Feliciano, Eshyie R.

6719PolSci 123
Tiam, Sarah ICP 1:30-3:00 PM TF

UNITED KINGDOM OUTLINE

I. UNITED KINGDOM
● The United Kingdom is a sovereign state
● The UK is the sixth largest world economy after the USA, China, Japan, Germany,
and India.

II. GEOGRAPHY
● The capital is London
● Money: Pound Sterling
● Total Area (Sq Km): 242,500
● Population: (2023 est.) 67,879,000
● Continent: Europe
● Located off the north-western coast of continental Europe.
● The UK is made up of England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
● Official Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
● Also known as: Great Britain. Britain. UK.
● The most dominant faith in the United Kingdom is Christianity.
● English culture tends to dominate the formal cultural life of the United Kingdom.
● Official Languages: English; both English and Scots Gaelic in Scotland; both
English

III. History
Many people from the United Kingdom are descendants of Celtic migrants from
central Europe who arrived in the U.K. possibly as early as 1000 B.C. Other ancestors of
U.K. citizens were Roman invaders, who arrived in A.D. 43, and Viking warriors, who
landed in A.D. 793. (Both came from mainland Europe.)
The Bristish Isle invasion over a period of about 1,500 years by the six empires leaves
important legacies to their country:
● Language
● Common Law
● Fuedalism
British Isle was invaded many times by tribes and empires: Celts, Romans, Angles-
Saxons, Danes and Normans

Celtic Invasion
 - took place in 400 BC when Celts armed with iron weapons conquered Kent and
much of Southern England. They spread north and imposed their language on the
natives. Celts were ancient people who lived in Central and Western Europe and
moved to the British Isles during the Iron Age.

Roman Empire
- The Roman legions occupied England and Wales. They preferred to settle down
in England as it was more suitable for human settlements compared with
mountainous Wales and wild and warlike Scotland. Roman civilisation brought
straight paved roads to England which led to garrison towns from London.

The Anglo-Saxon Invasion

- The beginning of the Anglo-Saxon invasion was in the 5th century BC when the
Teutonic tribes started enslaving England. Their names were the Angles, the
Saxons and the Jutes. At that time Celtic countries were a centre of light,
especially Ireland where its monks and saints. The Angles and the Saxons
advanced from east to west along the Roman roads, slaughtering and enslaving
the Britons, sacking and burning Roman towns and villas. They destroyed almost
every trace of the civilization of the Romans and established their kingdoms.

The Viking Invasion

- The Vikings terrified the Anglo-Saxons as much as they themselves had terrified
the Britons centuries before. They were people from Scandinavia whose life was
working the land and fishing and who went on to attack and later settle in Britain.

The Norman Invasion

- England was submitted to a Danish King Conute in 1016 and became a part of
the Great Danish Empire which included Denmark and Norway. After the Danish
invasion King Edward I (the Confessor) was restored to the throne. Previously he
was brought up to Normandy during the years of Danish rule and came to
England with Norman friends and clergy.

The British Empire

- The United Kingdom began its overseas expansion in the sixteenth century, and
by the early nineteenth century it had vanquished its main European rivals to become
the world’s dominant military, commercial, and cultural power. Its navy helped open new
overseas markets for its burgeoning domestic industry, and by the empire’s zenith in
1870, the United Kingdom controlled about a quarter of all world trade and probably had
the globe’s wealthiest economy. The dimensions of the British Empire were truly
exceptional. In the nineteenth century, it governed one quarter of the world’s population,
directly ruled almost 50 countries, and dominated many more with its commercial
muscle.

IV. Government and Economy

The U.K.’s system of government has developed over many centuries. As early as the
ninth century, kings and queens ruled with advice from a council of religious leaders and
nobles.

MONARCHY AND THE CROWN

British citizens owe their allegiance to the Crown, the enduring symbol of the
United Kingdom’s state, rather than to a written constitution. The Crown sym-bolizes far
more than just the monarchy or even Her Majesty’s government. It represents the
ceremonial and symbolic trappings of the British state. In addition, it represents the
rules governing British political life (the regime) and the unhindered capacity (the
sovereignty) to enforce and administer these rules and to secure the country’s borders.

What is Monarchy
- A monarchy is a form of government in which total sovereignty is invested in one
person, a head of state called a monarch, who holds the position until death or
abdication.
Today, the country is a constitutional monarchy, which means the reigning king or
queen is the head of state but doesn’t have any real political power.
Note: The term of Monarch is not fixed

Powers of the UK Monarch

The contemporary UK constitutional monarch, at present King Charles III, possesses
the ultimate
legal responsibility for a variety of functions that are crucial to the operation of the
political system.
Among them are:

● Appointing and removing the Prime Minister and other ministers;

 ● Dissolving Parliament, to bring about general elections;
● ‘Proroguing’ Parliament – that is, disbanding it for a set period of time;
● Approving the most important laws (primary legislation) – through granting what
is known as ‘Royal Assent’;
● Appointing members of the House of Lords;
● The conduct of diplomacy, and agreeing treaties;
● Acting as head of the Armed Forces, being responsible for their deployment
within and outside the UK, including in potential or actual hostile action;
● Being head of the Church of England, the official religion of England; and
Granting honours.

Branches of the Government

THE PRIME MINISTER
- Parliament is supreme in the United Kingdom’s political system, but real power
is concentrated in the prime minister and the cabinet, which together constitute the
government. The prime minister is the head of government and, as in all parliamentary
systems, must be an elected member of the legislature. He or she is the head of the
largest party in the lower house, the House of Commons (selection as party leader is
handled in a party convention held before a general election). Once named prime
minister by the monarch (a mere formality), this individual selects the cabinet. British
prime ministers are probably the most powerful heads of government of any
contemporary democracy. Because they can expect their parliamentary majority to
approve all legislation, because party discipline in the United Kingdom is very strong,
and because there are few checks on the power of the central government, prime
ministers usually get their way.

THE CABINET
- Cabinets evolved out of the group of experts who originally advised Britain’s
monarchs. Contemporary British cabinets have about 20 members (called
ministers), all of whom must be Members of Parliament. They are usually from
the lower house but occasionally are MPs from the upper house, the House of
Lords. The prime minister generally appoints leading party officials to the top
cabinet positions. Although the prime minister and the cabinet emerge from the
Parliament, they stand apart from the legislature as a separate executive and
have few checks on their powers.

THE LEGISLATURE
- The British legislature, called Parliament, is perhaps the most powerful
legislature on earth, due largely to the lack of constitutional constraints, which we
have just discussed. The concentration of power is even more impressive when it
 is considered that of the two chambers of the legislature, the House of Commons
and the House of Lords, only the former has any real power. The House of
Commons currently consists of 650 members of Parliament representing
individual districts in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Members are elected for a maximum term of five years, though new elections
may be called before the expiration of the term in the event of a successful vote
of no confidence. Government and opposition parties face each other in a tiny
rectangular chamber, where members of the government and leaders of the
opposition sit in the front row. The other MPs, called backbenchers, sit behind
their leaders. A politically neutral Speaker of the House presides.

THE JUDICIARY
- Compared with the United States and even with other parliamentary
democracies, the judiciary in the United Kingdom plays a relatively minor role.
Until recently there was no tradition of judicial review (the right of courts to strike
down legislation that contradicts the constitution), because the British parliament
was always supreme: any law passed by the legislature was, by definition,
constitutional. Thus the role of the courts in the United Kingdom has been mainly
to ensure that parliamentary statutes have been followed.

What is Magna Carta?

- The Normans also brought a political system that had first emerged on the
Continent—feudalism, a contract in which lords granted vassals land and
protection while the vassals supported the lord with military service. Feudalism
appears when central authority breaks down and a money economy disappears,
for then land and fighting ability are all that matter. It set an important precedent
by limiting the power of British monarchs and subjecting them to the rule of law.
As a result, the United Kingdom never experienced the type of royal absolutism
that was common in other countries (for example, in Russia), and this in turn
helped pave the way for public control over government and the state that
emerge the Modern British State.

Emergence of the Modern British State

Compared with its European neighbors, the United Kingdom had a more constrained
monarchy. This is not to say that British rulers were weak, but in addition to the early
checks on monarchic rule, three major developments in the seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries decisively undermined the power of British sovereigns and are crucial for our
understanding why the United Kingdom was one of the first nations to develop
democratic control.

The Rise of the Parliament

The Parliament works on behalf of UK citizens to check and challenge the work of
Government, make and shape effective laws, and debate/make decisions on the big
issues of the day. Uk has two houses thats why it is a bicameral legislature
● The upper house (House of lords)- represents the aristocracy, they serve as
the legislative function, has power to amend or reject bills
● The lower house (House of Common)- represents the interest of the lower
nobility and the merchant class they are elected by the people .
In addition, by the time Parliament was established, British monarchs were no longer
absolute rulers, although they continued to wield considerable political power. Two
factors gradually democratized Parliament and further weakened monarchical power.
What is Hung Parliament?
- general election results in no single political party winning a majority of MPs in
the House of Commons.

Fact: The United Kingdom doesnt have a specific date or

event to the advent of its democracy

The party system

- Britain is normally described as having a two-party-system the Labour Party and
the Conservative Party
Labour Party- it believes that wealth and power should be shared fairly and public
services should be free for everyone.
Conservative Party- values private property and enterprises They also promote the
maintenance of a strong military and traditional cultural values and institutions. Blue is
usually associated with centre-right or conservative parties, originating from its use by
the Tories (predecessor of the Conservative Party) in the United Kingdom.

The Economy of the United Kingdom

- With a gross domestic product (GDP) of $3.07 trillion in 2022 and a population of
more than 67 million, the United Kingdom has the sixth-largest economy after the
U.S., China, Japan, Germany, and India.1234 The U.K. is made up of England,
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Its quality of life is generally considered
high, and the economy is quite diversified. The sectors that contribute most to the
U.K.'s GDP are services, manufacturing, construction, and tourism.

V. Issues and concerns of United Kingdom

BREXIT:

● Brexit, a combination of the words "British" and "exit," describes the UK's choice
to quit the European Union (EU). Following a referendum on June 23, 2016, in
 which 51.9% of voting UK citizens chose to exit the EU, the procedure was
started.
● Prime Minister Theresa May was Appointed in 2016. Theresa May assumed the
position of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom when David Cameron resigned,
and she was entrusted with guiding her nation through the Brexit process. Brexit
has affected the financial, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors by causing
uncertainty, trade interruptions, and regulatory changes.
● Until December 31, 2020, the UK was permitted to continue adhering to EU laws
and regulations during the transition period that followed its official exit from the
EU on January 31, 2020. In the aftermath of Brexit, the United Kingdom has
endeavored to forge novel trade accords with many nations and areas, all the
while negotiating the difficulties associated with functioning beyond the EU's
regulatory structure.
SCOTLAND DEMAND FOR INDEPENDENCE:

● While Scotland has been a part of the United Kingdom since the Act of Union in
1707, the issue of independence gained significant traction in recent years.
● Scottish Devolution Referendum 1997; Scotland voted to establish a devolved
Scottish Parliament, granting it limited powers within the UK.
● The UK government, under Prime Minister David Cameron, agreed to a
referendum on Scottish independence. On September 18, 2014, Scotland voted
to remain in the United Kingdom, with 55.3% of voters choosing not to become
an independent country.
● During the Scottish Parliament Elections 2021. The Scottish National Party (SNP)
secured a significant victory in the Scottish Parliament elections, running on a
platform that included a promise to hold another independence referendum.
● Following the SNP's victory, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon reiterated her
commitment to holding a second independence referendum, arguing that Brexit
had fundamentally changed the circumstances since the 2014 vote.

VI. References
● Roskin, M. G. (2016). Countries and concepts: Politics, geography, culture.
Pearson.
● O’Neil, P. H., Fields, K. J., & Share, D. (2015). Cases in comparative politics.
W.W. Norton & Company.
● The History of invasions on the British Isles https://interglossa.ru/about-great-
britain/the-history-of-invasions-on-the-british-isles