider the
following:
a) When did Hitler attack Poland?
b) Why did Britain declare war on Germany?
c) Why do the British refer to the 'Miracle of Dunkirk' with this name?
e) Write down a summary of the Battle of Britain and The Blitz
g) How was 'Life at home' during the Second World War?
i) When did D-Day take place? Explain the role of Britain in it
j) Who met at Yalta in Crimea, when and with what purpose?
k) When did the Second World War finish?
l) Reflect on the importance of Winston Churchill as Prime Minister in World
War II (for his famous speechs during World War II have a look at
https://winstonchurchill.org/resources/speeches/)
12. Read section The National Health Service (p. 347) and make sure you understand
its relevance in post-war Britain
13. Read sections Power for the people, You may have won the war, but you can't have
any sweets and Discovery and recovery (pp. 347-349) and consider the following:
a) Write down a brief summary of sections Nationalisation and Welfare State
b) Briefly explain the situation of Britain after World War II (p. 348)
c) In what year were the Olympic Games held in London?
d) What is The Festival of Britain and in what year did it take place?
e) In what year was Elizabeth II crowned? Was it broadcast on TV?
f) What is the name of the first British who climbed the Everest?
g) What are the names of the first British who worked out the structure of DNA?
In what year did this happen and at which university?
14. Read section End of Empire (pp. 349-353) and make sure you understand the main
events which resulted in Britain losing the Empire. Also, make a list of those countries
which won the independence from Britain
15. Read the section Into Europe? (p. 354) and reflect on how Britain entered the
European Economic Community (EEC). Any parallelisms with Brexit?
16. Read sections in pages 356-358 and consider the following:
a) Explain the main innovations in music, fashion and films of the 1960's
(section yeah, yeah, baby - groovy)
b) When did the Labour Party win the election? Who was the new Prime
Minister? List some of the measures he implemented
c) When did England win the World Cup and against whom?
d) Name the first two TV channels in the history of British television
e) Which Prime Minister made the pound decimal? In what year?
f) Summarise the main events of the 1970s
17. Read pages 359- 376 and consider the following:
a) Write a brief summary of section Union power and power cuts (p. 360)
b) List the consequences for Britain of the strikes of 1978-79
c) What did Britain need according to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher?
d) What was monetarism and how did it affect Britain’s economy?
e) Why was the miners’ strike not successful?
f) Briefly explain the conflict of the Falklands
g) How many elections did Mrs Thatcher win? What is the Poll Tax? In what
year did she cease to be Prime Minister?
h) Read section Belfast blows up (pp. 366-369) and make sure you understand
the most important facts about the conflict in Northern Ireland
i) In what year did Tony Blair become Prime Minister and what political party
did he represent?
j) Read section Blair’s Britain (p. 370) and write down the main achievements
of Blair’s government
k) How did the process called devolution affect Scotland and Wales?
l) Write a brief summary of Britain’s role in the war with Afghanistan and Iraq
(section Shoulder to shoulder with America, pp. 372-373)
m) What were the reasons behind the bombings of July 7th 2005 in London?
n) Read section Where was the queen while all this was going on? so that you
get a general picture of the role of the monarchy and the events which deeply affected
the institution in the second half of the 20th century
o) List the main problems Prime Minister Gordon Brown had to face during his
term
p) Who became Prime Minister after Gordon Brown in 2010? Who became his
deputy? To which political parties did the Prime Minister and his deputy belong? How
is this new government characterised?