LANGUES

CM ANGLAIS #1

A short historical overview of the UK and the US

I) British isles – vocabulary and geography

Great Britain : - England + Wales + Scotland

Ireland : - Nothern Ireland + The republic of Ireland/Eire
The UK : - England + Wales + Scotland + Northem Ireland
The British isles : England + Wales + Scotland + Republic of Ireland

II) Britain – some historical context

The Britsh Union : - 1066(ten sixty six) : Norman conquest of England by William the
Conqueror
- was from Normandy (French) → that is why some words in english
are linked to french
- to weave = to make a tapestry
- 1215 : The Magna Carta (the Great Charter of Liberties)
- before that → conflict between the king of England and his barrons
(they wanted more power and didn’t want the king to impose)
- the King lost, in 1215, he had to resigne
- that charter limited the power of the king (if he wanted to do
something, he had to ask the nobility) + stated that no « freeman » (man who has rights)
was to be imprisoned except by « lawful judgement by the laws of the land » (you have to
be judged)
- the King’s power = became a characteristic of English political culture
(even today : constitutional monarchy)
1536 : Act of Union with Wales (a law)
- Wales was just incorporated to England (they lost their political
autonomy, their culture, their political institutions…)
- England → England + Wales
- 1603 : Union of the Crowns (England (& Wales) and Scotland share
the same king)
- James the VI became James the 1st
- they had the same king but they weren’t the same country
1707 : Act of Union between England and Scotland (could keep his educational system,
his justice system) (Union of equals) → Great Britain
- 1801 : Act of Union between Great Britain and Ireland (a lot of
autonomy) → The UK of Great Britain and Ireland
- 1921 : - Partition of Ireland (war of independance) → only the north
of Ireland remains part of the UK
- war started in 1916

Devolution : - giving autonomy to the different parts of the UK

- 1997 : some degree of political autonomy given to Northern Ireland, Wales
and Scotland
- at a local level → ppl could decide some things political
- the British parliament → retains control over reserved matters (foreign
policy, defence, economy policy…)
III) The USA – some historical context

European colonization : - 1492 : Christopher Colombus first arrives in the Caribbean

1620 : first permanent colony in New England (Pilgrims arrived with the Mayflower)
- 17th and 18th centuries : colonial trade and expansion
- triangular trade routes : West Africain → North America
(Carabbean) → Europe → West Africain = « slaves going to America » called the middle
passage by slaves because many died

From Empire to Independence : - 1776 → declaration of independence (from Britain)

- 1787 : American Constitution → Supreme law of the
country (provides limitations on the government to protect the fundamental rights of US
citizens)
- 1791 : bill of rights ratified
- 10 amendments guaranteeing basic individual
protections
- amended several times since (other amendments
added, 1865 : abolition of slavery)

Christopher Colombus has often been called the discoverer of the New World after he
arrived in the Caribbean in 1492. In fact, he was not the first European to land there,
because Vikings had visited North America 5 centuries before him.
Nonetheless, it is true that Colombus opened the way for European exploration,
exploitation, and colonization of the Americas.

Political institutions

I) Separation of powers

Definition : - division of the legislative, executive and judicial functions of government

- purpose → limiting the possibility or arbitrary excesses by government
- the legislative power → makes the law (debates, votes, and passes new laws)
- the executive power → implements (to put in place) and enforces (to use it) the law
(makes sure that the decisions of the legislature are carried out)
- the judicial power → interprets the law (decides what punishment should be given for
those that break the law)

History : - first modern formulations → John Locke (english philosopher), Two Treatises of
Government (1690)
- he considered the fact that the power could be separate more equally between the king
and the Parliament → division of the legislative power
- Montesquieu (french philosopher) during the Enlightment → De l’esprit des lois (1748,
The Spirit of Law) = separation of the 3 branches of power because otherwise the person
at the top will have all the power
- Montesquieu’s ideas were influenced the framing of the US Constitution

II) American political institutions

The American political system : - the Constitution is at the top → separation of the 3
powers
- Legislative → Congress, the Senate, House of Representation
- Executive → President, vice president, cabinet
- judicial → supreme court, other federal courts

The legislative power : - House of representatives → 435 representatives (also called

Congressmen/Congresswomen), represents citizens based on district populations, elected
to a two-year term
- The Senate → 100 senators (50 States in the US, each state sends 2 senators)
- represents citizens on an equal state basis
- elected to six-year term

The executive power : - the president and the vice president are elected together
- the president chooses his cabinet (=ministers)

The judicial power : - the supreme court → 9 Justices, nominated by the US president
(formal confirmation process, committee vote who agrees or not to the decision of the
president, then senate floor vote)
- nominated for life

Checks and balances : - each branch checks the other and is also checked by the other
- no branch has more power than the other
- the Congress needs to approve the Justices that the president decided and the Judicial
can declare laws unconstitutional to the Congress
- the Congress has the impeachment power (to stop the president) and the president can
veto some bills (projets de lois)
- the president can appoint judges and pardon criminals and the judicial power can decide
presidential acts unconstitutional

III) British political institutions

The legislative power : - the Parliament = the House of Commons and Lords
- the House of Commons → the most important of the 2 houses (debates, votes, what they
should put in the text of the law), 650 Mps (members of Parliament), the members are
elected, affiliated to a political party
- the House of Lords → does not have the power to stop a new law but can delay it, 784
members, they are not elected by the population (before, you could inherit the title), some
members are supporting a political party, but not all of them (called “cross-benchers”)

The executive power : - Prime minister and the government

- The Prime minister → leader of the party with majority in the House of Commons, if he
resigns, there is an election inside the party to decide who will replace him

The judicial power : - judges and supreme court

- the supreme court → final court of appeal (final arbitrer), 12 Justices but cases heard by
5 to 9 Justices, Justices appointed by the monarch, after the decision of the Lord
Chancellor (highest-ranking minister)

The British monarch : - can → choose the prime minister, dismiss ministers and
governments, dissolve parliament, refuse to agree to legislation passed by parliament
- in reality → the PM chooses the members of government and can dissolve the
Parliament, the monarch appoints government ministers and other public figures (but he
doesn’t choose them)
- can not → vote, express his private opinion in public, sit in the House of Commons (he
can’t make laws or impose taxes), write his own speech, appear as a witness in court
- his role → head of state = constitutional and representational duties, head of nation =
social and cultural role, head of the armed forces, religion “defender of the faith and
supreme governor of the church of England”, personification of the British state and
symbol of national unity

What future for the british monarchy ? : - the “exceptionality” of Elizabeth II → longest-
reigning british monarch, first monarch of the modern media era, significance for the british
people = had always been part of their lives, discretion (no expression of private opinion) =
role of representing the country as a whole
- Charles III → oldest new monarch in british history
- when he was prince of Wales, he gave his opinion on public but discretion is required as
a king
- image of the royal family → unity+model (Prince William and Kate Middleton, charity
organizations =/ scandal and divisions (Prince Andrew and Jeffrey Epstein’s case, Prince
Harry and Meghan Markle)