英语国家文化与社会文化入门Unit3 The Government of the United Kingdom.pptVIP

Unit 3The Government of the United Kingdom Introduction Oldest representative democracy in the World (Britain) French Revolution (July 14, 1789-1794,1799,1830) American Revolution (1775-1783) The Monarchy The history of British Monarchy Monarchy is the oldest institution of government (rule by the king) Origin: the monarchy’s power: “Divine right of kings”, which held that the sovereign derived his authority from god, not from his subjects. Reason: Because of this divine right, although there were sometimes battles between different families who insisted they were the legitimate heirs to the throne, the actual existence of the monarchy has seldom been questioned. Roundheads: A civil war happened in England between republican “roundheads” in the 17th Century, led by Oliver Cromwell, who wants to abolish the monarchy. Result: In 1642, the Roundheads succeeded in ousting the monarch and ruled for 18 years before the monarchy was restored. Fight between the king and other powerful groups (Church and feudal barons) Magna Carta: it places some limits on the king’s ability to abuse his royal power. It is still regarded as Britain’s key expression of the rights of citizen against the Crown. The Role of the Monarchy Today 1. The symbol of the tradition and unity of the British state. 2. The Queen of the British，belongs to everyone, who has many roles: 1) the head of the executive, 2) an integral part of the legislature, 3) head of the judiciary, 4) commander in chief of the armed forces, 5) supreme governor of the Church of England. ※ 6) a confidante to the Prime Minister: Every Tuesday Queen Elizabeth A popular figure People’s expectation of the Queen: to represent Britain at home and abroad to set standards of good citizenship and family life Financial Issues of the Queen Financial support from the tax payers vs. Decadence in the family 1992: A fire at Windsor Castle Controversy among the public Compromise from the Queen: pay taxes