TTK – UAntwerpen – L. Magnus – CHUKUS – 2019-2020
British Civilisation: An Introduction – John Oakland
ENG = England | W = Wales | SC = Scotland | GB = Great Britain | IR = Ireland | N-IR = Northern Ireland | gvt(s). = government(s) | c. = century/centuries
Terms in blue squares at the end of each chapter in the book are important and will come on the exam: see my document ‘glossary’ with all the terms &
their definitions & relevance to the UK
Chapter 1: The British context
Historical Successive settlement Pre-history: Old, Middle and New Stone Age nomads
growth & invasion from about Celtic groups, Belgic tribes, Romans, Germanic tribes (Anglo-Saxons), Scandinavians
600 BC – 1066 AD (Vikings) & Normans (with Norman Conquest 1066 by William the Conqueror)
Consequence: diversity + separate nations of ENG, W, SC & IR
Dynastic union of ENG James VI of SC inherited English throne as James I of ENG in 1603 after death of Elizabeth I
& SC
Towards a British Parliamentary power base: Westminster, London
state 1707: Political unions between ENG, W & SC (GB)
1801: between GB and IR (UK) 1921: Southern IR became independent Republic of IR
Development British Extension of earlier English monarchs’ internal military expansionism
Empire (and successor Seeking raw materials, possessions, trade & power overseas Colonialism, aided by
Commonwealth) increasing military strength
Industrial & urbanised Manufacturing & financial base, with connections to Europe
country (from the late Industrial revolutions
18th c.) Inventions & major advances
Industrial & political Economic & military prowess Develop Western principles of e.g. law, liberty, capitalism,
world power (by the parliamentary democracy
19th c.)
Many political reforms E.g. formation of Labour Party Two-party tradition
E.g. creation of welfare state, associated with first major Labour gvt., led by PM Clement
Attlee (1945-51), who inaugurated radical reform programmes leading to the welfare
state, NHS & nationalisation of private industry into public services
Later changes in 20th c., e.g. shifts along more free market lines
Devolution by 1998-99 Transfer of some political power from London Parliament to elected bodies in SC, W and N-IR
International decline Social & economic strength reduced by two world wars
in 20th century Dismantling of imperial global power
Domestic developments, e.g. immigration
31 January, 2020 Ongoing scepticism about Europe and the 2016 referendum resulted in the UK leaving the EU
Structural Traditional view Guided by pragmatism rather than FML arrangements & theories
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change historical growth & Development of British way of life < evolutionary responses to changing circumstances
structural change
Second view Historical realities of oppression, unfairness, division of opinion & lack of shared values
Characterised by dissension & lack of certainty rather than cohesion
Structural/institutional Conditioned by a mixture of arguments
changes Abrupt & violent changes Others occurred in a slower, more pragmatic, evolutionary
fashion
Democratic deficit FML institutions concerned with state or public business
o Policies in ‘top-down’ form: decided by centralised bodies imposed on lower levels
(power hierarchy)
Contempo Divisions in British Dominant influence (and separateness) of & centralised control from London
rary society Cultural & ethnic distinctiveness of W, SC, N-IR & ENG + cultural & economic gaps
condition between N & S
s Demands for greater autonomy, democracy & accountability in devolved & local gvt.
areas
Decline in support for authority & national institutions Tolerant civic image has suffered
However: golden age = myth; assumed ideal past (conservatism) change;
modernisation
Dependency culture Enterprise culture (people more responsible for own affairs)
Difficulties balancing free market & social welfare models of society
Post-industrial economy where long-term planning or fundamental reform is necessary
British Increasing Individualistic, independent & dissenting British tradition that has been cynical, irreverent,
attitudes dissatisfaction in critical & apathetic about state structures & powerful individuals
to Britain recent years Increase in immigration & terrorist threat now significant concern
Chapter 2: The country
Geograp Not part of Isle of Man in the Irish Sea & the Channel Islands off north coast of France: own identities, legal
hical the UK system, legislatures & administrative structures; self-governing Crown Dependencies with historical
identities relationship with British Crown
British gvt. responsible for their defence & foreign relations & can intervene if good administration is
not maintained
Levels of Identification with civic national unit & sense of Britishness weakening among some white Britons
geographical Smaller level: peoples of SC, W, ENG & N-IR conscious of ethnic identities
identification
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, TTK – UAntwerpen – L. Magnus – CHUKUS – 2019-2020
Division into May reflect specific identity
geographic Regions ≠ modern local gvt. structures
‘regions’ Following devolution, SC, W & N-IR became self-governing ‘national’ units rather than ‘regions’ &
(areas) nine regions were created in ENG, which took the form of Regional Development Agencies
o Intended that they would develop into elected regional gvt. assemblies in ENG analogous to the
devolved structures in W, SC & N-IR This did not happen outside London English people
tended not to identify with the RDAs Coalition gvt. abolished RDAs in 2010 Replaced them,
trying to create local identity, enterprise partnerships & zones for their area, & which are
sometimes referred to as ‘regions’
No longer devolved gvt. role, but administrative purposes
Smaller Sense of belonging; reflects a wish by local populations to assert individual identities
level: May be based on county structures, cities & towns, villages & local gvt. areas
‘localism’ Identification with local areas was more significant when the British were a rural people
Physical Countryside Rural residents, campaign groups, conservationists & farmers feel neglected by UK gvt. & politicians:
features tension urban rural cultures
Diversity 15 National Parks in ENG, e.g. Lake District, W (Snowdonia) & SC (the Cairngorms)
Inland water, e.g. lakes & rivers
Giant’s Causeway and Antrim coast of N-IR, white Cliffs of Dover in southern ENG, Highlands of SC,
Welsh valleys & mountains
From mountains to coal deposits (< swamp forests covering lowland zones buried by sand, soil & mud)
Ice Ages, glaciers, highland areas, weathering agents…
Natural Geological tilting from N to S, rising sea levels & erosion Loss of land, houses & farms
forces Melting of glaciers in last Ice Age Sea levels raised Britain separated from European mainland
by the North Sea & English Channel & north-east coast of N-IR separated from SC by North Channel
o Shortest stretch of water between two land masses = Strait of Dover
Protection Flooding Barriers against tidal water, e.g. London flood barrier 1984 across river Thames
Physical Highland Britain: N & W + lowland Britain: S & E of the country
relief N & W: older, harder rocks created by ancient earth movements Unsuitable for cultivation
S & E: younger, softer materials formed by weathering processes Good agricultural conditions
England Relief & Highland areas in N & S-W; highland zones marked by Cheviot Hills, north-western mountain region
population of Lake District & Cumbrian Mountains (with Scafell Pike); northern plateau of Pennines; Peak District
of Derbyshire; & south-western plateau of Devon & Cornwall
Eastern ENG has low-lying flat lands of the Norfolk Broads, the Cambridgeshire & Lincolnshire Fens &
the Suffolk Marshes
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Low hill ranges stretch: North Yorkshire Moors, Cotswolds, the Kent & Sussex Downs & Chiltern Hills
Population concentrations: largest (historically industrial & manufacturing) towns & cities, e.g.
London & those in S-E ENG generally; West Midlands region around Birmingham; Yorkshire cities of
Leeds, Bradford & Sheffield; north-western area around Liverpool & Manchester & N-E region
comprising Newcastle & Sunderland
Wales Relief & Highland country with Cambrian Mountains (Welsh Massif); highest mountains are in National Park
population area of Snowdonia in N-W (dominant peak of Snowdon)
Lowland zones restricted to narrow coastal belts & lower parts of river valleys in S-W, where 2/3 of
Welsh population live
Urban concentrations around bigger southern cities, e.g. capital Cardiff, Swansea & Newport
Scotland Three areas North-West & Central Highlands (Grampians; with Ben Nevis) + islands off W & N-E coasts: thinly
populated
Central Lowlands: ¾ of Scottish population
Southern Uplands
Population Main concentrations: around capital Edinburgh, Glasgow, & regional centres of Aberdeen & Dundee
Northern Around N-IR < 1921: a 303 mile (488 km) border in the S & W with Republic of Ireland
Ireland North-eastern tip which is only 13 miles (21 km) from Scottish coast (Strait of Dover) Encouraged
migration
Relief Rocky northern coastline, south-central fertile plain & mountainous areas in the W (Sperrin
Mountains), N-E (Antrim Mountains) & S-E (Mourne Mountains, with highest peak Slieve Donard)
Lough Neagh in centre of country (freshwater lake)
Valleys leading from the lough: most of the large towns, e.g. Belfast (capital)
Chapter 3: The people big outlines only, no details/numbers
Early Discoveries Boxgrove Man: earliest human bones found in Britain (West Sussex)
settleme Butchered animal bones & stone tools indicate hominid activity (East Anglia)
nt to AD Human footprints (Happisburgh, Norfolk) Earliest direct evidence of human presence in
1066 northern Europe
Palaeolithic Old Stone Age; nomads; used rudimentary stone implements
Homo Appeared during Palaeolithic period (Neanderthals)
sapiens
Mesolithic Middle Stone Age; settlers arrived by land & sea between melting of glacial ice caps & beginnings
of agriculture
Neolithic New Stone Age; skills in stone carving, formed settled agricultural communities & tamed animals &
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