The events after 1660.

5.3.1. When Charles II became king he promised general pardon, and religious toleration, which was received with a burst of national enthusiasm. In May 1660 monarchy was restored in England. The period of 1660 – 88 is known as the Restoration. It is characterised by a struggle for power between the feudal aristocracy and the bourgeoisie and gentry which had secured a dominant position in the society during the revolution. The feudal aristocracy was dreaming of a complete return to the pre-revolutionary days, while the bourgeoisie desperately tried to retain the privileges gained during the revolution.

5.3.2. Nobody can say that England did well in the period of Restoration. There happened the Great Plague (1665 – 1666) and the Great Fire of London (1666), and the country was losing a lot in the sphere of foreign policy. In this period we can see the beginning of what we now know as the modern political system of Great Britain. The two political parties appeared at that time – the Tories and the Whigs. Later they turned into the Conservative and Liberal parties. The Whigs was a rude name for cattle driv­ers. The Whigs were afraid of an absolute monarchy and of the Catholic faith. The other party, which opposed the Whigs, was nicknamed Tories, which is an Irish name for thieves. The Tories, who were natural inheritors of the Roy­alists of the Civil War, supported the Crown and the Church. The Revolution of 1688 deposed James in favor of his nephew, William of Orange. William was a Dutch protestant noble who had married James’ daughter Mary.

5.3.3. In the XVII century Britain's main rivals were Spain, Holland and France. There was a competition in trade between England and Holland. Colonizing foreign lands was important for economic development. Britain did not have as many colonies abroad as Spain or Holland, but it had greater variety. Britain had twelve colonies on the east coast of North Amer­ica which were started with the help of John Smith early in the XVII century. In the West Indies it had new colonies where sugar was grown. Besides, by this time Britain's East India Company had established its first trading set­tlements in India, on both the west and east coasts. There were many colonial wars which led to the emergence of the British colonial empire. It eventually reached the farthermost corners of the world, like Australia discovered by Captain James Cook.

5.3.4. The XVII century is known as the period of the Enlightenment in England. Great scientists worked at that time such as Isaac Newton. The writers and scholars Jonathan Swift, Daniel Defoe and Samuel Johnson contributed to the development of the literary language. The architect of London, Sir Christopher Wren is noted for his St. Paul's Cathedral and dozens of other structures. The Enlightenment saw the development of humanitarian thought. Individuals like the poet and painter William Blake created their own artistic philosophies.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-16