grace’s space

First and foremost, the reading helped to explain how Britain’s isolationism has shaped the relationship that it has with nearby European countries today. Historically Britain felt secured by the vast surrounding waters and by its distance from other countries. While this early isolationism was undermined by Britain’s enormous involvement in the global economy during the Industrial Revolution of the mid 18^th century, Britain never exploited its close proximity to European countries by creating ties with them. This historical attitude has huge implications on the country today, as a major theme in the comparative study of Britain is their “challenges in their dealings with the EU”. As European countries modernize and join together via creating a common currency, etc., Britain seems to be aloof or indifferent towards the world around them. The isolationist attitudes that Britain adapted for protection and development early on remain today, causing the country to fall behind its surrounding countries. This also relates to Britain’s role in the world. Many question whether Britain is in the middle or is even falling behind in terms of other European countries. As Britain quickly became involved in the U.S.’s war, the question of whether the U.S. takes the upper hand in their “special relationship” has also arisen.

Britain was one of, if not the, first country to move into the realm of a democratic system of government, with a basic parliamentary democracy arising by the end of the 17^th century. With monarchial power moving from one hand to another, from the joining of England, Wales and Scotland under James I to James II to, finally, William and Mary in the Glorious Revolution, it was decided that a constant governmental body was necessary in the country. Parliament was created to satisfy this need and was created so as to minimize corruption and keep the monarchial rule in check. Still today this form of government is in place, although it has been tweaked a bit. While there is still a royal family, the prime minister and parliament have the majority of political control. The prime minister stays in power as long as his party is in power—regular elections are not held. This can be seen both as a stable and as a dangerous system. Party corruption is always a possibility, but the political scene in Britain seems to be relatively stable and secure. In the aftermath of the creation of such an effective form of government, however, many states followed Britain’s example in creating a democratic form of government.

In terms of state involvement in the economy, Britain has gone through several transformations. Before the mid 18^th century, Britain was a country heavily dependent on agricultural income. After the Industrial Revolution, however, Britain became a major contributor to the global economy, based highly upon technological advancements and modernized manufacturing. This form of economy called upon a laissez-faire system, with the government aiding in large-scheme economic issues but generally allowing the market to function independently. However, this changed during and after World War I when the state took control of a number of industries, set prices, restricted foreign trade and channeled the country’s production towards war goods.  As this marked a large change in the system of economy, turmoil amongst the people, the government and the economy erupted and intensified during the Great Depression and World War II. With Margaret Thatcher as prime minister, the goal was to reverse Britain’s economic downfall via cutting taxes, reducing social expenditures and using state intervention to jumpstart competition and efficiency of the economy. When Blair became prime minister, however, he turned back towards the laissez-faire economic system, believing that state involvement impeded the abilities of the economy.