the government of the United Kingdom.doc

The Monarchy It is the oldest institution of government. Elizabeth Ⅱ is descended from King Egbert(埃格伯特国王)，who united England under his rule in 829. It’s power was derived from “divine right of kings”（君权神授）. In the 17th century, a civil war between “Roundheads” led by Oliver Cromwell(克伦威尔) and royalists broke out. The Roundheads succeeded in 1642 and ruled for 18 years before the monarchy was restored. Because the absolute power was strongly opposed by many feudal barons and the Church, King John made a charter--- Magna Carta in 1215 which placed some limits on the king’s ability to abuse his royal power. The Parliament 1.The Great Council(leading, wealthy barons)—13th century，The Great Council{leading, wealthy barons(the House of Lords), representatives of counties, cities and towns(the House of Commons)}—today, they are collectively called the Parliament. 2.(要求获得发言权)In 1407, Henry IV decreed that all money grants should be considered and approved by the Commons before being considered by the Lords, a formula which is almost the same today. The Commons also acquired law-making powers by 15th century. 3. In 1688, William became the King and in 1689 Parliament passed the 揃ill of Rights?which ensured that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament. aThe Birth of the Prime Minister and Cabinet Sir Robert Walpole(沃波尔) was the first prime minister of the UK. To ensure good relations between Crown and Parliament, the king or queen met regularly with a group of important Parliamentarians, a group which became known as the Cabinet. In 1832, when a system for choosing the House of Commons by popular election replaced the monarch’s job of appointing representatives, the modern political system was born. Members of the Parliament (MPs) assembled themselves into groups which eventually would become political parties, organized groups which presented their policies and ideas to the electorate(全体选民) for approval. The leader of the party that won the election becomes P