Culture is learned and hereditary. This broad subject encompasses a myriad of thoughts and basic tasks. Perhaps this is because each country’s culture is unique.
England is a part of the United Kingdom and has a rich and diverse history, which history is tied to its culture practices. Thus, in the roots of its government, one will find many of its cultural norms and values. Foundations of the English government were first laid out by the Saxons. Land was divided up into shires and ruled by elder men. Elder men were known as Earldorman. Government policies were then changed over time as the population grew.
After the Saxon period, followed the Normans’ rule. Normans got rid of Earldorman and replaced them with Shire Reeve’s. Shire Reeve’s held the same power as Earldorman. As time progressed, the government played a bigger role in controlling the people. With this change, the English government began to appoint Justices of the Peace who maintained order in the smaller villages. The main power of the government, however, came from the Crown.
The Crown was the main law of the land and formed the role of a monarch. Monarchs could be kings or queens. The main requirement was that they came from royal blood lines. Blood lines were important in many ways in England.
First blood lines designated who could rule over the nation. Some people believed that God chose certain blood lines. Hence, the people viewed the king as more than a political power, but also a religious one. In this way, it was easier for the Monarch to exert more control over the people. If a person broke the law, he or she had also sinned against god.
Thus, religion was an important part of English tradition. The Church provided another avenue for controlling people. The official religion of England was Roman Catholic. As such, Catholic clergy men were tied closely to the government. In fact, for much of England’s history, these very clergy men were the advisors to the Monarchs.
Since church and state were so closely tied together, the English political and religious systems became corrupt. A good chunk of this corruption was enveloped in the monarch King John.
King John’s rule began in 1199 and ended in 1216. He did several things that upset the common people of England. He was accused of obtaining money from the people under coercion. He gave leadership to officials who were willing to pay for offices. King John heavily abused the power of taxation, creating new taxes and imposing them upon subjects as, and whenever, he wished. The abuse of these powers caused rebellion among the lower classes which finally led to a stronger government.
After a civil war broke out, a legal document was drafted in 1215. This document is known as the Magna Carta and is still in use in the English system today. The legislation of this document benefited the church and the upper class. The Magna Carta ensured that “the traditional rights and privileges of the church must be upheld…It also protected the rights and privileges of the aristocracy”.
Nevertheless, in the midst of giving power to the aristocracy, this document also took power away from the Monarchy. The Monarch’s power could not be random. He or she had to follow English laws and English customs. The Magna Carta also gave rights to all citizens. People could no longer be imprisoned or put to death without reason. Free men had a right to be judged by his peers and enjoy the full privileges of due process of the law.
Though the Magna Carta guaranteed many protections, it also began a struggle within the government between parliament and the king. Kings (especially the seventeenth century kings of England) essentially believed that ultimate power resided in them. The parliamentary opposition to government control largely came in the forms of King James I and his son King Charles I. During the rule of King Charles I, the monarchy and House of Lords was banned. As a result, a new parliament was set up.
New parliament members were elected and known as the Convention of Parliament. This new legislation still had problems within the system. The Convention of Parliament was run by Kings, Lords, and Commons. The ruler was King Charles II. He abused his power by appointing only Catholics to government positions. Yet again, corruption on high continued the abuse of governmental powers.
In order to remedy the mistakes of King Charles, another document, the Bill of Rights, was passed and put into place in 1689. This bill prevented Monarchs from suspending laws or taxes without approval from parliament. The Bill of rights essentially ended the struggle between the monarchy and parliament.
Parliament gained even more control in the eighteenth century. The first Prime Minster, Horace Walpole, came into power in 1721. Also during the eighteenth century, the Act of Union was passed.
The Act of Union of 1707 was important for many reasons. Perhaps most importantly, it united England and Scotland as one Country and in the process, formed a standard currency issued between the two countries. Changes within the parliament also gave way to more changes for women.
In the twentieth century women were given more rights. In 1929, women began holding positions in cabinet. Margaret Bondfield, a cabinet minister, was one of the first women to hold power. Nevertheless, governmental power is not the only thing that has evolved in England.
I found this information http://www.localhistories.org/govt.html
No comments:
Post a Comment