A Brief History of the United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a country of great history rich in important events and entertaining legends connected with them.

They say that in prehistoric times Britain was joined to Europe. So the first people came there over dry land. The present English Channel which separates Britain from Europe appeared at the end of the Ice Age. In the New Stone Age the hunters crossed the sea to the west of the Channel and settled along the Western shores in search of food. The first inhabitants of the island came from the Iberian Peninsula, where Spain is located, somewhere after 3000 ВС. After 2000 ВС the people from the east of Europe entered the country. The two peoples intermixed. They left us Stonehenge and Avebury as impressive monuments of their time.

After 800 ВС the Celts arrived from Central Europe. The name ‘Britain’ comes from the name of a Celtic tribe known as the Britons. Their influence was the greatest in Wales, Scotland and Ireland, as they were driven to these parts by the invaders who followed them. That’s why these parts of Britain are very different from England in language, customs and traditions.

In 54 ВС Julius Caesar, the Roman ruler, invaded Britain. But Caesar didn’t stay in Britain. He left the country with slaves and riches and made the Celts pay a regular tribute to Rome. In 43 AD the country was conquered by the Romans and the occupation continued to about 410 AD. Roman influence was the greatest in the south and southeast, while in the north and west the country remained untouched. The Romans built many towns, connected them by good roads. The largest of the towns was called Londinium. Roman culture and civilization had a positive influence on the development of the country. When the Romans left, Britain remained independent for some time.

However, in the 5^th century Britain was attacked by Germanic tribes: the Jutes, the Saxons and the Angles, that settled down and formed a number of small kingdoms. The Saxon kingdoms warred one against another, but at the beginning of the 9^th century Wessex became the leading one. Since 829 the greater part of the country was united under the name ‘England’. Having become the most powerful kingdom of England, Wessex had to resist the invasion of the Danes and the Scandinavian Vikings. Although the Anglo-Saxons occupied most of the British Isles, certain areas were left to the natives. Wales, Cornwall, the northern part of Britain and Ireland remained unconquered and preserved Celtic culture. The northern part was the home of the Picts and Scots. After the conquest of the Picts by the Scots in the 9^th century this territory was called Scotland. And in the 11^th century a united Scottish kingdom was formed.

The conquest of England by the Normans began in 1066 with the Battle of Hastings. William the Conqueror defeated the English and established his rule as the King of England. The French language became the official language of the ruling class for the next three centuries. The feudal system contributed to the growth of power and little by little England began to spread its power – first on Wales, then on Scotland and later on Ireland. Wales was brought under the English Parliament in the 16^th century by Henry VIII.

In 1588 Philip of Spain claimed the English throne and sent a great fleet against England. The Spanish Armada was defeated, and that victory meant the establishment of English naval supremacy, which was the most important for the English bourgeoisie to expand its colonial ventures with great rapidity and success.

In 1603 the union of England, Wales and Scotland became known as Great Britain. However the final unification of Scotland and England took place only in 1707 when both sides agreed to form a single Parliament, although Scotland continued to keep its own system of law, education and have an independent church.

At the beginning of the 18^th century the wealth and power of England was in the hands of the landed aristocracy and the big financial bourgeoisie. These classes shared their power by means of the so-called two-party system, whereby the Government alternated between the party of the Tories – representing landowning interests, and the party of the Whigs – representing the growing power of capital. In fact, the party system has existed in one form or another since the 17^th century, and began to assume its modern shape towards the end of the 19^th century.

The English bourgeoisie, having secured political and economic domination in the country, became deeply interested in promoting its interests abroad. The making of the British colonial empire in the 18^th century was closely associated with the numerous wars waged by England against its main rivals and colonial conquests made by the state in different parts of the world. Ireland became the first target of the English colonialists. After a long and bitter struggle the southern part of Ireland became Free State in 1921. The northern part of Ireland, Ulster, remained part of the UK. The Irish Free State declared itself a republic in 1949 and is known as the IrishRepublic or Eire. It is completely independent and its capital is the city of Dublin.

During the 18^th and early 19^th centuries Britain, ruthlessly robbing and exploiting its rivals (Spain, the Netherlands, France), secured domination on the high seas and acquired vast overseas colonial territories which extended over one fourth of the world’s territory. By the middle of the 19^th century Britain established its industrial superiority in the world as well as its dominant position in the world trade. Having accumulated colossal wealth, Britain became the world’s banker; loans granted by the British bourgeoisie to foreign countries as well as capital invested in enterprises abroad returned immense profits and at the same time brought the weaker, backward countries under Britain’s sway. All this enabled the United Kingdom to become the wealthiest nation on earth.

By the end of the 19^th century Britain was gradually losing its position of the world’s leading industrial power. At the beginning of the 20^th century the USA became the most developed country in the world, while Germany surpassed Britain in the development of certain important branches of industry. At the same time the party machine became stronger and power was more and more concentrated in the hands of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet. The Act of Parliament of 1911 established the dominant role of the House of Commons.

After World War I Britain lost its lead in the world trade and run into a permanent state crisis. The effort of the capitalist class to solve this crisis at the expense of the workers brought new and serious political problems. Material damage and losses of Britain after World War II made the country sell about half of its foreign capital investments and borrow money widely. In 1973 Britain was admitted to the European Economic Community which meant serious changes for the country and its people.

The future development of the country depends on the class consciousness of the working people, their unity and determination to promote peace, security and friendship among the nations of the world.

The Commonwealth of Nations

The 20^th century witnessed an intensive process of decolonization of the British Empire. The nations that wanted independence were granted it. A tendency to decolonize grew into a desire to form a great ‘family’, a special union, for economic, cultural and social reasons. The name of that ‘family’ is The Commonwealth of Nations, an association of sovereign states that have been ruled or are still being ‘ruled’ by Britain. The Queen is Head of the Commonwealth of Nations where she is represented by the Governor-General appointed by her on the advice of the Government of the country concerned and completely independent of the British Government.

The Commonwealth is an association of 54 states. Alongside with Britain and such developed countries as Canada, Australia, New Zealand, it includes such large developing countries as India, Nigeria and very small states as Nauru (population — 13,000), as well as dependent territories, like Anguilla, Bermuda, Gibraltar and others. The total population of these member states has been estimated at 1.7 billion (around 30% of the world population). The Commonwealth offers an example of close cooperation among countries of equal status but widely different strength. It is this fact which has often made observers speak about the Commonwealth as a model for international cooperation. The Commonwealth of Nations is listed on the Guinness Book of Records as the World’s largest political alliance.

The Commonwealth is not a federation, because there is no central government, no common defence force, judiciary and no rigid obligations among the members. Nevertheless, all the members of the Commonwealth are bound together by a common sense of ideals and a common interest in the maintenance of peace, freedom and security.

The Commonwealth does not formulate central policies on economic and foreign affairs. However, there is a considerable consultation and cooperation between the member states of the Commonwealth. Consultations among the Commonwealth countries take place through diplomatic representatives known as High Commissioners, meetings of heads of Government, specialized conferences of other ministers and officials, expert groups, and discussions at international conferences and the United Nations. Trade and cultural exhibitions and conferences of professional and unofficial medical, cultural, sports, educational and economic organisations are other ways in which frequent contacts are made.

The Commonwealth has relatively little political machinery. Its most important institution for formal exchange of views, the Commonwealth Prime Ministers’ Meeting (or the Commonwealth Conference), has no executive authority. Heads of Governments usually meet every two years. Proceedings are usually held in private with an informal exchange of views. On international affairs no formal decisions are taken and no attempt is made to formulate specifically Commonwealth policies, although, on occasion, common views on matters of major international concern are formulated and reflected in the communiqué issued at the end of meetings. Conference resolutions have no legal effect, unless adopted by the individual countries. The Meeting of Prime Ministers is, therefore, a means of consultation, not a formal organ for reaching decisions.

The Commonwealth Secretariat provides the central organisation for consultation and cooperation among member states. Established in London in 1965, headed by a Secretary-General appointed by the heads of Government, and financed by member Governments, the Secretariat is responsible to Commonwealth Governments collectively. The Secretariat promotes consultation, disseminates information on matters of common concern, and organises meetings and conferences. Mr. Kamalesh Sharma (India) took over as Commonwealth Secretary-General on 1 April 2008. He was appointed to the post by Commonwealth Heads of Governments at their meeting in Kampala, Uganda, in November 2007.

Commonwealth Day is an annual event during which all the fifty-four member countries of the Commonwealth celebrate their links with one another. Commonwealth Day is held on the second Monday in March, and the day is celebrated around the world – from the Head of the Commonwealth, Her Majesty The Queen, who issues a special message, through Commonwealth Prime Ministers and Presidents to the citizens of the Commonwealth. Everyone celebrates in their own way, from official receptions to school assemblies, sports tournaments to concerts, multi-faith observances to tree-planting ceremonies.