Supplement I
Supplementary Section
Brief History of the British Parliament
In 1258 Simon de Monfort, earl of Leicester elected a council of nobles and called it
l',u li<unent, or parlement - a French word meaning a “discussion meeting”. This “parliament” took
i onlrol of the royal treasury.
The first real parliament was brought together under the reign of Edward I. Simon de
Monfort’s council had been called a parliament, but it included only nobles. It had been able to
make statutes (written laws), and it had been able to make political decisions. However the lords
were least able to provide the king with money much of which the king could only rise by taxation.
I Inis, Edward I was the first to create a “representative institution” which could provide the money
lie needed. This institution became the House of Commons (HC). Unlike the House of Lords (HL)
II contained a mixture of “gentry” (knights and other wealthy freemen from the shires) and
merchants from the towns. In 1275 Edward I commanded each shire and each town (or borough) to
i.rnd two representatives (“commoners”) to his parliament. This was the beginning of the idea that
I here should be “no taxation without representation”.
Until the 16tli century, both chambers (HC and HL) grew in importance vis-a-vis the crown,
ns it came to be accepted that their approval was needed for grants of taxation; Henry VIII effected
the English Reformation through the long-lived Reformation Parliament (1529-36). Kings such as
< 'holies I tried to manage without summoning a parliament (1629-40), but by the 17th century the
Commons had made themselves indispensable. Charles I had to call Parliament in 1640 in order to
raise money, and Parliament, led by John Pym, led the opposition to him. The Parliamentary side
won the English Civil War and at the end of the Commonwealth period it was die members of the
House of Commons who negotiated the Restoration of Charles II (1660) and the accession of
William III and Mary (1688). The legislation enacted in the Glorious Revolution of 1688-89 and
Ihc Act of Settlement (1701) settled the relationship of crown, Lords, and Commons definitively
mid made clear the ultimate supremacy of the Commons.
Present-day workings of Parliament may be summarized as follows. The Prime Minister and
the cabinet (a selected group of ministers from either House) are responsible for formulating the
policy of the government. Acts of Parliament in draft form, known as Bills, each of which have to
be “read” (debated) three times in each House, arc referred in the House of Commons (and
occasionally in the House of Lords) for detailed consideration to parliamentary standing or select
committees. The sovereign’s powers of government are dependent on the advice of ministers, who
in turn arc responsible to Parliament. The monarch’s prerogatives, exercised through the cabinet or
Ihc Privy Council, include the summoning and dissolution of Parliament. Tire Treaty of Rome,
which Britain accepted in 1972 when joining the European Community (now the European Union),
provided for a gradual development of Community institutions. The British parliamentary system
was adopted by many European countries and by most member countries of the Commonwealth of
Nations when they gained dominion status or independence.
Supplement 2
Brief History of the British Political Parties
Prior to the mid-19th century politics in the United Kingdom was dominated by the Whigs
and the Tories - first historically known political parties in Britain. These were not political parties
In Ihc modern sense but somewhat loose alliances of interests and individuals. The Whigs were
associated with the newly emerging moneyed industrial classes, and the Tories were associated with
Ihc landed gentry, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland.
By the mid 19th century the Tories had evolved into the Conservative Party, and the Whigs
hud evolved into the Liberal Party.
These two parties dominated the political scene until the 1920s, when the Liberal Party
declined in popularity and suffered a long stream of resignations. It was replaced as the main left-
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wing party by the newly emerging Labour Party, who represented an alliance between the trades
unions and various socialist societies.
Since then the Conservative and Labour Parties have dominated British politics, and have
alternated in government ever since. However, the UK is not quite a two-party system since a third
party (recently, the Liberal Democrats) can prevent 50% of the votes/seats from going to a single
party. The Liberals merged with the Social Democrats because they had very similar views and
became the Liberal Democrats which is now a sizeable party whose electoral results have improved
in recent years.
The UK’s First Past the Post electoral system leaves small parties disadvantaged on a UK-
wide scale. It can, however, allow parties with concentrations of supporters in the constituent
countries to flourish. Other than the Respect coalition and Health Concern, the only other parties
winning scats in the House of Commons at the 2005 General Election were based in Scotland,
Wales and Northern Ireland.
Since 1997, proportional representation-based voting systems have been adopted for elections
to the Scottish Parliament, the National Assembly for Wales, the Northern Ireland Assembly, the
London Assembly and the UK’s seats in the European Parliament. In these bodies, other parties
have had success.
Traditionally political parties have been private organisations with no official recognition by
the state. The Registration of Political Parties Act 1998 changed that by creating a register of
parties.
Supplement 3
Brief History of Religion in Britain
Ancient people on the territory of the British Isles practiced paganism and believed in many
gods (i.e. were polytheistic). Thus, the Celtic religion was nature based (trees, water, etc.) what now
can be called “earth spirituality”.
Christianity was brought to Britain by the Romans and in the last hundred years of Roman
government Christianity was firmly established both in Roman-controlled areas and beyond.
When Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain after the Romans had left they brought back paganism to
Britain, however gradually converted to Christianity. Christianity came at the pagan Anglo-Saxons
from two directions: 1) the Celtic Church (Celts accepted Christianity under the Romans), pushed
back into Wales, Cornwall, and particularly Ireland and 2) from Roman Catholic Church beginning
with the mission of St Augustine to Aethelbcrt, King of Kent, in 597.
Under the reign of Henry VIII (Tudor) England underwent the Process of Reformation: split
from the Roman-Catholic Church. In 1510 Henry VIII had married Catherine of Aragon who by
1526 had failed to produce a mail heir. Henry asked the Pope for divorce and when the latter
refused split up with the Church in Rome and established his own Anglican Church the head of
which he himself was made. Most people still believed in the old Catholic religion. Less than half
the English were Protestant by belief, but these people were allowed to take a lead in religious
matters.
When Mary I (Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s daughter) was crowned Queen of
England she decided to restore Catholicism in England as she herself was a Catholic. She is known
as Bloody Mary for the number of Protestants she burned during her reign.
When Elizabeth I became Queen in 1558, she wanted to find a peaceful answer to the
problems of the English Reformation. She wanted to bring together again those parts of English
society which were in religious disagreement. In some ways the kind of Protestantism finally agreed
in 1559 remained closer to the Catholic religion than to other Protestant groups. And Elizabeth
made sure that the Church was still under her authority, unlike politically dangerous forms of
Protestantism in Europe. In a way, she made the Church part of the state machine.
In 1701 Parliament passed the Act of Settlement, to make sure only a Protestant could inherit
the crowm.
Nowadays the Anglican Church is the officially established church in England and Wales.
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Supplement 4
English and British Monarchs
Norman		
William I (The Conquror)	1066-1087	Duke of Normandy, defeated Harold Godwinson’s Anglo-Saxon army at the battle of Hastings. Introduced social, religious and cultural reforms in England.
William II (Rufus)	1087-1100	A greedy and irreligious ruler, alienated most of his subjects. Died at a hunt, probably murdered.
Henry I	1100-1135	Reunited England with Normandy, reformed the legal sphere and the government, especially the finances.
Stephen of Blois	1135-1154	Seized the throne from Henry’s daughter Matilda and spent most of his reign in a civil war with her, losing control over his nobility and order in the country.
Biantagenet (Angevin)		
Henry' II	1154-1189	Possessed a huge empire in France, the most powerful ruler of his time. Famous for his legal reforms and a conflict with Thomas a Becket. Spent his last years in was with his sons.
Richard I (Lionheart)	1189-1199	Spent very little time in England, was mostly intrested in leading the 3d Crusade, but is fondly remembered as a gr eat warrior.
John I (Lackland)	1199-1216	Lost most of the Angevin empire, conflicted with his subjects and the Pope. Signed the Magna Carta.
Henry III	1216-1272	Was limited in his power by the Provisions of Oxford which established the Council of Fifteen to control his actions.
Edward I	1272-1307	Defeated the Prince of Wales Llywcllin ap GryfFid, united Wales with England. Tried to conquer Scotland, but encountered a strong resistance movement led by William Wallace and Robert the Bruce.
Edward II	1307-1327	Alienated the country' by his losses in Scotland and his devotion to favorites. Had to abdicate after a revolt led by his wife Isabella and her lover Roger Mortimer.
Edward III	1327-1377	Started the Hundred Years War with France, claiming his right to the French throne; won the battles of Crecy and Poitiers. Ruled through the years of Black Death.
Richard II	1377-1399	Dealt with the Peasants’ Revolt in his youth. Later came into conflict with Lords Apcllant, one of whom, Henry of Lancaster, finally deposed him.
House of Lancaster		
Homy IV И	1399-1413	Seized the throne from Richard II, beginning the Wars of the Roses. Increased the role of the Parliament.
Henry V	1413-1422	A great warrior, continued the Hundred Years War, won the battle of Agincourt and signed the Treaty of Troy, becoming the French King's heir.
Henry VI	1422-1461	For a brief period in his childhood was a king of both England and
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		France, lost almost all the English possessions in France. Suffered from a mental illness, was deposed by Edward of York.
House of York		
Edward IV	1461-1483	Turned to be a popular and effective ruler, reformed the government and the law. Started the peculiarly British tradition of absolutism in cooperation with the Parliament.
Edward V	1483	Known as the Prince in the Tower, was never crowned and disappered under uncertain circumstances.
Richard HI	1483-1485	Proclaimed himself Lord Protector and then seized the crown declaring Edward V illegitimate. Was extremely unpopular and blamed for many a death. Was defeated by Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field.
TUdor		
Henry VII	1485-1509	United the Houses of Lancaster and York, established international stability with the marriages of his children. In his later years came to be extremely greedy and miserly.
Henry VIII	1509-1547	A fervent Catholic, reformed the Church, making himself the head of it in order to obtain a divorce. Was married six times.
Edward VI	1547-1553	Brought up as a Protestant, led his father's church reforms to the extreme, tried to establish a Protestant succession by naming Lady Jane Grey his heir.
Mary I (Bloody)	1553-1558	Turned the country' back to Catholicism, burning many Protestants at stake. Joined her husband Philip of Spain in a war agains France, where Calais, the last English posession on the continent, was lost.
Elizabeth I	1558-1603	Took the middle way in religion and struggled with both extremes, the Catholic one represented by her cousin Mary Stuart of Scotland. Fought a war with Spain, in which the Invincible Armada was defeated by Francis Drake.
Stuart		
James I	1603-1625	The first king of England and Scotland. His houtcur and favouritism made him extremely unpopular in England. Catholics organised the Gunpowder Plot against him, Puritans lied from him to America.
Charles I	1625-1649	Conflicted with the Parliament and ruled without it as long as possible, eventually causing the Civil War between his own supporters and the Parliamentarians. The Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell, won and executed the King.
	1649-1660	The Commonwealth and Protectorate
Charles II	1660-1685	Remembered as the «merry monarch», but reigned through such disasters as the Great Plague and the Fire of London. Supported the sciences and founded the Royal Society and Greenwich Observatory.
James II	1685-1688	Unwisely tried to make his Catholicism the stale religion, which made the Parliament organise the Glorious Revolution, inviting his
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		daughter Mary to take the throne.
William III and Mary II	1689-1702	Accepted the Declaration of Rights, limiting the monarchs' power. William fought in Europe and Ireland against Counter- Reformation.
Anne	1702-1714	England and Scotland were united into the Kingdom of Great Britain. As she had no surviving children, the succession went to a distant relative - George, the Elector of Hanover.
Hanoverian		
George I	1714-1727	Being a German, took little interest in English affairs, which led to the emergence of the post of Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Ruled through the first Jacobite Rebellion, “the Fifteen”
George II	1727-1760	Was the last British sovereign to command troops in the field. During his reign Britain was continuously involved in military conflicts - in Europe (War of the Austrian Succession), in the colonies (The Seven Years War) and at home (the second Jacobite Rebellion).
George Ill	1760-1820	The first “English” king of the Hanoverian dynasty, he led exemplary personal life. However, his reign is remembered for the loss of American colonics, the costly war with Napoleonic France and his eventual madness.
George IV	1820-1830	Was Regent in his father's last years. In the time of economic distress in the country he was scandalous with his mistresses and extravagant in his spending.
William IV	1830-1837	As he was never expected to succeed to the throne, he had a career in the navy. Managed to push the Reform Bill through Parliament and preserved the British monarchy in the era of revolutions in Europe.
Victoria	1937-1901	Ascending to the throne amidst social and economic turmoil, she reigned 63 years to see Britain become a prosperous industrialized country and a powerful Empire at its highest point. She largely retired from public life after her husband's death in 1861.
Saxe-Coburg anti Gotha		
Edward VII	1901-1910	Being the first truly constitutional monarch, played little part in government on coming to the throne. Fostered good relations between Great Britain and France.
Windsor		
George V	1910-1936	During WWI relinquished aft German titles and changed the name of the royal house to Windsor. His reign witnessed the beginning of dismantling the Empire and changes in British political life.
Edward' VIII	1936	Was not crowned and abdicated eleven months after coming to the throne in order to marry the American divorcee Mrs Wallis Simpson.
George VI 1	1936-1952	Initially reluctant to accept the crown, became a popular monarch, gaining respect for the staunch example he and his family set during the London Blitz. George's reign saw the acceleration of the
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		break-up of the Empire and its transition into the Commonwealth of Nations.
Elizabeth II	1952-p.	As a constitutional monarch, she is politically neutral and her role is largely ceremonial. Her popularity sank to a low point in the 1990s as the personal lives of her children came under media scrutiny, however polls in 2006 revealed strong support for Elizabeth.
Supplement 5
U.S. Presidents___________________________________
	President	Took office	Left office	Party	Vice President	Tenn(s)
1	George Washington	30 April 1789	4 March 1797	Indep.	John Adams	2
2	John Adams	4 March 1797	4 March 1801	Federal.	Thomas Jefferson	1
3	Thomas Jefferson	4 March 1801	4 March 1809	Dem- Rep.	?\aron Burr, George Clinton	2
4	James Madison	4 March 1809	4 March 1817	Dem.- Rep	George Clinton, Elbridge Gerry	2
5	James Monroe	4 March 1817	4 March 1825	Dem.- Rep	Daniel Tompkins	2
6	John Quincy Adams	4 March 1825	4 March 1929	Dcm.-Rep; National Rep.	John Calhoun	1
7	Andrew Jackson	4 March 1929	4 March 1937	Dem.	John Calhoun; Martin Van Buren	2
8	Martin Van Buren	4 March 1937	4 March 1941	Dem.	Richard Mentor Johnson	1
9	William Henry Harrison	4 March 1941	4 April 1841	Whig	John Tyler	
10	John Tyler	4 April 1841	4 March 1845	Whig; indep.	vacant	1
11	James K. Polk	4 March 1845	4 March 1849	Dem.	George Dallas	1
12	Zachary Taylor	4 March 1849	9 July 1850	Whig	Millard Fillmore	
13	Millard Fillmore	9 July 1850	4 March 1853	Whig	vacant	1
14	Franklin Pierce	4 March 1853	4 March 1857	Dem.	William King	1
15	James Buchanan	4 March 1857	4 March 1861	Dem.	John Breckinridge	1
16	Abraham Lincoln	4 March 1861	15 April 1865	Rep. Nat. Union.	Hannibal Hamlin; Andrew Johnson	1
17	Andrew Johnson	15 April 1865	4 March 1869	Dem. Nat. Union; Nat. Union Indep.	vacant	1
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18	Ulysses Grant	4 March 1869	4 March 1877	Rep.	Schuyler Colfax; Henry Wilson	2
19	Rutherford Hayes	4 March 1869	4 March 1881	Rep.	William Wheeler	1
20	James Garfield	4 March 1881	19 Sept. 1881	Rep.	Chester Arthur	
21	Chester Arthur	19 Sept. 1881	4 March 1885	Rep.	vacant	1
22	Grover Cleveland	4 March 1885	4 March 1889	Dem.	Thomas Hendricks	1
23	Benjamin Harrison	4 March 1889	4 March 1893	Rep.	Levi Morton	1
24	Grover Cleveland	4 March 1893	4 March 1897	Dem.	Aldai Stevenson	1
25	William McKinley	4 March 1897	14 Sept. 1901	Rep.	Garret Hobart; Theodor Roosevelt	1
26	Theodor Roosevelt	14 Sept. 1901	4 March 1909	Rep.	Charles Fairbanks	2
27	William Howard	4 March 1909	4 March 1913	Rep.	James Sherman	I
28	Woodrow Wilson	4 March 1913	4 March 1921	Dem.	Thomas Marshall	2
29	Warren Harding	4 March 1921	2 August 1923	Rep.	Calvin Coolidge	
30	Calvin Coolidge	2 August 1923	4 March 1929	Rep.	Charles Dawes	2
31	Herbert Hoover	4 March 1929	4 March 1933	Rep.	Charles Curtis	1
32	Franklin D. Roosevelt	4 March 1933	12 April 1945	Dem.	John Garner; Henry Wallace; Harry Truman	3
33	Harry Truman	12 April 1945	20 Jan. 1953	Dem.	Albcn Barkley	2
34	Dwight Eisenhower	20 Jan. 1953	20 Jan. 1961	Rep.	Richard Nixon	2
35	John Kennedy	20 Jan. 1961	22 Nov. 1963	,	Dem.	Lyndon Johnson	
36	Lyndon Johnson	22 Nov. 1963	20 Jan. 1969	Dem.	Hubert Humphrey	2
37	Richard Nixon	20 Jan. 1969	9 August 1974	Rep.	Spiro Agnew; Gerald Ford	1
38	Gerald Ford	9 August 1974	20 Jan. 1977	Rep.	Nelson Rockefeller	1
39	Jimmy Carter	20 Jan. 1977	20 Jan. 1981	Dem.	Walter Mondale	1
40	Ronald Reagan	20 Jan. 1981	20 Jan. 1989	Rep.	George H.W. Bush	2
41	George H.W. Bush	20 Jan. 1989	20 Jan. 1993	Rep.	Dan Guayule	1
42	Bill Clinton	20 Jan.	20 Jan.	Dem.	Al Gore	2
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		1993	2001			
43	George W. Bush	20 Jan. 2001	20 Jan. 2009	Rep.	Dick Cheney	2
44	Barack Obama	20 Jan. 2009	present	Dem.	Joe Biden	
	Supplement 6 Important Dates in British History
750 BC 55 BC 43 AD 60 AD 409 410 about 450 597 789 (793) 878	first arrival of Celtic tribes in Britain Julius Caesar’s first expedition to Britain Roman conquest under Emperor Claudius Boudiccan rebellion Withdrawal of Roman legions fall of the Roman Empire Anglo-Saxon invasion Christianization of English kingdoms Viking invasion Battle of Ethendun (Edington), Treaty of Wedinore, establishment of the Danelaw
1066, October 14 1086 1154 1170 1215,15th June 1284 1295 1297 1314 1337 to 1453 1346 1348 1360 1381 1415 1455 to 1485 1476 1485 1534 1558 1588 1603 1605 1611 1642 to 1645 1649 1653 1660 1666 1688 1689 1707	Battle of Hastings, Norman conquest Domesday book beginning of the Plantagenet rule Martyrdom of Thomas a' Becket signing of the Magna Carta by King John at Runnymede uniting Wales with England summoning of the Model parliament Scottish victory at Stirling Bridge Battle of Bannockburn (Scottish victory) Hundred Years' War the Battle of Crecy the beginning of the Black Death Treaty of Bretigny the Peasants revolt headed by Watt Tyler the Battle of Agincourt the Wars of the Roses William Caxton sets up printing press the battle of Bosworth Field, the beginning of the Tudor dynasty the Act of Supremacy the loss of Calais the Defeat of the Armada the beginning of the Stuart dynasty the Gunpowder Plot King James' Bible the Civil War the execution of Charles 1 Cromwell becomes Lord Protector Restoration of Charles II Great Fire of London England's 'Glorious Revolution' the Declaration of Rights Acts of Union, combining England and Scotland into the kingdom of Great Britain
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1715 1745 1746 1756 to 1763 1775 to 1783 1801 1803 to 1815 1805 (815 1832 1838 1846 1851 1853 to 1856 1857 1899-1902 1900 1914-1918 1916 1916 1916 1920 1924 1939-1945 1940 1948 1956 1982 1999 2005	First Jacobite Rebellion (James Edward Stuart, The Old Pretender) Second Jacobite Rebellion (Bonnie Prince Charlie, the Young Pretender) Battle of Culloden Moor The Seven Years War The American War of Independence second Act of Union, Ireland joins Great Britain Napoleonic Wars Battle ofTrafalgar Battle of Waterloo The Reform Bill Chartist Movement and Anti-Corn Law League potato hunger in Ireland The Great Exhibition The Crimean War Indian Mutiny The Boer War creation of the Labour party World War I Battle of the Somme Battle of Jutland Easter Rising in Ireland the Government of Ireland Act First Labour government World War II The battle of Britain The Republic of Ireland becomes an independent state The Suez Crisis The Falklands War Creation of the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly Ceasefire by the IRA Supplement 7 Important Dates in American History
around 1000	The discovery of North America by Viking explorers (Leif Eriksson)
1492	Columbus' first journey to America
1587	First British colony in Virginia
1620	The coming of the Pilgrims on the Mayflower, founding Plymouth
1756 to 1763	The French and Indian War (American extension of the Seven Years War)
1773	The Boston Tea Party
1775 to 1783 July 4"'1776 1788	The Revolutionary War (American War of Independence) Declaration of Independence The Constitution goes into effect
1791 »	The Bill of Rights (first 10 Amendments to the Constimition)
1803	The Louisiana Purchase
1812	American-British War
1845	Texas joins the USA
1846	The Mexican War
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1861 to 1865	The Civil War
1862	Emancipation Proclamation
1898	The Spanish-American War
1901	Beginning of the Panama Canal construction
1929	Beginning of the Great Depression
1933 December 7,h 1941 August 6'1’ 1945 1950 to 1953	beginning of Roosevelt’s New Deal program Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor The USA dropped an atomic bomb on the city of Hiroshima The Korean War
1962	Cuba Crisis
1965 to 1973	Vietnam War
1968	Asassination of Martin Luther King Jr
1969	Apollo 11 lands on the Moon
1974	The Watergate affair
1990-1991 September 11th 2001	The Gulf War or Persian Gulf War terrorists strike the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon
2003	Invasion in Iraq
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