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 * BRITAIN **

Homework questions the UK-1. Mrs. Hubert is rumored to have cooked and cleaned for Abraham Lincoln

1. What is the nature and source of the British government’s legitimacy? How has this legitimacy been changed or challenged over the years?

The British evolution of government to what it is today has been under way since the early 13th Century when King John signed the Magna Carta, which devolved the power from solely the king to a crude parliamentary system. Up through the ages, instances such as the Great Reform Act of 1832, which gave suffrage to hundreds of thousands of men, began producing a democratic like state. Today, the British people look to their past in order to justify their governing style. It is true that the British don’t have a constitution written down, but one could argue that they have a unspoken one. There is nothing that says there has to be a Prime Minister, but there has been one since the early 1700’s so why get rid of it now? As is the case in every instance of long-term evolution, changes tend to occur. For the British, their government may change courses or implement new traditions that will serve future governments for years. There has been recent talk about implementing a written constitution, which of course does not follow tradition but may be a necessary change to ensure the government continues as it has. The geography of Britain has played a key role in its continued success. As an island, the population has grown among itself with little immigration. This historically white country has generally had the same ideals across its citizens, making ruling the country less difficult. It wasn’t until recently that immigration of other races began to “dilute” the traditional population. With this the government is facing increasing difficulties with ruling a country with varying diversity, and therefore varying ideals. This “new face” of Britain has slowly been challenging the long accepted legitimacy of the government.

2. Of all the countries we will consider, Great Britain is the only one without a written constitution. Yet, most scholars agree that the British constitution is among the strongest in the world. How can that be? Instead of having a written constitution, the UK's constitution is based on common law that has around for centuries. What makes it so strong is that it is constantly being built on. This makes it deeply ingrained in society and allows it to be flexible and responsive to changes in society. In addition, because Parliament can make laws that add to and change the constitution easily, there has been no need for revolution or fundamental changes in government. Th British constitution is strong because of its traditional roots and its ability to remain current for centuries.

3. In what ways and to what extent do Britons get involved politically? What factors influence/encourage British political involvement? British involvement in political life is relatively strong in regards to voting percentage. That said, it may not be a good thing, however, because many of them have no idea why they are voting for a specific party or candidate. In fact, only 25% of the electorate has "anything approaching a firm understanding of such central political concepts as the difference between Left and Right" (Hauss 84). As one British mechanic said, "Well, when I was in the army you had to put your right foot forward, but in fighting you lead with your left" (84). While this man's political understanding may fly in the UK, here in America, we aren't fooled by such fallacy. Slightly over 65% of Britons take part in elections, but a large portion of them have no better understanding of politics than our friend, the mechanic. While America's political involvement rests at 10% less than the UK's, I'm (possibly naively) optimistic that more than 25% of those who actually do vote understand more than those British "people."Briton are flaming racists. Britons are typically influenced by no more than one or two of the biggest issues, and they cast their votes based on those issues and those alone. They also tend to be quite loyal to "their" parties, even when new issues arise. This is most likely because they do not understand enough about politics to change parties. __//**While voting is the most common form of political participation, in what other ways do Brits get involved politically?**//__


 * 4. To what extent are women and minorities represented in the government? **

==== It doesn't seem like women and minorities are represented very well in the British government. The minorities in Wales and Scotland want to self govern themselves, or have complete independence from England. Margaret Thatcher served as the leader of the Conservative party and Prime Minister for 11 years. She moved up to the House of Lords in 1993. ==== ==== It appears that the lower social classes are also not represented in government and neither are Catholics. You are considered not well educated or not educated enough if you are from the lower class and Britain is dominantly Protestant. ==== ==== Immigration into Britain is restricted because they don't want dark skinned people in their communities. There are also 27 members from ethnic minorities. Minorities are seen as making Britain harder to govern and undermining traditional values. ==== ==== In Parliament today there are 144 women, 40 members from Wales, 59 members from Scotland, and 18 members from Northern Ireland. There are 506 males in Parliament. The total number of members is 650. This all goes to say that women and minorities are limited as far as being represented in the British government. ====


 * 5. How does the British parliamentary system enable British governments to act quickly and decisively? **


 * 6. Describe the scope of government activity. (level of involvement in economic planning and social policy) How responsive is the government to the people? **
 * In a 2000 poll, people were asked which government they most identified themselves with. 18% of the Scots said Britain while 27 percent of the Wales said Britain(in comparison to their own governments). The English leaned a little more Britain's way with 43% of them claiming Parliament as their government. These statistics alone show the balance of power in place in the UK. Although Parliament does have absolute control over the UK, the UK does not have absolute control of the people living in Wales, Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland. __//Good pt.//__**
 * As of late, the government is losing power as "many of the institutions that have held British culture together are losing their influence." This is not to say the British government is at threat of losing its power; it just shows the gradual decrease of culture and tradition. Starting with Thatcher in the 70's, Britain has turned to privatization. The UK currently has 7,700 Non-Government Agencies(The Bureaucracy).This was only continued when Blair took office. Blair reformed the welfare-state and refused money to people not attempting to find jobs. However, the government, especially Blair, answered the call of the people by raising minimum wage and reducing unemployment.**
 * The system at hand is one where the Prime Minister owns all power the government has. The courts have little power, the bureaucracy is weak, minority party members have no say, and majority party members most vote with the Prime Minister. On the contrary, the Prime Minister is still held accountable. During the late 60's when the Labour Party was not getting it done, they were voted out of office and the UK witnessed a reform like it had never seen before. Because the party system is so defined in the UK, if one party is not getting it done and pleasing the people, the next party will step in. In a sense, the people determine how much government intervention they wants in their lives. They believed the government was too involved in the late 60's and they voted them out bringing in a new government that privatized almost everything. The UK parliament system is one of accountability.**

__//You need to mention the National Health Service and something about Education//__.

7. The British economy is often said to be in decline and the country has had more than its share of protests in recent years. Yet, there has been little or no pressure for fundamental political change. How can that be?

The The British regime is adaptable and wants to avoid revolt as much as possible-- workers' frustrations are channeled through Trades Union Congress and Labour Party and even the Conservative party embodies the values of noblesse oblige.The civic culture in Britain leads to "a virtually unanimous agreement that the political system based on parliamentary sovereignty and cabinet rule was legitimate... they were remarkably tolerant of each other and of the people who led them" (74 in GB). Basically, the regime worked hard to earn the respect of Britain, and most British honor their government and institutions because of it, no matter what the economy looks like or who is protesting. **__//T////hink also about the level of support provided by the government - if the welfare system is fairly pervasive, are most of their needs met?//__**


 * 8. The Conservatives under Thatcher and Major, and then Labour under Blair scaled back the state’s economic role. Why has that happened? What impact has that had? What direction did Gordon Brown go? What direction do you think David Cameron will go and why? (are there new internal or external pressures?) **


 * Why has that happened? **
 * - **When the recent Prime Ministers looked at Britain’s economic downslide, Thatcher in particular, decided that less government was the answer rather than more. Scaling back the government will reduce “unnecessary shackles” on their free-enterprise system. Privatization became a very popular choice of action by Thatcher and Major, and eventually even under Blair. There are also very few limits on the British government, which makes it easy to rework the system. This accessibility to change allowed these Prime Ministers to make what they felt were necessary changes.

Today, Cameron faced down pressure to change course on the economy by saying that the "worst thing" the government could do now would be to ditch its economic plans on the basis of one set of disappointing growth figures. It his headed downward as inflation is rising and the GDP is falling. But, the government should not change its policies because even though the economy has slowed in growth, it is still growing, just as the United States' did last year.The government is plagued with high unemployment and inflation with stagnant growth, which could be a great influence.
 * What direction do you think Cameron will go and why?**

The homogenous part of Britain will probably change, and there will be more racial diversity in years to come. This racial diversity will change Britain's government and include more women, and people of different ethnicities, which is also probably going to make Britain more liberal than is has been in the past and could really change the representation in government and ultimately the government itself. David Cameron will most likely want to have a free market system which will make things easier for industry to sell their products and buy more things as well, because he wants the capitalist system to work without the government stepping in too much.

** 9. What is the relationship between the British national government and supranational organizations? (EU, UN, WTO, WB, WHO) **

Britain's relationship with the EU has been proclaimed ‘active and activist, positive and energetic’ despite conflicts over mainstays of the EU such as currency and sovereignty, which the British population will have more control over through the EU bill. As a prime member of the UN Security Council, its position has been questioned considering Britain's increasing irrelevance on the international scale. Britain's relationship with the World Trade Organization is relatively positive, as the nation is committed to bringing free trade to third world countries. The World Bank announced in recent years that Britain is its biggest donor, with its fund being directed to assist the capital programs developing countries in order to reduce poverty. Britain is automatically a member of the World Health Organization, as it is a branch of the United Nations. A WHO office is operated in London.

** 10. What changes have occurred in the British system of government in the last 20 years? What future changes do you predict? (consider social, political and economic changes) **

Since 1980 Britain has had five prime ministers: Margaret Thatcher, John Major, Tony Blair, Gordon Brown, and David Morgan.

Thatcher (Conservative): -First female PM -Privatization occurred -Cut welfare programs “Margaret Thatcher milk snatcher”

Blair (New Labour/Third Way) -Created regional parliaments in Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Wales -Removed clause 4 -1992 Maastricht Treaty is signed. Creates the EU and adoption of Euro -House of Lords Act of 1999: removed all but 92 hereditary members of HoL -Welfare to Work -Human Rights Act of 1998: (bottom of left column on pg 62 in packet) -The Political Parties, Elections, and Referendums Act of 2000 (top right column page 62) -Constitutional Reform Act of 2005: restructured historic office of Lord Chancellor, established a new Supreme Court, and removed judges from the HoL (pg 62 packet) -Strengthened role of Britain in foreign affairs

** 11. What role does nationalism play in the UK? What factors have contributed to its rise or decline? ** **According to the online Merriam-Webster's Dictionary, nationalism is " loyalty and devotion to a nation; //especially// **: **a sense of national consciousness exalting one nation above all others and placing primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations or supranational groups". So for the UK, nationalism plays a huge role. If the people did not believe in or have pride in their country, the upper class would not be taking care of the lower class, the house of commons and parliament in general would not work at all, etc. With the UK's idealistic government, nationalism fits perfectly. There has to be a sense of loyalty and devotion for the system to work.** __//Think also about the problems caused by nationalism (think Ireland)//__

APCP Quiz 1 Review I. Format II. MC things to review (this is an abbreviated list; you are responsible for everything)
 * 35 - 40 multiple choice
 * 3 - 5 short answer concepts
 * essay
 * __regime-__ the institutions and practices that endure from government to government, such as the constitutional order in a democracy
 * __state-__ all individuals and institutions that make public policy, whether they are in the government or not.
 * __nation-__ as used by political scientists, primarily a psychological term to describe attachment or identify rather than a geological unit such as the state.
 * __nationalism-__ an extreme form of patriotism, especially marked by a feeling of superiority over other countries
 * __cleavages-__ deep and long-lasting political divisions.
 * __corporatism-__ in Europe, arrangements through which government, business, and labor leaders cooperatively set microeconomic and macroeconomic policy, normally outside of the regular electoral legislative process.
 * __civil society-__ the web of membership in social and political groups that some analysts believe is needed to sustain democracy.
 * __legitimacy-__ a key concept stressing the degree to which people accept and endorse their regime.
 * __economic liberalism-__ the philosophy that economic prosperity is best achieved in a free market; less government involvement.
 * __political culture-__ basic values and assumptions that people have toward authority, the political system, and other overarching themes in political life.
 * __political socialization-__ the concept behind how interactions result in developing people's political opinions.
 * __liberal / illiberal democracies-__ opposition to government interference in the economy and any other area in which individuals can make decisions for themselves.
 * __strong state / weak state-__ (strong) one with the capacity and the political will tom make and implement effective public policy.
 * __postmaterialism-__ theory that young middle-class voters are likely to support environmentalism, feminism, and other "new" issues.
 * __democracy-__ a system of government in which sovereignty resides in the people.
 * __unitary / federal / confederal systems-__ __(unitary)-__ regimes in which subnational units have little or no power; __(federal)-__ constitutional practice in which subnational units are granted considerable power; __(confederal)-__ government under which a number of parties or groups are united in an alliance or league.
 * __whitehall-__ name of a street in London running from Parliament Square; also, name for overall governmental rule in the UK.
 * __white paper-__ a government statement that outlines proposed legislation; the last stage before the submission of a formal bill.
 * __3 line whip-__ statements to MPs that they must vote according to the party's wishes.
 * __vote of confidence-__ a vote in which the members express their support for (or opposition to) the government's policies; if it loses, the government must resign
 * __opposition days-__ a day on which the opposition party sets the agenda; there are 20 per year in the UK.
 * __shadow cabinet-__ the official leadership of the opposition party that "shadows" the cabinet.
 * __collectivist consensus-__ cross-party British support for the welfare state that lasted until the late 1970s.
 * __collective responsibility-__ the doctrine that all cabinet members must agree with all decisions.
 * __nationalization-__ philosophies or attitudes that stress the importance of extending the power or support for a nation; government takeover of private business.
 * __privatization-__ the selling off of state-owned companies.
 * __neoliberalism-__ market-driven approach to economic and social policies; stresses efficiency of private enterprise and free-market system.
 * __New Labour-__ began in 1994 and is known as Blair's "Third Way," under which the Labour party took a less radical stance and promoted privatization.
 * national political institutions of the UK- vague...
 * political culture of UK- so is this.
 * political culture of UK- so is this.

III. Short Answer Concepts things to review
 * parliamentary system (who is sovereign in these systems? are there any checks on their power?)
 * welfare states (make sure you can give examples of social welfare policy in the UK)
 * devolution
 * referendum (what are they? give an example of one in the UK)
 * civil society

IV. Essay things to review Labour Party vs. Conservative Party = **Welcome to Your New Wiki!** =
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 * Think about internationalism, social welfare, devolution

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Russia
__ ﻿Chapter 9 Terms __

**Concepts** · __Democratic centralism__- the Leninist organizational structure that concentrates power in the hands of the party elite. · //__Glasnost__//- under Gorbachev, Soviet policies that opened up the political system and allowed for freedom of expression. · __Near abroad__- Russian term to describe the other fourteen republics of the former Soviet Union. · //__Nomenklatura__//- the Soviet system of lists that facilitated the CPSU’s appointment of trusted people to key positions, adopted by other communist regimes. · __Oligarch__- business and political leaders with what some think is undue influence in Russia. · //__Perestroika__//- ill-fated program to reform the Soviet economy in the late 1980s. · __Power ministries__- the most important department in the Russian government. · __Privatization__- the selling off of state-owned companies. · __Purge__- the systematic removal of people from party, state, or other office; especially common in communist systems. · __Shock therapy__- policies in formerly communist countries that envisage as rapid a shift to a market economy as possible.

**People** · __Boris Berezovsky__- Russian oligarch who put together United Russia. · __Leonid Brezhnev__- general secretary of the CPSU, 1964-1982; largely responsible for the stagnation of the USSR. · __Anatoly Chubais__- Russian reformer committed to premarket policies and who created the Union of Right Forces. · __Mikhail Gorbachev__- head of the CPSU and last president of the Soviet Union. · __Mikhail Khodorkovsky__- Russian tycoon arrested on corruption and tax evasion charges in 2003. · __Nikita Khrushchev__- successor of Josef Stalin as head of the CPSU and Soviet Union from 1953 until he was ousted in 1964. · __Vladimir Lenin__- Architect of the Bolshevik revolution and first leader of the Soviet Union. · __Dmitri Medvedev__- third and current President of Russia. · __Vladimir Zhirinovsky__- leader of the right-wing and racist Liberal Democratic Party in Russia. · __Gennady Zyuganov__- head of the Russian Communist Party.

**Organizations, Places, and Events** · __Bolsheviks__- Lenin’s faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party; later came to mean anyone who subscribed to his views and/or organization. · __Central Committee__- supposedly the most important body in a communist party; its influence declined as it grew in size and the party needed daily leadership. · __Cheka__- the Soviet Union’s first secret police. · __Comintern__- the interwar coalition of communist parties directed from Moscow. · __Communist Party of the Russian Federation (CPRF)__- the new incarnation of the CPSU for Russia. · __Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU)__- the party that ran the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991. · __Fatherland-All Russia__- one of the leading opposition parties in Russian in the 1999 Duma elections. · __Federation Council__- the largely powerless upper house of the Russian parliament. · __Five-year plan__- in the former Soviet Union and other communist countries, the period for which Gosplan developed goals and quotas. · //__Gosplan__//- the Soviet central planning agency. · __Just Russia__- a Russian political party created in 2006 under Putin. · __KGB__- secret Soviet police. · __Liberal Democrats__- in Russia, the neofascist and racist opposition party led by Vladimir Zhirinovsky. · __Mensheviks__- the smaller and more moderate faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party before World War I.  · __Our Home Is Russia__- right-winged Russian political party between 1995 and early 2000. · __Politburo__- generic term used to describe the leadership of communist parties. · __Provisional government__- generic term used to describe temporary governments formed until a new constitution is written; also, the government in Russia between the two 1917 revolutions. · __Russian Federation__- formal name of Russia. · __Secret speech__- given by Khrushchev in 1957 citing the atrocities Stalin ordered; seen as the start of the “thaw.” · __Secretariat__- generic term used to denote the bureaucratic leaders of a communist party. · __State Duma__- the lower house of the Russian parliament. · __Third International__- Moscow-dominated organization of communist parties around the world between the two world wars. · __Twentieth Party Congress__- occasion of Khrushchev’s “secret speech” launching de-Stalinization. · __Union of Right Forces__- a Russian democratic opposition party associated with free market reforms and privatization. · __United Russia__- the political party led by Russian Prim Minister Vladimir Putin. · __Yabloko__- one of the leading reformist parties in Russia.

= China = __ Chapter 10 Terms __