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Jun 15, 1215
Magna Carta
The King signed an agreement, limiting his power. The power that was takem away was given to the people, creating the first steps to a limited monarchy in the UK. -
Period: Jan 1, 1532 to Dec 31, 1536
English Reformation
King Henry VIII breaks from Pope and the Roman Catholic Church. He then creates his own church: the Church of England, which became the established church of England. -
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Imperialism/Colonial Mercantilism
The UK made colonies overseas, in the Americas and elsewhere. The UK established itself as the world's superpower with its strong international trading ties and strong navy. -
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English Civil War
Discontent with the monarchy caused Oliver Cromwell to lead a rebellion against it. The resulting war led to the the overtrhow of the king and the formation of the Commonwealth of England and later the Protectorate of England, both under Cromwell's rule. By 1660 people became fed up with Cromwell and the monarchy was brought back. -
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Glorious Revolution
This bloodless revolution replaced King James II with William III and Mary II. The English Bill of Rights is written, further limiting the monarchy and empowing the people.The English Bill of Rights acted as a model for other important documents to come in the future. -
Emergence of Prime Minister (early 1700's)
Although the prime minister was not a formal position at this point in time, statesman Sir Robert Walpole had to take a leading role in Parliament because King George I stopped attending cabinet meetings. -
Great Reform Act
This act redistributed the seats for the House of Commons to better represent the population at the time, which was becoming more and more concentrated in the new cities. The act also enfranchised more people, giving 1 out of 6 adult males sufferage. This did not end the elite's domination of the government, though. -
Second Great Reform Act
The Second Great Reform Act enfranchised all homeowning males in the UK. This was mainly important in giving the working class more representation in the political system that was dominated by the elites prior to the act. -
Reform of House of Lords
For almost a century, governments in the United Kingdom have attempted to find a way to undertake a comprehensive reform of the House of Lords, which is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. This process was started by the Parliament Act 1911, introduced by the then Liberal Government which stated. It effectively removed the right of the Lords to veto money bills completely, and replaced a right of veto over other public bills with a maximum delay of two years. It also reduced -
General Strike by TUC
The general strike was called by the Trade Union Congress and lasted 9 days. The goal of the strike was to protect coal miners frm reduced wages and longer hours. The strike was unsuccessful and was surprisingly peaceful. It posed no threat to the civic culture or the legitimacy of the regime -
The Great Depression in UK
The UK was still recovering from WWI when the Great Depression hit. The resulting suffering discredited the free market ideas of the time, setting the stage for the era of Collective Consensus and the welfare state -
Beveridge Report
A civil servant named William Beveridge created the Beveridge Report. The report created an extensive social welfare system that incuded unemployment, pension, and health benefits. -
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Collectivist Consensus Era
Era after World War II when the two major political parties (Labour and Conservative) both agreed on many issues, the most important one being the welfare state. There was a high degree of legitimacy in this era because of economic prosperity. -
National Health Service Created
The NHS was one of the products of the Collectivist Consensus Era that was a major part of the welfare state. The NHS provides single-payer healthcare to every regierstered, legal resident of the UK. -
Margaret Thatcher Becomes Prime Minister
Leads Conservative Party for 11 years. Margaret Thatcher combatted the radicalization of UK politics, especially the radical labor unions.She also supported free market economics rather than the nationalization of industry and extensive welfare state of the Collectivist Consensus years -
Tony Blair Becomes Prime Minister
Tony Blair revamped the Labour Party, getting rid of Clause 4 from the party's manifesto, which called for the nationalization of industry, limiting the power of unions and leftists, and instead attracting younger, more moderate supporters. He also supported and continued the free market policies of Margaret Thatcher, but he lost popularity because of scandals, his iron-handed control of the Labour Party, and his support of the US in Iraq. -
Gordon Brown Becomes Prime Minister
Gordon Brown is Tony Blair's successor as leader of the Labour Party. He had to resign 3 years later due to lack of results and controversial policies such as remaining comitted to the war in Iraq. -
David Cameron Becomes Prime Minister
Conservative David Cameron replaces Labour Gordon Brown. He leads a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats. He has to deal with an economic recession and the resulting unrest in the form of riots.
