home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
Belgian Amiga Club - ADF Collection
/
BS1 part 05.zip
/
BS1 part 5
/
World_Atlas_3.adf
/
TEXTA
/
156
< prev
next >
Wrap
Text File
|
1991-09-30
|
3KB
|
44 lines
The Celts first arrived 2,500 to 3,000 years ago, and their
language survives today in Welch, Cornish and Gaelic. England
became part of the Roman Empire in 43 AD until 410 when waves of
Jutes, Angles and Saxons arrived from German speaking lands.
They contended with Danish raiders until the 11th Century. The
last successful invasion of the island came in 1066 when the
French speaking Normans arrived uniting the country with their
French controlled land. In 1215, nobles forced King John to sign
the Magna Carta, guaranteeing the rights and the rule of law.
Shortly afterward, a system of Parliamentary government was
established. English claims to France led to the Hundred Years
War from 1338 to 1453 and the defeat of England. The Tudor
monarchy came to power after the English Civil War from 1455 to
1485. The economy continued to prosper with the Tudors,
religious independence was secured when the Church of England was
established in 1534 with no association to the Pope. Under
Elizabeth I, England established colonies around the world and
with the coronation of James I, Scotland was united with England.
A bloody civil war erupted from 1642 to 1649 that led to a
republic under Puritan Oliver Cromwell. The monarchy was
restored in 1660, but the Glorious Revolution in 1688 re-
established the sovereignty of Parliament. In the 18th Century,
economic growth and science led to the industrial revolution.
The North American colonies were lost, but replaced by larger
colonies in Canada and India. Britain became a world power with
the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. Large parts of Asia and Africa
were added as colonies during the reign of Queen Victoria from
1837 to 1901. Although a victor in World War I, Britain suffered
economic and industrial problems. In 1921, Ireland became
independent and movements for independence became active in India
and other colonies. During World War II severe bombing damage
occurred to Britain, while holding out for a year and a half
after the fall of France. After World War II, Britain lost
dominance to other counties, as well as loosing any of its last
remaining colonies. Several labor governments initiated
nationalization of major industries and sweeping social
guarantees. The election of Margaret Thatcher's conservative
government reversed many of those policies and in 1987 she became
the first Prime Minister to be elected to a third term in over
160 years. Britain broke diplomatic relations with Libya on
April 22, 1984, five days after a policewoman was killed by
gunfire from within the Libyan embassy in London. The embassy
occupants, including the killer left Britain on April 27.
@