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Sep 26, 1215
Magna Carta signed
King John is forced to sign, thus dissolving the absolute monarchy. -
Period: Sep 26, 1532 to Sep 26, 1536
Reformation: Church of England formed
Catholics and Protestants split in the Great Schism, and King Henry VIII, unable to annul his marriage, forms his own church. -
Period: to
Imperialism/ Colonial Mercantilism
The Brits invade the whole world, and at the peak of their empire, it was said that "the sun never set on the British empire." -
Period: to
Civil War/ Restoration
Oliver Cromwell, with his common people, overthrows Charles I but loses power when Charles II is retored in 1660, on the provision that Parliament will have more power. -
Glorious Revolution
The king will henceforth be Anglican and accountable to Parliament,marking a major shift in power balance. -
Period: to
Act of Settlement/ Emergence of PM
The king and queen henceforth must govern according to parliament's laws and follow the procedures for succession. -
Great Reform Act
300,000 more men gained a vote, but the aristocracy remained powerful and dominant in terms of representation. -
Second Reform Act
The electorate nearly doubles to a complete size of 3 million, so the common man finally gets his say in the vote. -
Reform of House of Lords
The House of Lords essentially loses its power, and the gradual evolution of British parliamentary democracy is complete. -
Trades Union Congress
British workers walk off the job in large numbers, which helped the Labour Party gain support. -
Great Depression
It crosses the pond to hit Britain hardest out of any European nation except for Germany. -
Beveridge Report published
The social insurance program for all citizens to be elligible for benefits is established under Churchill's rule. -
Period: to
Collectivist Consensus
A period of general harmony and agreement between the Labour and Conservative parties, when there was nothing to fight about, and because of steady economic growth, the people were happy, and the parties worked together. -
National Health Service created
In a classic example of the interventionist state, Britain establishes essentially universal health care for its people. -
Thatcher Elected
The "iron woman" ascends to power and lives up to her conservative label, holding steady in the face of strikes. -
Blair elected
Tony Blair and the Labor party win in sweeping general elections. -
Brown elected
Blair tumbles down the slippery slope of voter appeasement and Gordon Brown becomes Prime Minister. -
Cameron elected
Due to widespread dissatisfaction, Brown loses power and Cameron is elected with sweeping change in the general elections.
