A Concise History of BRITAIN

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1、IntroductionThisconcisehistorycoverstheperiodfromtheformationoftheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainin1707totheentryoftheBritishintotheEuropeanEconomicCommunityinthe1970s.ThusthechronologyspansthewholehistoryofBritainintheprecisesensethattheUnionof1707broughtitintobeing,endingt

2、heseparatesovereigntyofEnglandandScotland,andwasfortheScotsatleasttheendfoanauldsong’;whilemembershipoftheEECwasapartialsurrenderofBritishsovereignty,eveniffewwerepreparedtorecogniseitoradmitit.Tocoversuchalongperiodinsuchashortcompassisinevitablytoreduceasymphonytoaslee

3、venote.Someconcentrationisrequiredtopickoutthemainthemes.Theprincipalthemeisthatchangehasbeenevolutionaryratherthanrevolutionary.Thepeacefuladjustmentofinstitutionsandsocialstructuretochangingcircumstanceshasbeenlargelyduetothefactthat,sincetheGloriousRevolutionof1688,ma

4、chineryhasalwaysexistedforeffectingsuchchangeswithoutresorttorebellionrorevolution.Therehavenotbeenwantingrebelsorrevolutionaries–Jacobitesintheeighteenthcentury,Jacobinsintheearlynineteenth,formexample–buttheyhaveneverappealedtomorethanaminority.Themajorityhaveeitheracq

5、uiescedinthestatusquooracceptedthatdesiredchangescouldbeobtainedbypersuasionratherthanbyforce.Therulingclasswasalwayssusceptibletobeingpersuadedbecauseitremainedanswerabletotheelectoratethroughparliament,whichneverceasedtofunctionasarepresentativeinstitutionevenintheso-c

6、alledageofoligarchyinthemiddleoftheeighteenthcentury.AnothercauseofthepeacefultransitionofBritishsocietyfromanoligarchytoademocracyhasbeenthat,formostofthetime,theeconomyliterallydeliveredthegoods.Alternativestotheexistingsystemonlybecamewidelyattractiveinrareintervalswh

7、ensuchbuoyancywasnotsustained.Byandlargeproplewerenotonlysparedsrarvationbut,throughanunprecedentedgrowthofpopulation,thestandardoflivingwasatworstsustainedandatbestimproved.Thiswasnotregardedasamerecoincidence.Onthecontrary,theconnexionbetweenlimitedormixedmonarchyandec

8、onomicgrowthbycongrastwithabsolutismandstagnationordeclinewashammeredhomeinlearnedtreatisesandcrudeprop