(英美国家概况课件）Unit 4 Economy.ppt

* The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Unit 4 Economy The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Think about these questions before we start: 1.What are the three periods as far as the evolution of the British economy is concerned? 2. Why is British coal mining called a “sick” industry today? Warming-up Activities British economy after the WWII: absolute decline and relative decline privatization in 1980s-1990s The 21st Century UK Economy primary secondary tertiary What to learn: By the 1880s, dominant in the world -- 1/3 of the world’s manufactured goods; 1/2 of the world’s coal, iron and cotton; shipping greater than the sum of the rest of the world By 1900, overtaken by the U.S and Germany From 1945 until present, slip from being the 2nd largest economy to being the 6th. The Changed status of British economy  in the word i. absolute decline and relative decline I. British Economy after the WWII: Relative decline: steady economic growth and rapidly increasing living standards and still remaining one of the Group of Seven (US, UK. Germany, France, Japan, Italy and Canada) Absolute decline: Other countries developed more rapidly, so it has slipped from being the 2nd largest economy to being the 6th. 1. heavy debt to finance the war selling many accumulated overseas assets, borrowing large amounts from the US and Canada) 2. the end of the era of empire British colonies which used to provide raw materials and big markets gained independence Why so? 3.Heavily burdened with the huge military expenditure during the process of de-colonization.? It was still forced to maintain a substantial and expensive military presence in many overseas locations until the process was completed (mostly by the end of the 1960s). As one of the shapers of the post-war world, required substantial milita