England as a Welfare State

 

England as a Welfare State

The First World War and the Second World War shattered the economy of England. Common men were in need of aid by the government. In order to help such people, the Labour Government introduced a series of welfare schemes. Sir William Beveridge, a warm sociologist of the twentieth century, analysed the pathetic condition of poor people. He drew up an elaborate ‘cradle to the grave’ scheme to help the poor.  The Labour Government put into effect many of his recommendations.

The Family Allowance Act

This Act granted five shillings a week to the second and each successive child

Retirement Pensions

Old age pensions were granted to retired and old people to enable them to live comfortably with self-respect.

The Health Service Act

This Act gave free medical service to old people who needed surgery or specialist consultations. Doctors received an annual sum for each old person treated free of cost by him.

The National Assistance Act

This Act opened hostels for the care of pensioners, physically disabled people and tubercular patients.

Free education

A number of state schools giving free education to children were opened. Free milk was given to all the students of these schools.

These schemes were criticized by the people in the beginning because it makes people lazy. But the needy are certainly thankful to the British government.

 

The Falkland War

 

The Falkland War

Falkland Islands War, also called Falklands War, Malvinas War, or South Atlantic War, a brief undeclared war fought between Argentina and Great Britain in 1982 over control of the  Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and associated island dependencies.

Argentina had claimed sovereignty over the Falkland Islands, which lie 300 miles (480 km) east of its coast, since the early 19th century, but  Britain  seized the islands in 1833, expelling the few remaining Argentine occupants, and since then consistently rejected Argentina’s claims. In early 1982 the Argentine military Junta led by Lieut. Gen. Leopoldo Galtieri gave up on long-running negotiations with Britain and instead launched an invasion of the islands. The decision to invade was chiefly political: the junta, which was being criticized for economic mismanagement and human rights’ abuses, believed that the “recovery” of the islands would unite Argentines behind the government in a patriotic fervour. An elite invasion force trained in secrecy, but its timetable was shortened on March 19 when a dispute erupted on British-controlled  South Georgia island, where Argentine salvage workers had raised the Argentine flag, 800 miles (1,300 km) east of the Falklands. Naval forces were quickly mobilized.

Argentine troops invaded the Falklands on April 2, rapidly overcoming the small garrison of British marines at the capital Stanley (Port Stanley); they obeyed orders not to inflict any British casualties, despite losses to their own units. The next day Argentine marines seized the associated island of South Georgia. By late April Argentina had stationed more than 10,000 troops on the Falklands, although the vast majority of these were poorly trained conscripts, and they were not supplied with proper food, clothing, and shelter for the approaching winter.

As expected, the Argentine populace reacted favourably, with large crowds gathering at the Plaza de Mayo (in front of the presidential palace) to demonstrate support for the military initiative. In response to the invasion, the British government under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher declared a war zone for 200 miles (320 km) around the Falklands. The government quickly assembled a naval task force built around two aircraft carriers, the 30-year-old HMS Hermes and the new HMS Invincible light carrier, and two cruise ships pressed into service as troop carriers, the  Queen Elizabeth 2 and the Canberra. The carriers sailed from Portsmouth on April 5 and were reinforced en route. Most European powers voiced support for Great Britain, and European military advisers were withdrawn from Argentine bases. However, most Latin American governments sympathized with Argentina. A notable exception was  Chile, which maintained a state of alert against its neighbour because of a dispute over islands in the  Beagle Channel. The perceived threat from Chile prompted Argentina to keep most of its elite troops on the mainland, distant from the Falklands theatre. In addition, Argentine military planners had trusted that the  United States would remain neutral in the conflict, but, following unsuccessful mediation attempts, the United States offered full support to Great Britain, allowing its NATO ally to use its air-to-air missiles, communications equipment, aviation fuel, and other military stockpiles on British-held Ascension Island, as well as cooperating with military intelligence.

 

The Gulf War

 

The Gulf War

On 2^nd August 1990 Saddam Hussein the leader of Iraq invaded Kuwait. Kuwait is a tiny oil-producing state in the Persian Gulf. The response of the international community was swift. The United Nations demanded Iraq to withdraw the war and to impose a trade embargo. A US-led coalition force made up of nearly one million service personnel from 32 countries, including 53,457 from the United Kingdom, was assembled to expel the Iraq should diplomacy fail.

The United Nation set a deadline of 15^th January 1991 for Iraq forces to leave Kuwait. This deadline was ignored by Iraq. The air war began on 17^th January with coalition aircraft flying over 100,000 sorties. Land operations started on 24^th February and were successfully concluded in just five days. Coalition forces lost 392 dead, including 47 British soldiers. Iraq battle deaths were estimated at between 20,000 and 35,000, while over 3000 civilians were killed in coalition air strikes.

Saddam Hussein remained in power in Iraq and subsequent sanctions left the country economically crippled and internationally isolated. Later America dethroned Saddam Hussein under the pretext that he was undemocratic and in possession of dangerous weapons.

The Cold War

 

The Cold War

The Cold War was a conflict between two superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union  (USSR), and their respective allies. Historians usually agree that the Cold War  began between 1947 and 1948, with the introduction of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan and ended with the  Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991.

The Cold War is, therefore, better defined as a long period of conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union. The purpose of the conflict for either side was to spread their ideologies throughout the world. The goal of the US was to promote open-market capitalism, and the USSR aimed to spread one-party state communism.

Britain wasn't a main player in the Cold War, but as we will see through our timeline, its alliance with the United States made it a participant nonetheless.

We can divide Britain’s role in the Cold War into two periods: its involvement in the earlier years and in the later years of the conflict.

In the early stages, Britain participated in the creation of the Truman Doctrine, it fought against the communists in Greece, Germany, and Korea during the Korean War, and it started to work on creating its own nuclear weapons.

In the later stages of the conflict, Britain continued to support the US’ Cold War efforts in the Vietnam War. Margaret Thatcher also played a significant role in bringing about the end of the Cold War during those years.

 

 

The Second World War and its Impact on England

 

The Second World War and its Impact on England

Mussolini of Italy and Hitler of Germany were war mongers. Italy attacked Abyssinia and Germany attacked Poland. Japan attacked China. These acts of aggression developed into a Second World War. Russia sided with Germany. England declared war on Germany.

Germany was victorious in the beginning. It defeated countries like Austria, Poland, Denmark, etc. America jumped into the fray to stop the victories of Germany. Hitler advanced to attack Russia. But the cold climate of Russia proved unbearable to the German soldiers. Many German cities were destroyed. Hitler was helpless. He committed suicide.

America dropped atom bombs on two Japanese cities, Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This incident brought the Second World War to an end. England and America emerged victorious. But it was a dubious victory. The U.N.O was formed in order to avert future wars.

Like the First World War, the Second World War also had a disastrous effect on England. Unemployment was on the increase. The government implemented many welfare schemes in order to distress of the people.

The First World War and its Impact on England

 

The First World War and its Impact on England

The Austrian prince was assassinated by a Serb. It provoked the First World War (1914 – 1918). All the major countries of the world had been divided into two groups. England joined with Russia and France. Germany supported Austria. Austria declared war on Serbia. Russia supported Serbia. Germany declared war on Russia and its ally France. England entered the war by helping Belgium’s resistance to the German move to pass its army through Belgium.

     The war went on for four years. Germany launched a submarine attack on England and its allies. A few American ships were attacked. In the meantime, Russia withdrew from the war as it had to tackle the Communist Revolution led by Lenin that had broken out within the country.

Germany faced some unexpected problems. Its allies, Austria and Turkey deserted Germany. The Germany navy mutinied. The German king, Kaiser William abdicated and ran away from the country. The German army was routed. The Treaty of Versailles was signed. This treaty set up the League of Nations to prevent future wars. America generously came forward to finance League of Nations. America offered to rebuild the shattered economies of the affected nations, including England.

The First World War had a destructive impact on the English economy. The unemployment problem became severe. The soldiers returning home after the war could not be given alternate jobs. The price of commodities rose up because of restrictions on imports and the fall in production. The war demoralized society. Age-old morals were shaken up.

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr.Hyde

 

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

The Strange Case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde is a Gothic novella written by Robert Louis Stevenson in 1886. It is about personality and transformation. Dr.Jekyll discovers a way to split his own personality between good and evil. However his alter ego, Hyde begins to take over Jekyll’s persona and finally, unable to find antidotes, so Jekyll ends his life in despaire.

            The novel begins with a lawyer named Mr. Utterson going for a walk with his friend and relative Mr. Enfield. Enfield tells the story of a horrible incident, in which a man trampled a young girl and, when apprehended, seemed remorseless but agreed to pay a large check when threatened by the police. He disappeared into this very house and revealed a check drawn from Dr. Jekyll’s bank account. The nasty man is none other than Mr. Hyde.

Mr. Utterson, is Dr. Jekyll’s lawyer. He has a copy of Dr. Jekyll’s will. The will stipulates that should Jekyll disappear or perish, Edward Hyde will inherit his estate. Mr.Utterson wants to find the mystery. When, he asks Dr.Jekyll about the will, Dr. Jekyll refuses to comment

About a year passes. A prominent politician named Sir Danvers Crew is brutally beaten to death. The murder is witnessed by a maid, who points out Edward Hyde as the culprit.Everyone tries to hunt down this evil man, but with no success. Meanwhile, Dr. Jekyll is in great health and spirits; he entertains his friends (among them one Dr. Lanyon), gives dinner parties, and attends to his religious duties.

Two months later, both Dr. Lanyon and Dr. Jekyll fall terribly ill, and claim to have irrevocably quarrelled with each other. Dr. Lanyon dies, leaving mysterious documents in Mr.Utterson’s possession, to be opened only if Dr.Jekyll dies or disappears.
Before Utterson can read the letter, he and Mr. Enfield witness a shocking event. While out on another walk, they come across Dr. Jekyll’s home. He talks with them out his window, but then he transforms, which shocks them both. It’s not until Mr. Utterson goes into Jekyll's laboratory after hearing Hyde’s words that he confirms the truth: inside, he finds Edward Hyde, dead on the floor and wearing Dr. Jekyll's clothes. He finds a letter on the body from Dr. Jekyll.

Mr. Utterson reads Dr. Lanyon's letter first. Lanyon explains that Dr. Jekyll had been having difficulties with the side effects of a drug he was working on, and that he had asked for Lanyon’s help in procuring some hard-to-come-by ingredients for it. Lanyon describes how Dr. Jekyll transformed into Edward Hyde, and how that transformation shocked him into his sickness and ultimate death. Mr. Utterson, continuing to read Dr. Jekyll’s letter, discovers that the drug he was working on was meant to test whether or not man had a dual nature—good and evil. With the drug, he could separate out his evil side, embodied by Edward Hyde. Unfortunately, the more Dr. Jekyll worked with the drug, the less predictable it was, so that he could no longer control when he turned into Edward Hyde or what Hyde would do when in control. He knew that if Hyde won, he’d cease to be Dr. Jekyll, and all of his goodness would be gone. So, he wrote the letter and took his own life.

The Humanitarian Movements

 

The Humanitarian Movements

Altruists and kind hearted people initiated movements to eradicate the evils brought by Agrarian Revolution and Industrial Revolution. It was aptly called as Humanitarian Movement.

i) Prison Reform

General Oglethorpe drew the attention of the Parliament to the horrible condition of prisoners. He also explored, how the jailors tortured prisoners to extort money from them. John Howard and Elizabeth Fry moved the government to take steps for the prevention of crimes. In 1829 Robert Peel introduced extensive police machinery to maintain law and order. As a result the incidence of crime was considerably reduced.

ii) The Anti-Slavery Reform

Buying and selling slaves was a flourishing trade during the end of the Tudor era and early decades of the Stuart regime. In 1771 about fifty thousand negroes were bought by English sailors in Africa and sold to the planters in the West Indian and American colonies to work in their estates. The suffering of the slaves was exposed first by Dr.Johnson and Horace Walpole. William Wilberforce vigorously fought for the abolition of slavery. As a result slave-trade was abolished in 1807.

iii) The Poor Laws

The Poor Law passed by Queen Elizabeth taxed the wealthy to set up a relief centre for feeding, clothing and housing the poor and the unemployed. The Speenhamland Act passed in 1795 saw to it those who were employed but paid very low wages were also given relief from the relief fund. A commission of Enquiry was set up in 1833 to study how to remedy the defects of the Poor Laws. Another commission was set up in 1905. It did a lot of useful work. It found out that the primary causes of poverty were drunkenness, disease, thriftlessness, ill-suited marriages and casual labour.

iv)Teetotalism

Hogarth and George Crulkshank addressed the problem of poverty so they started a movement called Teetotalism. They drew pictures of drunkards which touched the hearts of viewers. An enthusiastic band of volunteers called the ‘Blue Ribbon Army’ succeeded in reforming many drunkards.

v) The Salvation Army and Health care

William Booth founded the Salvation Army in 1865. He stressed the point that Christian missionaries should undertake social service. Many hospitals were established in different parts of England. Patients could remain in the hospital till they were cured. Thus many movements arose in England to help the poor and the downtrodden

The French Revolution

 The French Revolution

Causes of the French Revolution

France was ruled by despots like Louis XIV. The King was not ready to think of the welfare of his people. As a result of this indifference of the autocratic monarchs there was famine and suffering all over the country.

Course of the French Revolution

The French Revolution started with the breaking open of the State prison ‘Bastille’ on 14^th July 1789. Then, the irate mob marched into the palace and caught hold of the king and queen and all the nobles. Their heads were cut off by a specially designed machine called the guillotine. The bloody chapter was closed with Napoleon becoming Emperor in May 1804.

Napoleon followed the foot prints of his predecessors. He wanted to conquer England and other nations. But he was defeated by the English army led by Lord Wellington in the battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Impact of the French Revolution on the social life of England

In 1793, England was forced to declare war against the French Revolution. The war went for twenty years. This prolonged warfare damaged the English economy. The National Dept rose to dizzy heights, so the government collected more tax from the people. After the war the demand for coal and iron fell. As a result, the workers in these industries lost their jobs. After the war many soldiers were dismissed and sent back home.

During the war corn could not be imported into England. As a result, the price of corn rose high. Local corn merchants were benefited. After the war, corn was imported into England, so the price of corn fell in England. Poor people were benefited but agriculturalists were affected. In favour of agriculturalists Corn Law was passed in 1816. The affected poor people formed the Anti-Corn Law League. By the effort of the league, Prime Minister Rober Peel repealed the law in 1846.

The Manchester Massacre

People in England were discontent of various factors. They were called together under the leadership of a radical leader named Orator Hunt in St.Peter’s Field in 1819.  The magistrates of Manchester thoughtlessly ordered a cavalry charge on the unarmed mob. Eleven persons were killed and six hundred wounded. This event is called as the Battle of Peterloo. Finally the parliament passed the Parliamentary Reform Bill 1832.

The English Army and Navy

The Battle of Trafalgar, won by Lord Nelson during the Revolutionary War in 1805. It highlighted the greatness of the English Navy. With the victories of Lord Wellington at Waterloo in 1815 on land the army became popular.

The French Revolution influenced many English writers. They are Edmund Burke, Thomas Carlyle, Wordsworth and Charles Dickens.