Download Great Britain: “At Home and Overseas”

Great Britain:
“At Home and Overseas”
Mid 1600’s to 1780’s
Britain as a Global Power
How did Great Brittan become a global power?
• England had colonies and trading outposts across the globe
• West Indies, North America, India, Australia, New Zealand
• Military might = Success in Conflicts
• Powerful Navy, French & Indian War, Seven Years War, Treaty of Utrecht
• Favorable Economic policies
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Economy is a mix of Mercantilist policies and Capitalist Business policies
• Expansion
• Act of Union (1707) unites England and Scotland
• Irish Repression
• England controlled Ireland since 1100’s and in 1600’s place
them under strict control
British Internal Politics
A. Britain becomes a Constitutional Government in 1688 after the
Glorious Revolution and English Bill of Rights
•
power of the king is limited by constitution and by parliament
B. New Political Institutions
1. Political Parties (the Tories and the Whigs)
2. Cabinet System
- Cabinet- leaders of the majority party; advisors
to king and prime minister who set policy
- Prime Minister- leader of majority party and
head of the cabinet
C. Politics and Society
1. Wealthy and Elite finds themselves parliament
(House of Lord and House of Commons)
Result: Britain is more of an “oligarchy”
A New King Reasserts Royal Power
King George III becomes king in 1760
1. His Goal: regain powers lost
2. Places “the kings friends” in parliament
Result: Ends cabinet system!
Colonists Question British Policies
Founding Fathers follow Republican
ideas and Enlightenment ideas
British Parliament was illegitimate
1763 no new settlements west of Appalachian Mts. 
1764 Sugar Act  1765 Stamp Act  1773 Tea Act 
1774 Intolerable Acts
American Revolution
A. July 1776 the 13 the American
Revolution begins (ends 1783)
Declaration of Independence (1776) and the
American Constitution (1787) = summary of
the ideals and values of the Enlightenment
Effects of the American Revolution
American Revolution did the following:
• put into practice Enlightenment ideas
• created a new people led form of government (Democracy)
• gave hope to those nations under power of Absolute monarch
• Led to French Revolution