British civilisation CM LEA PDF

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British Civilisation en CM, cours de première année de LEA - second semestre...

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British civilisation 1. Defining ‘civilisation’ Can be associated with colonialism, in the 19th century. The British were the builders of the greatest empire ever. A descriptive term : what British people have in common ? Do they have a special way of living, etc. ? 2. Why study British civilisation ? For our general knowledge, to increase it and because of Britain’s important role in international History, trade. Can be recycled. And also because if we want to become professional (commerce, trade, import/export), we’ll be in contact with anglophones, foreigners and to make contact with them it’s not enough to master the language : we also need to know about the background of the people we meet. 3. How can you make progress ? Make the most of the lectures : read in advance of the topic in the brochure and in the book ‘British Civilisation’ by S. Pickard. Make the most of the lessons : read + try and follow British news in the salle des périodiques and consulte the BBC website.

The history of the United Kingdom, part 1, an ‘internal’ history 1. Visions of the UK Do not confuse the UK with the British Isles (Ireland + Great Britain), Great Britain (England + Wales + Scotland) and England. The UK is a political entity (Great Britain + Northern Ireland). The Union Jack is composed of 3 crosses : - St George’s (England) - St Andrew’s (Scotland) added in 1606 - St Patrick’s (Ireland) added in 1801 Two questions about the Union Jack : why is Wales not represented ? Because they have been associated for so long that somehow the Welsh identity has vanished – although Welsh people will reject that – the need to represent Wales was not felt. Why is Ireland still represented ? The Republic of Ireland was formed in 1922 but the South only became independent and the North remained attached to the UK. Because the independence was partial, Ireland stayed in the Union Jack. 2. The making of the UK Was in 3 stages (the birth of England, the unification of Great Britain, Ireland : conquest, independence, partition). The first inhabitants of England were the Celts and were invaded by the Romans and ‘civilized’ them. They built the Hadrian’s Wall to protect them from the Celts. England was then invaded by the Angles and the Jutes (from the North). Then followed by the Saxons who formed several political sections (Wessex, Middlesex, Sussex, Essex). Came then the Vikings (in the 7th century) from Scadinavia. At last, invaded by the Normans (France) by William the Conqueror (1066 : the battle of Hastings).

What brought all these different regions together ? England was unifed by the Normans at first and then union with Wales in 1282 (more officially in 1536). Union (or conquest) with Scotland in 1603 (the union of the crowns : the two countries had the same king/queen) and more officially in 1707 (Scotland lost its parliament  one king and one parliament for two countries). Union with Ireland in 1801 and Irish independence (the Irish Free State) in 1921  becomes a Republic of its own/1937). 3. A disunited kingdom ? In three steps : the rise of nationalisms, the Blair reforms and after Britain ? The country of the UK is formed with 4 nations. But in it a bit difficult to keep everyone together, happy, because they all aren’t the same persons. In the ‘70s, because of the economic crisis, more and more people started to ask the question « should we not become independent ? ». For a number of Welsh and Scottish people, being linked with London is seen as something humiliating, that they were not given the choice (some speak of colonialism). Those feelings remained as the crisis stayed unresolved. The politicians in London had to find an answer. The Blair reforms : Tony Blair (Labour Party’s PM). These reforms were introduced at the beginning of his first term : Scotland Act in 1998 (Holyrood), Gvt of Wales Act 1998 and Belfast (« Good Friday ») Agreement in 1998. These reforms gave a parliament and a government of their own to each of those nations. A way for Tony Blair to try and please these people, to give them autonomy with a limited but real self government. What would happen after Britain ? The UK could disappear because some Scottish people are inspiring to independence (a referundum took place in last September and the difference between the results was very thin). The UK could become a disunited kingdom. « God save the Queen » (composed in 1746 = after the crushing of the Scots at Culloden = a celebration of an English victory over Scotland).

The British and ‘the Others’ -

Stereotypes/clichés

The Irish are represented as idiots by the English : a feeling of superiority if often felt. There is a lot of sensitive history between the Irish and the English (Ireland conquered), then a lot of Irish moved to England to find job and were despised by the English. -

Intercultural relations Cross-representations

1/ The ‘Brits’ & the ‘Yanks’ The relationship between the British and the American : a Special Relationship. John Cleese VS Kevin Kline (in ‘A Fish Called Wanda’  a film made in the earlies 80s, there is a confrontation very emblematic of the two cultures, the British wants to do it only with the fists, ‘fair play’ when the American reaches his gun). The British see the Americans as too superficial and too extraverted, the Americans see the British as too cold and too intraverted. 1776 : when America asserted its independence. Mixed feelings around this date (for the British : a sense of loss, humiliation, for the Americans : a sense of pride of standing on their own two feet and of having replaced the old British institutions by new institutions, a republic instead of a monarchy). America representing the New World when Britain representing the Old World. America a land of equal opportunity, freedom for all when Britain a land of old rules and hierarchial classes. British English : civilisation, programmer, theatre. American English : civilization, program, theater.  change of speeling, American English is much closer to what you really hear. American spelling much more pratical, much simpler, much more accessible. The British often resent the USA because the USA has replaced the former supremacy of the UK during WW1.  humiliating for the British, although sometimes you speak of a special partnership between the 2 countries, it’s not an equal partnership, on equal feet. Today Britain plays a secondary role in international politics. There is an americanisation of Britain nowadays (eg : easier to find coffee in London than tea). 2/ Albion & the Continent With France : The British think they are the centre of the world (they are insular). Nevertheless, the UK belongs to Europe (1973) but never adopted the Euro. In 15,000 BC you could walk between France and the UK. Why is europhobia so much spread across Britain ? And why are we anglophobic ? Partly due to centuries of complicated history between the two. The ‘Rosbifs’ and the ‘Frogs’ are the best enemies in the world.

In the 4th and 5th centuries the Bretagne was invaded by people coming from Great Britain (it is why it’s called ‘Bretagne’, ‘Britany’ in English). For four centuries, the language at the English Court was French. The ‘Auld Alliance’ : the Alliance between Scotland and France because they had the same enemy : Britain. In London we have a Waterloo station  a British victory over the French. In Paris we have a Gare d’Austerlitz  a French victory over the British. 1804 : ‘Entente Cordiale’. During WW2, France left the British to work alongside the Germans. Today, many British people buy houses in France because France represents a kind of pastoral image British are attached to. Social services are also better in France than in Britain. A place of London is full of French students, it is still a very trendy place. With Germany : Links between Britain and Germany : the royal family (used to be called the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, that dynasty came to power in England in 1835 and changed the name of the name of House of Windsor). 1966 : World Cup Finale : the English beat Germany. They have plenty in common : language, religion (the protestant one mainly), the UK was a refuge in the 30s for many German people. Today the trade relations between the two are very strong. Always had mixed feelings of both admiration and jealousy. With Russia : The ‘Big Game’ : the competition in Asia between the British Empire and the Russian Empire  led to the Crimean War. Many rich Russian businessmen in London (eg : Abramovich bought the Chelsea Club, now called ‘Chelski’). Some journalists even call London ‘Londongrad’. Very important migration at the end of the 19th century : many Russian Jews moved over to the UK. During the Cold War, Britain followed the US. With the ‘Mediterranean Europeans’ : links not so strong with the South of Europe. 1588 : defeat of the Spanish Armada (English power in rise) 1713 : Spain lost Gibraltar (Triumph for the British) 3/ John Bull & the other ‘others’ TE Lawrence : Lawrence of Arabia. 1880s : UK invaded Egypt (bombed Alexandria) 1961 : British separated Kuwait of Iraq 1991 : Gulf War 2003 : Gulf War The British and the Chinese World : The Opium Wars (1839-42/1856-60) 1841 : Hong Kong taken by the UK 1997 : Hong Kong given back to China

The history of the UK (part 2) : from the Empire to the Commonwealth 1/ The British Empires The 1st British Empire (1600-1783) : The queen was Elisabeh the First. The 17th century was a century of exploration : commercial ans political motivations (rivary with Spain at that time). Most English people who were persecuted settled in America. Terrotories conquered : - African coast (ex : Sierra Leone) - ‘East Indies’ (i.e. Indian subcontinent) - ‘West Indies’ (i.e. Caribbeans Islands) - North America (freed 1776/1783) This first British empire ended when Britain lost America. The 2nd British Empire (1815-1931) : Began when Napolean was defeated by Britain  the French were put aside and Britain became the dominant power in Europe and then in the world. Came the Industrial revolution  transformation on the economy, UK became the workshop of the world. Gain some strenght and tried to invade the rest of the world with its products and in a military point of view. The 19th century was called ‘the long 19th century’ (the British century). The Empire had 25% of the world (population and surface). It was often an equivalent of slavery and of exploitation. Terrotories conquered : - Australia & New Zealand (1788-1839) - India (17th century – 1862) : long process. What the British called India back then was bigger than India today (included Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka for exemple) - East Africa (‘from Cairo to the Cape’) / Boer War (1899-1902) : period of intense ravelery with other European empires. A period called ‘the struggle for Africa’, it was a race between them all. Became ‘the Empire on which the sun never set’. Some colonies became self-government : Australia, New-Zealand, Canada and South Africa  all white colonies. The tecnical term to speak of the is ‘dominion’. Nowadays, Australia and New-Zealand still belong to the Crown, their head of State is the Queen. The 3rd British Empire (1931-1965) : Major dates in the decolonisation process : - 1931 : Statute of Westminster : the begining of the British decline. It gave more autonomy to the big white colonies. Most of them adopted the dollar for official currency, became more and more distant to the Britain and more and more closer to the USA. - 1947 : Indian independence accompanied by partition (the separation of India into different pieces, at least 3 different countries).

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1956 : Suez crisis. Used to belong to Britain and was vital for the trade between Britain and India. When Egypt decided to nationalize the canal, it was seen as humiliating. Britain threatened Egypt but the USA and the URSS said ‘no’ and the UK had to withdraw its military forces. 1960-1965 : African emancipation : in 5 years, most of the countries that belonged to the UK became free, had their own national anthem. Proved to the world that Britain was no longer a super empire like it used to be.

2/ The Commonwealth of Nations The ‘Old’ Commonwealth (1931-1950) : Created before the fall of the Empire. Structure created by the British to try to preserve links with the colonies (and to avoid what happened when America became independent and cut all the links it had with the motherland). Was a clever strategy in many ways : when India became independent, it chose to remain inside the Commonwealth and therefore to keep its links with the UK. Came from ‘The British Commonwealth of Nations’ to ‘The Commonwealth of Nations’. There were only 10 countries in it at first, mainly white countries. The ‘New’ Commonwealth (1950-today) : When a country wanted to become independent, Britain invited them to join the Commonwealth, to stay ‘friends’ : 53 countries today. Its purpose is to preserve harmony between its members, to defend world peace and cooperation. The countries all declared some kind of allegeance to the British Crown. Today, the map of the Commonwealth looks like the map of the British Empire. Members : Canada, UK, Australia, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, some islands in the Pacific Ocean.... Every four years there is a summet with all the heads of governement but there is also a cultural dimension : every four years, there are also the Commonwealth games. 3/ A neo-imperial power ? A smooth decoloniser ? Is there still a kind of empiral power ? Several colonial wars led by the UK. In Kenya in 1963, Rhodesia 1965-1979 (the white people who lived there refused to give power to the black majority. At the end, the black people won and became the Zambie), Palestine 1917, India 1947 (one million people killed because the decolonisation was messy, unorganized), Kuwait 1961 (chose to separate Kuwait from Iraq to preserve oil interests). Number of time-bombs left behind. The remains of the Empire : small but useful : Direct dependicies : Jersey, Isle of Man (near the UK). Overseas Territories : Gibraltar, Falklands, Chagos (Indian Ocean).

 important economic and military fonctions. All these countries are tax havens and many are naval bases. Military interventions abroad : not over yet Royal Navy Iraq 2003-2009 Afghanistant 2001-over now Libya 2011  there are still British forces all around the world.

The North South divide : myth or reality ? Introduction : Tarquin HALL, Salaam Brick Lane (2005) ‘English supremacy’ : - 85% of UK GDP (Gross Domestic Product = PIB) - 85% of UK exports - 80% of UK students 1/ Aspects of the North South drift 1.1.

The economic dimension

The South is much smaller than the North  geografic seperation but also political and economical. Began at the end of the 19th century with the Industrial Revolution in the areas of Lancashire and Yorkshire, with the cotton industry mainly in Manchester. The cities where there was ship building were Belfast and Glasgow. A period of prosperity with many jobs (mines, industries...) but also created pollution, exploitation of women and children. The IR made the North dynamic. The decline started to take place in the 20 th century : deindustralisation (the industries that used to be dynamic were not as profitable as before and the employers fired the works). Many people ended ‘on the dole’ = jobless, workless, living only on benefits. Was mainly the case in the 30s and then in the 70s. The North became a kind of abandonned part of the country, a lot of cities that were dynamic became almost ‘ghost-towns’. In the 80s, some of these cities went through a ‘regeneration’ = some money was invasted to create jobs and make city-centers attractive (Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, Birmingham...). The cities were made more attractive for tourists but very little was done for the local inhabitants. The rents went up : buying a house became unaffordable. Were affordable only for the gentry (= a fraction of the aristrocracy) = gentrification. The Austerity budget has had a negative effect on the North (for instance, many public services had disappeared or are in decline). Tony Blair once said « The North South divide is a myth. The contrasts within regions are bigger than contrasts between regions. » The gap is still widening today. 1.2.

The demographic dimension

In terms of population, the South is bigger than the North.

England concentrates 83% of the population (50 millions) ; the part with the highest density (the number of inhabitants per square kilometres). Scotland : 9% (5 millions) ; the part with the slowest density. Wales : 5% (3 millions). NI : 3% (1.5 millions). Regions of the North lose population while Londo wins population because of the deinstrualization. 50% of people live on 3% of the territory. 1.3.

The cultural dimension

There are more people voting of the Conservative Party in the UK, mostly in England, in the South-East. People who vote for the Labour Party are found in the North or in Wales mainly. The North was made of miners, factory workers, ship builders...  you vote for the Labour Party. In the South-East, not industrialized, people tended to be more conversative because they had more money and voted for the Torries. There is also a linguistic dimension : the local accents, especially in the North, are very very strong and reflect where they come from and their social background. Oxford-Cambridge : Oxbridge English, the purest kind of English, BBC English... 2/ The London pole Inner London + Outer London = Greater London This city has been growing for a very long time : +5% of population every 20 years. Is directed by The London Assembly, there is also a mair. It’s there that you find all the political symbols of London : Westminster, Buckimgham Palace, 10th Downing Street. London is overcrowded (concentrates 30% of the population). 1946 : New Towns Act (tried to create new towns outside London, the most famous of these towns is Milton Keynes). 2.1. The financial heart of Europe London is the home of many international companies. All the HQ are in the City of the London : it is also known as the ‘Square Mile’ because it is very small. This is where you find the London Stock Exchange. For a long time it was the capital of commerce and trade, with insurrances, banks and tertiory sector. The biggest universities of the UK are in London  the ‘Golden Triangle’. 2.2. The cosmopolitan capital 10 000 French people works in London. 300 different languages spoken in London.

25% people where born abroad (could almost be described as a city of foreigners). 40 different communities. London is more a mosaique than a melting pot because there is no blending : communities coexist but don’t mix together. On the North bank you find the Indian communities + the Caribbean communities and in the South bank. There is a ‘Banglatown’, around where Brick Lane is. ‘Londonistan’ is applied for the areas near Fistbury Park. 2.3. Regeneration & gentrification West End/East End distinction : West End is the richest part of London and the more cultural. The East End was always the poorest part of London, the immigrant part. With the Olympics in 2012, a lot of money was invested for the East End (King’s Cross and St Pancras). The Docklands were regenerated : today there are many poshy appartments. Every now and then you have riots : the most famous was Brixton in 1981 (jobless people who took the streets).

The Celtic Fringe The Celts were the original inhabitants. These regions never were conquered by the Romans and tend to be rebellious. 1. Wales 1.1. Welsh traditions Made up of several different counties and caracterised by national feelings are not as strong as those in Scotland  nationalism tends to be more cultural (the Gaelic language for instance, that was not allowed to be spoken in schools for a long time but is taught now and has become the second official language in Wales, 20-25% of people speak it) than political. Another important Welsh tradition : working-class activism  many Labour voters. 1.2.

Political prospects

Plaid Cymru (1925) is a Welsh nationalist organizat...