英美概况论文On the Rise and Fall of Great Britain.docx

英美概况论文On the Rise and Fall of Great Britain.docx

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英美概况论文OntheRiseandFallofGreatBritain

OntheRiseandFallofGreatBritain

中文摘要：

英国,又称大不列颠及北爱尔兰联合王国，是由英格兰、苏格兰、威尔士和北爱尔兰组成的联合王国。

英国采用君主立宪制政体，王国政府所在地为英国首都伦敦。

英国本土位于欧洲大陆西北面的大不列颠群岛，被北海、英吉利海峡、凯尔特海、爱尔兰海和大西洋包围，气候温和湿润。

它，一个漂泊在大西洋上的小岛，曾经在世界历史发展的漫长时期中湮没无闻，人口不过数百万，国土资源也很有限，却率先敲开通向现代世界的大门，从地理的边缘变成了世界的中心，一跃成为西方强国的领头人，并独领风骚数百年，给人类文明烙上了不可磨灭的印记。

然而到了十九世纪末期，由于美、德等国的崛起以及其他种种原因，英国逐渐失去优势,后来又在第二次世界大战中受到严重创伤，大英帝国国力日渐衰落,海外殖民地也在二战后纷纷宣告独立,大英帝国逐渐演变成一个组织松散的英联邦。

这个曾经号称“世界工厂”和“日不落帝国”的国家又逐渐衰落，回归到欧洲，回归到欧洲的版图之内，回归到大西洋中的那个小岛。

关键词:

农业革命；工业革命；世界工厂；殖民扩张；帝国；世界大战；衰落

AbstractinEnglish：

GreatBritain,alsoknowasTheUnitedKingdomofGreatBritainandNorthIreland,ismadeupofEngland,Scotland,WalesandNorthIreland.TheBritishsystemofgovernmentisknownasconstitutionalmonarchyandthegovernmentislocatedinitscapitalcityLondon.LyingintheBritishIslestothenorthwestofContinentalEurope,BritainwassurroundedbytheNorthSea,theBritishChannel,CelticSea,IrishSeaandtheAtlanticOceanwithamildandmoistclimate.It,asmallislandwhichliesintheAtlanticOcean,wasoncelittle-knowninthelonghistoryofthedevelopmentoftheworldandhadonlyseveralmillionsofpeople.What'more,herterritorialresourceswerealsolimited.However,sheisthefirstcountrytoopenthedoortothemodernworldrangingfromthegeographicaledgetothecenteroftheworld.Shehadoncebeentheleadingpowerofthewesterncountriesforhundredsofyearsandalsobrandedanindeliblemarkonthehumancivilization.However,inthelate19thcentury,withtheriseofAmericaandGermanandotherfactors,Britainbegantolosetheupperhandintheinternationalcompetition.Afterwards,shesufferedgreatlossinthetwoworldwars.Britainbegandecliningandtheforeigncoloniesbegantowinindependenceoneafteranother.ThegreatBritainEmpirebecamealoosefederalcountryandBritainwhichwasonceknownasthe"workshopoftheworld"and"anempireinwhichthesundoesnotset"begandeclininggraduallyandreturnedtoEurope,theEuropeanterritory，theislandintheAtlanticOcean.

Keywords:

AgriculturalChanges;IndustrialRevolution;Theworkshopoftheworld;ColonialExpansion;TheWorldWar;TheEmpire;Decline

Introduction:

BritainisanislandcountrysurroundedbytheseatothewestandofftheEuropeanContinent.Withthedeclineofthefeudalismandtheincreaseoftheinfluenceofthenew-bornbourgeoisie,shebeganhercapitalistdevelopment.Throughtheclosureandforeignplunder,expansionandaggression,shecompletedtheprimitiveaccumulationofcapital.Shebecamethefirstcountrytoundergotheindustrialrevolution.Soonshebecametheworkshopoftheworldandhadthelargestcolonies.Ofcourse,shebecamethemostpowerfulcountryintheworld.However,inthelate19thcenturywiththecompetitionofthenewindustrializedcountriesandotherfactors,shebegantolosetheupperhand.Afterwards,shesufferedgreatlossinthetwoworldwars.shebegantodecline.ThecolonieslaidoverseasbegantorevoltagainstBritainandwonindependences.GreatBritainhasgraduallyevolvedintoalooseorganizationoftheCommonwealth.Inthemoderntimes,shetriedtorecoverformit,butfordifferentreasonsshestilldevelopedslowly.Nowsheisstilloneofthemajordevelopedcountries,shehasbeenreducedtobeasecond-classworldpowerwhoisalwaysattheAmerica'scommandininternationalaffairs.

1TheriseofGreatBritain

Asasmallcountry,whichhadbeeninvadedbyseveraltimes,howcouldGreatBritaindevelopedintotheworkshopoftheworldandestablishthelargestempirethathistoryhaseverbeenseen?

Let'sexploreittogether.

1.1AgriculturalChangesintheLate18thCentury

Inthemid-18thcenturythepopulationinEnglandincreasedrapidly,andmostofthisincreasewasinthetowns,dependingonthecountryside,forfood.Greaterproductivitymeanthandsomeprofits,solandownerswantedtoreplacethesynallfarmscultivatedontheopen-fieldsystembylarger,economicallymoreefficientfarmswithhedge-dividedfields.Duringthelate18thandearly19thcenturiestheopen-fieldsystemendedwhentheEnclosureActsenabledwealthierlandownerstoseizeanylandtowhichtenantscouldprovenolegaltitleandtodivideitintoenclosedfields.Asystemofcroprotationwasintroduced.Thismeantlandcouldbefullyusedwhilethecuffivationoffoddercropsenabledlivestocktobekeptthroughthewintermonths.Artificialfertilizerandnewagriculturalmachinery,suchastheseeddrillinventedbyJethroTull（1674-1741）,alsomadearablefarmingmoreefficientandmoreprofitable.The18thcenturyalsosawselectivebreedingofcattle,sheepandhorsesbyRobertBakewell（1725-95）.Animalsby1800were2to3timesheavierthaneverbefore.TheideaofencouragingtenantstointroducechangeswasassociatedwithThomasCoke（1754-1842）ofNorfolkinSouthernEnglandandevenGeorgewassoenthusiasticaboutchangesatWindsorthathegotthenick-named“FamerGeorge”Agriculturalenclosurehadgoodaswellasbadresults

（1）Farmsbecame-biggerandbiggerunitsasthegreatboughtupthesmall;

（2）morevegetables,moremilk,morediaryproducewereconsumed,anddietbecamemorevaried;（3）enclosurewasadisasterforthetenantsevictedfromtheirlandsbytheenclosures.Thesepeasantfarmerswereforcedtolookforworkintowns,whichrapidlybecamehopelesslyovercrowded.Riotseruptedinmanyareasbuttheycouldnotpreventthemarchofprogress.InIrelandandtheScottishHighlands-landenclosureledtomassemigration,particularlytotheNewWorld;and（4）anewclasshostilitywasintroducedintoruralrelationships.Concentrationoflandinfewerhandsincreasedthepriceoflandanddashedthelabourers'hopesofeverowninghisownland.Lossofthecommonlandforhisanimalsaddedinsulttoinjury,andmeantmanyhadtoleavethelandtosurvive.Othersbecamewagelabourers,earningrateswhichwereverylowinspiteofagriculture'snewprosperity.

1.2M-TheIndustrialRevolution（1780-1830）

TheIndustrialRevolutionwasanecessaryresultofsocialdevelopmentinBritain.ItwasanoutgrowthofsocialandinstitutionalchangesbroughtbytheendoffeudalismaftertheEnglishCivilWarinthe17thcentury.TheEnclosureMovementandtheAgriculturalRevolutionweredrivingmoreandmorepeasantsofftheirlands;asaresult,theyhadtoseeknewemploymenttosurvive.Throughcolonialexpansionofthe17thcenturywiththeaccompanyingdevelopmentofinternationaltrade,thegreedyEnglishcapitalistsaccomplishedtheir“primitiveaccumulationofcapital”.AllthesefactorscombinedtomakeEnglandthefirstcountrytoundergotheIndustrialRevolution.

TheIndustrialRevolutioninBritainfirstbeganinthetextileindustrybecauseoftheshortsupplyofyarn.Lotsofinventionsweremadetoimprovethread-makingtechniquesandtheproductivitywasincreasedby200times.Asthe18thcenturybegan,coalcametoreplacewoodintheproductiveprocess.ThecrucialdevelopmentoftheIndustrialRevolutionwastheuseofsteamforpower,andtheJamesWatt’sinventionofthesteamengineledtothefastdevelopmentoftheiron,steelandcoalindustries.Theexpansionofproductionandtradepromotethetransportationrevolution.Afterwards,thefirststeamlocomotivewasbuiltin1814byStephenson.TheIndustrialRevolutionturnedBritainintothe“workshopoftheworld”.Englishproductsfloodedtheworldmarket.TheEnglishbourgeoisieamassedlargeamountsofwealththroughtrade,plunderandcolonization.NocountrywasstrongenoughtomatchEnglandinthe19thcentury.TheIndustrialRevolutionsimplifiedtheclassstructureinBritain.RevolutionpushedthemiddleclasstothedominantpositioninthecountrythoughthenobleclasswasstillprominentinParliamentandbureaucracy.However,astheurbanworkersweremorecompletelydependentonthewilloftheemployer,relationsbetweencapitalandlaborwereaggravatedandthecontradictionbetweentwoclassesbecamethemajorprobleminEnglishsociety.ThegravitationalcenteroftheEnglisheconomyalsochanged.TheagriculturalSouthbecamelessimportantthanareasincentralandnorthEngland,owingtotheirrawmaterialsandcheaplaborforindustry.Theindustryhadreplacedagricultureasthemainsourceofnationalincomeandwealth.TheIndustrialRevolutionhadprofoundsignificanceonEngland;itenabledBritaintogofaraheadofalltheothercountries.ItbecametheworkshopoftheworldandLondonbecamethefinancialcenteroftheworldtradeandtheEnglishlanguagewasusedinmanypartsoftheworld.TheempirecameintobeingduringtheIndustrialRevolution.

1.3ColonialExpansion

EnglishcolonialexpansionbeganwiththecolonizationofNewfoundlandin1583.Intheearly18thcentury,settlementsweremadeinNorthAmerica,whilecommercialcompanieswerecharteredtotradewithotherlands,notabltheBritishEastIndiaCompanyinIndia.EncouragedbyBritain'scontroloftheseas,thediscoveriesofmenlikeCaptainCook,andespeciallybytherisingtideofemigration,theBritishcolonialistssteppeduptheirexpansioninthelate18thcenturyandtheearly19thcentury.

1.3.1Thegrowthofdominions

Inthelate18thcenturyBritainacquiredvast,underpopulatedterritories:

Canada,Australia,andNewZealand.

AftertheSevenYears'War（1756-63）betweenBritainandFrance,CanadawascededtoBritainbythe1763TreatyofParis.Frenchrightswereguaranteedbythe.QuebecActof1774.ThentheCanadaActof1791dividedCanadaintoUpperCanada（Pntario）wheretheBritishhadsettled,andLowerCanada（Quebec）populatedbytheFrench.OnlyoneseriousrevoltagainstBritishruletookplacein1837-38.TheBritishNor