英美文化Chapter 2History

1、Chapter 2 HistoryI. The Founding of the Nation1.1 Roman Britain and Anglo-Saxons1.1.1 Prehistoric Period (history undocumented)9,000 years ago part of E-Continent3,000 BC IberiansStonehenge1.1.2 Celtic Britain (8th5th Century BC)v The name of BritainBritonsv Tribal societyv Celtic Language (Irish Ga

2、elic, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh)1.1.3 Roman Britain (43 AD5th Century)v First invasionIn August 55 BC, Julius Caesar invaded Britain v SecondCaesar's second raid in 54 BCv Third and finalIn 43 AD, Emperor Claudius, final and successful Roman invasion of Britainv LeftGermanic attack in Rome, forcing

3、 all Roman troops to leave Britain, and thus ending the Roman occupation of the island.1.1.3 Roman Britain (43 AD5th Century)v Capable administrators & good builders (towns and cities & roads)§ Building of London, River Thames, “London Bridge”§ Building of roads1.1.4 The Anglo-Saxo

4、n Invasion (5th8th Century)v Germanic people (the Jutes from Jutland, Angles from South of Denmark and Saxons from Germany)v English (language of the Angles)dominant languagev Roman Christianity St. Augustine brings Christianity to Britain from Rome and becomes Archbishop of Canterbury1.1.5 Danish I

5、nvasion (8th Century1066)v the Vikings (from the Scandinavian countries: Norway, Denmark and Sweden)v Alfred the Great, king of Wessex § A peace treaty: the eastern half of the island was to be subject to the Danish law and come to be known as the Danelaw§ From 1016 to 1042, under the rule

6、 of Danish kings.§ In 1042, the English throne was returned to the Anglo-Saxons § Westminster Abbey, built in1052, by the penultimate King of England, Edward the Confessor (1042-1066) 1.1.6 The Norman Conquestv In 1066, Edward died without an heir and Harold of Wessex became King in his pl

7、ace.v Duke William, often referred to as William the Conquer, challenged Harolds succession, won the Battle of Hastings, and was crowned King.v In 1067, William started building the Tower of London, the great fortress which demonstrated his power and dominated the city of London.1.2.1 Great Charter

8、(Magna Carta)v In 1154 Henry II ascended the thronev Henry II reformed the courts and the laws:§ introduced the jury system (陪审团制度)§ institutionalized common lawv John ascended the throne in 1199. He demanded feudal taxes and army service.v He was forced to sign the Magna Carta (大宪章).v Sig

9、nificance § townspeoplefreedom of trade and self-government § merchants and craftsmenfor the first time as a new political force § part of the British Constitution today1.2.2 Birth of Parliamentv Provisions of Oxfordlimiting the Kings power by calling regular meetings of the Great Cou

10、ncilv Parlerto talkv Official formation of the two houses of parliament:§ House of Lords§ House of Commons1.2.3 Hundred Years War (13371453)v a series of wars fought between England and France over trade, territory, security and the throne § promoted the concept of English nationalism

11、. § promoted the development of the textile industry§ raised the social position of the bourgeois class.1.2.4 The War of the Roses (14551485)v A war for the throne between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. § It reduced the power of nobility and helped to increase the power

12、 of the new rising bourgeois class. v The House of Lancaster won and their leader Henry Tudor became King Henry VII and started the rule of the House of Tudor (1485-1603). II. Transition to the Modern Age2.1 Religious Reformationv Reasons2 religious camps: Catholic and Protestant v Immediate cause:

13、Henry VIIIs divorcev Act of SupremacyHenry VIII“only supreme head of the church of England” v In essence, the Reformation was a political movement in a religious guise2.1 Religious Reformationv Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603)§ Consolidated the Church of England§ Defended the fruit of the Ref

14、ormation in essencev Golden Age of English History§ England advanced in such areas as foreign trade, exploration, literature, and the arts.§ The age of exploration began: claiming new lands for England and introducing new materials and foods. The American State, Virginia, is named after Qu

15、een Elizabeth.v parliamentary clashes over monopolies§ the monarchy attempted to control commercial activities in the interests of the court v King Charles I dissolved Parliament in 1629, and ruled the country without it for eleven years.v The various classes in England soon split up into two c

16、amps:§ Parliament: merchants, artisans and apprentices, peasants§ King: gentry, big landlords and monopolists 2.2 The Civil Warv The civil war broke out (16421649)§ Between the Royalists (the Cavalier 保王党人) and Parliamentarians (Roundheads 圆颅党人) v Result: the monarchy was abolished in

17、 1649 § England was declared a commonwealth, i.e. a republic v The Commonwealth (16491660)§ Cromwell, the head of the Commonwealthv Conservative in social reforms and protected property ownership§ In 1660, Parliament had Charles II as king of England. § This put an end to the Com

18、monwealth. 2.3 Restoration and the Glorious Revolutionv Restoration:§ 1661, Charles II: to restore the old social order§ 1685, James II: to reestablish Catholicismv Glorious Revolution§ 1688: joint sovereign of William and Mary§ 1689: Bill of Rights (limited the power of the mona

19、rch and guaranteed the authority of Parliament ) removed the ruling monarch and established Constitutional Monarchy2.4 The Industrial Revolutionv The Industrial Revolution took place first in Britain for the following reasons§ huge market§ colonies in America and Indiacapital§ enclosu

20、re movementlaborv A series of important inventions in the textile industry marked the beginning of Industrial Revolution: § Spinning Jenny§ Water frame§ Spinning mule § Power loom§ Steam enginev Means of transportation§ canals were dug to ship goods§ the locomotive

21、 invented in 1814§ the first railway completed in 1825§ large merchant fleetv By the middle of 19th century, the Industrial Revolution was accomplished in Britainv Its influence: Britain changed in many ways§ dramatically increased industrial productivity§ the process of urbaniza

22、tion§ changes in class structure§ The conflict between the capitalists and the proletariansthe most important political issueIII. The Rise and Fall of the British Empire3.1 The Formation of the British Empirev First British Empire: 19th Century§ It included the colonies in Canada, Aus

23、tralia, New Zealand, India and many small states in the West Indiesv Second British Empire during the Victorian Age: Mid- and late-19th Century§ Queen Victorias foreign policyNew Imperialismv It included the colonies in Australia, New Zealand and Canadadominions v Victoria“Empress of India”v In

24、 Asia, occupied Burma and some other small states. Opium War against China v In Africa, control Suez Canal and conquer Egyptv Union of South Africathe 4th dominionv On the Eve of World War I, Britain had the largest colonial empire the world had ever seen. § a territory of 33.5 million square k

25、ilometers (1/4 of the worlds total land). § a population of 393.5 million (8 times as large as that in Britain)§ An empire on which the sun never set3.2 Britain in the World Wars 3.2.1 World War Iv By the beginning of the 20th century, Britains dominance was challenged by other European na

26、tions and the USv Two camps in Europe:§ Central Powers: Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria § Allied Powers: Britain, France, Russia, Italy and USv The immediate causeassassination in Sarajevo v Over 32 countries were involved, 28 of which support the Allies Powers and Al

27、lies Powers wonv The cost of the war for Britain was great: § drained of its manpower§ lost the sea supremacy§ a huge national debt3.2.2 World War IIv Germanyplan to conquer Europev Britainappeasement v declare war on Germany on September 3, 1939 v alliance with the Soviet Union and the United