UNITE 3.doc

Unit three Government I.Monarchy in history Origin 2.Divine right of the King 3.One short ousted period 4.Magna Carta II. The history of Parliament 1.Origin 2.History 3.Acquisition of power III. The birth of the Prime Minister and Cabinet birth of Cabinet birth of Prime Minister IV. The British government and Constitution 1. Government system 2.The Constitution V. Parliament Today 1.Functions 2.Status 3.Institutions I. Monarchy In history 1. Origin (1)It dates back to the Saxons who ruled from the 5 th century AD until the Norman Conquest in 1066. (2)King Albert united the England under his rule in 829. 2. Divine right of the King (1)It held that the sovereign derived his authority from God, not from his subjects. (2)This ancient doctrine was where the power of the Monarchy largely derived from. 3. One short ousted period (1)In the 17th century there was a civil war in England between republican “Roundheads” led by Oliver Cromwell,who wanted to abolish the monarchy,and royalists who wanted it to continue. (2)The Roundheads succeeded in ousting the monarch,Charles I ,in 1642 and ruled for just 18 years before the monarchy was restored. 4. Magna Carta Magna Carta, or the Great Charter, was signed in 1215 during King John’s reign and placed some limits on the King’s ability to abuse his royal power. II. The history of Parliament Origin The term “parliament” was first used officially in 1236 to describe the gathering of feudal barons and representatives from counties and towns which the King occasionally summoned if he wanted to raise money. History In medieval time, when the King’s own wealth couldn’t cover royal expenses, he would try to persuade the Great Council , a gathering of leading, wealthy barons which met several times a year , to give him some extra money. By the 13