Great Britain: An Outline

           Varied Authors. Encyclopedia Britannica (15^th Ed.). “United Kingdom.” Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1985.

Officially known as the “United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”—a political union between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The total area is 94, 512 square miles; it is about the size of Michigan, Wyoming or Oregon. The union with Wales was effected in 1301 when Edward I’s son was declared the Prince of Wales. “Enfranchisement” occurred under Henry VIII (Acts of 1536 and 1543).  The title “Great Britain” occurred with James 1’s royal proclamation, intending, thereby, to indicate that he ruled both England and Scotland. This title was adopted by an Act of Union, 1707, uniting the Parliament.  The same occurred with Ireland by an Act of Union, 1801. However, in 1922, 26 Irish counties were severed and created the “Irish Free State,” called later in 1949 the “Republic of Ireland.” After this, by the Royal and Parliamentary Acts” on 13 May 1927, the official title was the “Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.” Yet, there is autonomy in several respects.  For example, Scotland always maintained its own legal system and has independent departments of homes, health, agriculture, fisheries and education. 

Now, for an outline.

Physical and human geography

1.      The land

A.    Relief

B.    Drainage

C.    Soils

D.   Climate

E.    Plant and animal life

F.     Settlement patterns

2.      The people

A.    Linguistic and ethnic groups

B.    Religious groups

C.    Demographic trends

3.      The Economy

A.    Resources

B.    Agriculture, forestry and fishing

C.    Mining and industry’

D.   Finance

E.    Trade

F.     Management of the economy

G.   Transportation

4.      Administrative and social conditions

A.    Government

B.    Politics

C.    The Armed Forces

D.   Justice

E.    Education

F.     Health and welfare services

G.   Police services

5.      Cultural life

A.    Literature

B.    Theater and film

C.    Music

D.   Visual arts

E.    The mass media

History of England and Great Britain

1.      Ancient Britain

A.    Pre-Roman Britain

B.    Roman Britain

2.      Anglo-Saxon England

A.    The invaders and their early settlement patterns

B.    The Heptarchy

C.    The period of the Scandinavian invasions

D.   The achievement of political unity

E.    The Anglo-Danish states

3.      The Normans (1066—1154)

A.    William I (1066—1154)

B.    The sons of William I

C.    The period of anarchy (1135-54)

4.      The early Plantagenet

A.    Henry II (1154—89)

B.    Richard I the Lionhearted (1189—99)

C.    John (1199—1216)

5.      The 13^th Century

A.    Henry III (1216—1272)

B.    Edward I (1272—1307)

6.      The 14^th Century

A.    Edward II (1307—27)

B.    Edward III (1327—1377)

C.    Richard II (1377—1399)

7.      Lancaster and York

A.    Henry IV (1399—1413)

B.    Henry V (1413—1422)

C.    Henry VI (1422—62 and 1470—71)

D.   Edward IV (1461—70 and 1471—1483)

E.    Richard III (1483—1485)

F.     England in the late Middle Ages

8.      England under the Tudors

A.    Henry VII (1485—1509)

B.    Henry VIII (1509—47)

C.    Edward VI (1547—53)

D.   Mary 1 (1553—58)

E.    Elizabeth 1 (1558—1603)

9.      The Early Stuarts and the Commonwealth

A.    The Condition of England in 1603

B.    James 1 (1603—25)

C.    Charles 1 (1625—49)

D.   The Civil Wars

E.    The Commonwealth (1649—60)

10.  The Later Stuarts

A.    Charles II (1660—85)

B.    James II (1685—88) and the Glorious Revolution

C.    William III (1689—1702) and Mary II (1689—94)

D.   Anne (1702—14)

E.    The achievement of the Stuarts

11. Great Britain under the Hanoverians

A.    The development of the Parliamentary government (1714—60)

B.    The reign of George III to 1789

C.    The era of the French Revolution (1789—1815)

D.   Economic, cultural and social life

12. The Growth of the British Empire

A.    Origins of the British expansion

B.    The empire of outposts

C.    Losses and gains

13. Great Britain (1815—1914)

A.    Britain after the Napoleonic wars

B.    The politics of reform

C.    Social cleavage and social control in the early Victorian years

D.   Mid-Victorian society and culture

E.    Mid-Victorians politics

F.     Gladstone and Disraeli

G.   Late Victorian politics

H.   Edwardian and prewar Britain

14. The British Empire

A.    Expansion in the 19^th century

B.    Growth of self-government in the colonies

15. Britain from 1914—1945

A.    World War I

B.    Between the wars

C.    World War II

16. Britain since 1945

England

1.      Physical and human geography

A.    Land

B.    The people

C.    Administrative and social conditions

D.   Cultural life

2.      History

Scotland

1.      Physical and human geography

A.    The land

B.    The people

C.    The economy

D.   Administrative and social conditions

E.    Cultural life

2.      History

A.    Ancient times

B.    The unification of the kingdom

C.    The wars of independence

D.   Scotland in the 15^th century

E.    Scotland in the 16^th-early 17^th centuries

F.     The age of revolution (1625—89)

G.   The era of Union

H.   19^th century Scotland

I.       Modern Scotland

Wales

1.      Physical and human geography

A.    The land

B.    The people

C.    The economy

D.   Administrative and social conditions

E.    Cultural life

2.      History

A.    Wales before the Norman Conquest

B.    Wales in the Middle Ages

C.    Wales from the 16^th to the 19^th centuries

D.   Wales in the 20^th century

Northern Ireland

1.      Physical and human geography

A.    The land

B.    The people

C.    The economy

D.   Administrative and social conditions

E.    Cultural life

2.     History

A.    Ulster

B.    Ulster and home rule

C.    Northern Ireland