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How Did England Become A State

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The most general explanation of the state is given by Simon Roberts. He describes the sovereign state as a social phenomenon that consists of four key elements, namely “a presence of a supreme authority, ruling over a defined territory, who is recognized as having power to make decisions in matters of government and is able to enforce such decisions and generally maintain order within the state” (Hall, 1984, p.1). Before any country can achieve a state consisting of all four elements, a country passes through a number of stages. This paper examines how England became a state and why. How did one king introduce a system of government that formed the basis of the English state? What other events contributed to this? According to Palmer (1995): …show more content…

After defeating king Harold, William I, who had seen feudalism in France, introduced the system in England. He established feudalism as a new political system that was structured in a hierarchal way. It was physically impossible for the king to rule every part of the kingdom himself. Additionally, William I was not popular with the people of England and to be a respected king, it was important to gain complete control of the country. Therefore, a distribution of power was needed. The lord, in this case the king, would choose loyal nobles or lords that he could trust upon to hold land for him. These men were also known as vassals (Bell, 1863, p. 189). This land was not simply granted to his vassals. They had to swear loyalty to the king (William I), collect land taxes from the people who lived in their area and they had to provide the king with soldiers when needed. This assured the king of money and soldiers during wartime (Opello, 1999, p. …show more content…

Different kings, rulers and periods have formed the English state into what is it today: a liberal, Parliamentary state, where the king does not rule by himself and where the commoners as well as the lords contribute to politics. Forming the state of England began with William I in 1066, who brought a new political system to England: feudalism. The English state was ruled under one king. Even though the king could rule the country through his trusted lords, the king never gained absolute power. Many kings followed his lead, but not one of them truly respected the large influence Parliament had and has in England. Efforts have been made by several rulers to overthrow or ignore Parliament, but Parliament remained the victor. The English state is formed by wars and revolutions, but the most important one was the revolution of Parliament from 1688 until 1689. Also known as the Glorious Revolution and meant to fight a king that neglected laws and disregarded promises made. Eventually, by installing the Act of Settlement in 1689 people were granted with individual rights and liberties. Respecting the importance of equality and granting people a voice in politics was the outcome of the Reform Act of 1884. Throughout the years Parliament has been a force to reckon with. Through perseverance and the urge to be respected and recognized, Parliament has always been and it still at the helm. It has claimed its place in

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The fact that the colonists (white, male, landowners) could have a slight say in how the government was run showed the beginning of political breakage of the colony away from Great Britain. In addition, the colonists’ victory in the French and Indian War taught them that they could unite in difficult times and triumph over adversity. However, when Parliament attempted to tighten control of the colonial governments and make the colonists pay for their fair share of the war, colonists were furious at the attack on their freedoms. Also, when Parliament passed the Stamp Act in 1765, the colonists were upset that the British government would bypass their own colonial system of taxation; they felt that they shouldn’t be taxed by an assembly in which they had no representation. Combined this with Parliament’s other acts like the Proclamation of 1763 and the Quebec Act, colonists became concerned about the increasingly hostile Parliament which designed to limit their rights and liberties.

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The control of these territories fell to the King and Parliament. In 1760, King George II died and his grandson ascended to the throne of the British Empire. George II and his father before him had both been out of the way of Parliament and often let the Empire be governed by them. The same could not be said for George III as he plagued both Parliament and the colonies. Firstly, King George III was a tedious micromanager and came to appear as the head of the Tories in Parliament against the fading Whigs.

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Notwithstanding, he type of language utilized illustrates that it is a formal document. He writes in accordance with the demeanor of a proper Englishman. The writer represents the voice of the British Parliament men. The writer does not employ any form of imagery nor would it have been appropriate for this form of writing. The text encompasses a great deal of superfluous information and does not depict the core of the parliaments’ notions until end of the

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In the 1500s and the 1600s the feudal system was beginning to fall. Different countries were trying new different types of governments instead of the dysfunctional feudal system. The feudal system consisted of many different nobles ruling over their own land. It was not a uniform system of ruling over the country. There were small city-states run by a singular ruler.

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The common passed Triennial Act which compelled Charles to summon parliament, and this started the English civil war which ended when Charles I was executed. Oliver Cromwell took over and was very strong until his death which collapsed the government and restored monarchy. Charles II ended up restoring English Monarchy. In 1589-1725 when Absolutism started in France and Constitutionalism started in England, the leaders were controlling their land in different ways, but the actions were not entirely unique. A major difference was the ideology on how the government should be run.

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In the Middle Ages, the power of people impacted the society, because of the Feudal System. In other words, the rankings of people. There were four groups. The Kings and Queens were at the top, then the nobles, the knights, and last peasants and serfs(Doc. 1). Serfs and peasants had very little land given and they even had to provide food that they farmed for the knights and nobles.

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HIST 3005 Contreras 1 Luis Contreras Sophie Tunney 12/3/2018 The Needs of the people When a form of governing a state becomes obsolete it is sometimes best to do away with that form of governance and install a new form of government. In our “Shaping Of The Modern World” textbook we can find the source “Common sense” by Thomas Paine explaining how ineffective England’s rule over the colonies is, and we can also find “Social Order And Absolute Monarchy” by Jean Domat which argues in favor of absolute rule by the monarchy. Domat’s idea of absolute monarchy is flawed however because when a monarchy is in power it limits the growth of the state, stomp on the natural rights of its citizen’s, their decisions will affect their people

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The American Revolution The American Revolution began in 1775 and ended in 1783. The American Revolution started because the Patriots weren’t getting any freedom. The war consisted of many battles and strategies. Around the time, the Acts created by Parliament made many colonists mad. For example, the Sugar Act and the Stamp Act frustrated the colonists.

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