Case Study: Britain

Sayge Cullop, Dylan Chadwick, Kelli Uresti, Colin Dillon, Danika Gottbrecht and James Whitsett

Making of a Modern State

Ethnic Breakdown

In 2007, population was 60.8 billion2

•92.1% white

•2% black

•1.8% Indian

•1.6% other

•1.3% Pakistani

•1.2% Mixed

Making of a Modern State

History

•Britain used to be full monarch system until 1236, when a group of feudal barons acting as parliament was asked for taxation consent

•By the 15th century, Parliament gained legislative rights3

•Due to colonial expansion, Britain was known as a superpower until the end of WWII and the Suez Crisis (1956).

•It possessed a powerful navy and peaked in wealth in 1900, and size from 1920-19404

Poet Philippe de Mezieres presenting his book to Richard II. British Library.

Making of a Modern State

• The industrial revolution had a profound impact on British culture, making the country more democratic

• Led to a higher standard of living and replaced skilled workers with advanced machinery

Making of a Modern State

• The role of the monarchy has diminished over time, leading us to ask the question: is the royal family necessary for the political structure of Britain, or simply for show? How much longer will it last?

REPRESENTATION AND PARTICIPATION

Prime Minister (PM): David Cameron

Current Reigning Monarch: Queen Elizabeth II

The PM is elected first as a

Member of Parliament (MP), then

the Queen invites the leader of

the party who can control the

majority of the Commons to

become PM5

REPRESENTATION AND PARTICIPATION

House of Lords

•Higher house of Parliament

•Unelected body consisting of “heriditary peers and “life peers”

•740 members (2011)

•Possess ability to debate, refine, and delay legislation, but cannot block it

House of Commons

•Lower house of parliament

•650 seats

•Three functions: 1. pass laws 2. provide finances for the state through taxation and 3. to review public administration and government policy

Bicameral Model - Parliament

• General elections are reserved for the Commons, with elections

taking place every 5 years (the next is May 7, 2015)

• Citizens vote to elect ‘candidates’ to the Commons, the

representative with the most votes in each area wins a seat

• Political parties compete to form the government by winning

constituency elections; if a party is able to win more than half

the seats in the Commons, the leader becomes PM and all other

parties become the opposition

• Hung Parliament: no single party wins more than half the

seats in the Commons, leads to Coalition Governments6

Governance & Policy Making

Legislative Process:

•Bills must be introduced in both the Commons and the Lords,

read, circulated, then debated (First Reading)

•The bill is then voted on in the Second Reading

•The bill is considered in final form, voted on without debate

•The final step of the process is royal assent, which formally

declares the bill as an Act of Parliament7

Governance and Policy Making

• Britain functions through “Westminster Model”, meaning that carrying out democracy is in the hands of Parliament as the supreme authority of the legislature

• No formal written constitution, operates as a constitutional monarchy

• Britain operated under the parliamentary sovereignty doctrine, granting the legislature the power to make or overturn any law8

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Governance and Policy Making

Unitary State: contrasts a federal system (like that of the US) where no power is reserved for subnational/smaller units of government (like states)

Fusion of Powers: parliament acts as supreme legislative, executive, and judicial authority, which includes a monarch, House of Common & Lords9

• Britain’s history is heavily influenced by its colonial expansion and the Industrial Revolution

• Britain soon came to rely on imported raw materials by 1800 through selling its goods overseas, primarily in Africa and America

• International trade made Britain and international power, dominating militarily and economically up until WWI10

Welfare State

•Post WWII, Labour Party is in power, creates welfare state in favor of a socialist model

•Citizens sacrifice personal/private ownership

•Modern economy relies heavily on taxation, while providing free education and other benefits (though college tuition has recently tripled)11

• Britain is abundant in natural gas, oil, and coal

• Self-sufficient in petroleum • Main trade partners include the EU

(specifically Germany, France, Belgium, and the Netherlands) along with China and the US

• Due to its early colonial expansion, Britain was known as a “hegemonic power”, controlling alliances and the international economic order and shaping domestic political developments in countries throughout the world12

so that our children can enjoy the same resources and beauty that we have for generations.

Collectivism: Used to describe the consensus in government post-WWII with the goal of closing the gap between the rich and the poor, bolstering the middle class citizen13

The current welfare state includes many positive rights, including the access to free public education and healthcare, pensions, unemployment benefits and assistance to the poor

In this model, Britain accepts full responsibility for economic growth and employment of its citizens

Thatcherism

• Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s PM from 1979-90, played an instrumental role in the improvement of the economy with her winning leadership of the Conservative Party in 1975

• Known – perhaps infamous – for her drastic cuts in social programming, she jumpstarted the economy, monetarist view

• From Thatcher’s time through the mid-90’s and early 2000’s, Britain’s economy was faring well in the economic sphere until the 2008 stock market crash

• Britain’s current policy focuses on macroeconomic policy, which generally targets inflation to promote growth14

International Relations

General Trends

“splendid isolation” – late 19th century not involved in many global affairs with the exception of colonization

During colonist expansion, Britain maintained strength and power in the global sphere, until the granting of independence to former British holdings

Britain is a great power, no longer a superpower, that is a member of the UN Security Council and maintains relations with the EU

David Cameron – “face” and “voice” of Britain, works as a diplomat to carry out domestic and foreign affairs

Politics in Transition

Race Relations/Immigration

•Minorities are subject to unequal treatment by the police and physical harassment by citizens, while facing issues of economic success and job security – death of Stephen Lawrence

Relationship with the EU

• Geographical distance separates Britain from the rest of Europe, causing a divide – trade and economy, relations, etc.

Question of the Monarchy

•Is the monarchy an outdated, unnecessary institution? Should Northern Ireland become independent?

Works Cited

Darlington, Roger. "British Political System." British Political System. December 20, 2014. Accessed March 7, 2015. http://www.rogerdarlington.me.uk/Britishpoliticalsystem.html.

James, Lawrence. The Rise and Fall of the British Empire. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996.

Kesselman, Mark, Joel Krieger, and William A. Joseph. Introduction to Comparative Politics. 6th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2000. 46-87.

“How Laws Are Made.” UK Parliament. Accessed March 2, 2015. http://www.parliament.uk/.

“General Elections.”UK Parliament. Accessed March 2, 2015. http://www.parliament.uk/.

Endnotes1.Kesselman, Mark, Joel Krieger, and William A. Joseph. Introduction to Comparative Politics. 48.

2. Ibid

3. Ibid, 50.

4. James, Lawrence. The Rise and Fall of the British Empire. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996.

5. “General Elections.”UK Parliament. Accessed March 2, 2015. http://www.parliament.uk/.

6.Ibid

7. “How Laws Are Made.” UK Parliament. Accessed March 2, 2015. http://www.parliament.uk/.

8. Kesselman, 65.

Endnotes9. Ibid, 66.

10. Ibid, 51.

11. Ibid, 52.

12. Ibid, 51.

13. Ibid, 52.

14. Ibid, 59.