The Fall of the Empire The fall of the British Empire was caused by World War II for two reasons. Firstly, many nations felt that their sacrifice should be rewarded with independence, for example India. Also, the losses to the Japanese destroyed the myth of the European omnipotence. Secondly, heavily in debt to the United States, the United Kingdom was financially exhausted. This left it almost impossible to defend its wider colonies by force. So the vast markets were opened to American companies and to weaken the UK in general. No empire has been larger or more diverse than the British Empire. At its apogee in the 1930s, 42 million Britons governed 500 million foreign subjects. Britannia ruled the waves, and a quarter of the earth's surface was coloured red on the map. Where Britain's writ did not run directly, its influence, sustained by matchless industrial and commercial sinews, was often paramoun...
16. Britain in WW I Causes of WWI: Mutual defence alliances (if one country was attacked then allies would rush to help and it snowballed into a war between many countries) o The alliances at the time were: o Russia and Serbia o Germany and Austria-Hungary o France and Russia o Britain and France and Belgium o Japan and Britain Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia, Russia got involved to defend Serbia. Germany seeing Russia mobilizing, declared war on Russia. France was then drawn in against Germany and Austria- Hungary. Germany attacked France through Belgium pulling Britain into war. Then Japan entered the war. Later, Italy and the United States would enter on the side of the allies. Imperialism: empires got bigger and with that the competition between the empires grew. Everyone wanted more ar...
REVISION QUESTIONS 1. What do you know about Margaret Thatcher? Winston Churchill? Margaret Thatcher was the first female Prime Minister in Europe. She was a member of the conservative party. She died recently. Winston Churchill was the Prime Minister during WW II. He was excellent in making speeches, but he was a heavy drinker and also smoker. 2. What are the main countries of the UK and their capitals? There are 4: England with London as the capital; Wales with Cardiff as the capital; Scotland with Edinburgh as the capital; and Northern Ireland with Belfast as the capital. 3. What is Remembrance Day all about and why is it celebrated at that time? It is about the men (and women) who lost their lives fighting in the World Wars. It's celebrated then, because that's the day WWI was ended with a treaty. 4. Which powers does the Queen of the UK have? The Queen has to sign all the bills for them to pass. She is the o...
Canada Geography The geography of Canada is vast and diverse. Occupying most of the northern portion of North America, Canada is the world's second largest country in total area. The highest point in Canada is Mount Logan 6,050 m, which is in the Yukon. The two principal river systems are the Mackenzie and the St. Lawrence. The St. Lawrence, with its tributaries, is navigable for over 3,058 km. The largest lake situated entirely in Canada is Great Bear Lake at 31,328 km2 in the Northwest Territories. The largest lake which is at least partly in Canadian territory is Lake Superior Climate Canada's climate is as diverse as its landscape. Generally, Canadians enjoy four very distinct seasons, particularly in the more populated regions along the US border. Daytime summer temperatures can rise to 35°C and higher, while lows of -25°C are not uncommon in winter. More moderat...
Society and culture of english-sspeaking countries Introduction 1. The countries of the world where the English language is spoken. 2. Approximate number of mother tongue speakers of English approximately 350-400 million native speakers. Which place does English occupy in the world by its number of speakers?After which language? English occupies second place by its number of speakers after Mandarin Chinese. 3. What is the difference between English as a Second Language, English as a Foreign Language and English for Specific Purposes? Give examples of situations where they are used. English as a Second Language (ESL or TESL) is a traditional term for the use or study of the English language by non-native speakers in an English-speaking environment. That environment may be a country in which English is the mother tongue (e.g., Australia, the U.S.) or one in which English has an established role (e.g., India, Nigeria) English as a...
English literature is one of the oldest literatures in Europe; dates back to the 6th century AD. Oral literature, i.e. not written down, spread from person to person. In 449 AD Anglo-‐Saxon tribes invaded England – beginning of the Anglo-‐Saxon period in English literature. The first form of literature was folklore, carried by scops and gleemen, who sang in alliterative verse (a kind of simple poetry). Prose developed much later. The first form of recorded English literature was the epic Beowulf, which was produced sometime near the end of the 7th and beginning of the 8th century. It has no ...
I Native Americans · Origin of Native Americans Origin is debatable Siberia->Alaska Crossed the land bridge around 14,000 years ago "ice-free corridor" Hunters, searching for fresh grounds · Different tribes and their way of life In tents, dark skin, hair is long, black and straight, women-agriculture, men- hunting. bands(chief. Travelled together) and tribes land was owned by the tribe that occupied it. 200 different tribes Apache- "enemy"- hunted buffalos, oil and natural gas from their land Cherokee- largest tribe Cheyenne- from Minnesota and S & N Dakota. High system of laws Northwest Ordinance of 1787 Signed in 1787 by Thomas Jefferson. The creation of the Northwest Territory as the first organized territory Ohio River was settled, 5 new states Advancement of education, maintenance of civil liberties, exclusion of slavery Promised not to invade or disturb Indians Northwest Indian War-> to stop white expropriation (sun...
London History The Romans AD 43- AD 410 The Romans finally invaded Britain in AD 43 from Kent. The Romans lead by Julius Caesar attempted to invade Britain twice before that in 55 and 54 BC but the invasions were unsuccessful. They made their way to the river Thames and sailed up it. The Romans knew it was important to control a crossing point at the river Thames, so they decided to build a settlement on the north bank. Although small settlements had been built on the banks of the Thames, the Romans were the ones who built the first city. They called their city Londinium. The Roman engineers noticed that the point where the swampy river narrowed would make an ideal crossing point, they built London Bridge. Less than 20 years later the native Iceni tribe, led by Queen Boudicca, rose up against the Romans in revenge for mistreatment and burnt Londinium to the ground. The well disciplined Roman army defeated her forces and Londinium was r...
Rudyard Kipling - One of the most memorable English writers of all time Family of Joseph Rudyard Kipling Mother- Alice MacDonald Kipling. Alice Kipling (one of four remarkable Victorian sisters) was a vivacious woman about whom a future Viceroy of India would say, "Dullness and Mrs. Kipling cannot exist in the same room."[3] Father - John Lockwood Kipling. Lockwood Kipling, a sculptor, an illustrator, museum curator and pottery designer, was the principal and professor of architectural sculpture at the newly- founded Sir Jamsetjee Jeejeebhoy School of Art and Industry in Bombay. Later in life Kipling illustrated many of Rudyard Kipling's books, and other works. Kipling also remained editor of the Journal of Indian Art and Industry, which carried drawing works from the students of the Mayo School. COUPLE named their son after the place they had first met Rudyard Lake. Alice Kipling Fleming - Sister of British author Rudyard Kipling w...
1. Feminism movement, ideology to defend women’s rights Suffrage – right to vote 2. Feminism isn’t a unitary movement because it represents different women and different experiences for them in different parts of the world. Different ideologies 3. Three waves of feminism • 1st wave – early 19th century – early 20th century (Political rights, suffrageright to vote) • 2nd wave – 1960s1980s (Social inequalities, gender norms, Women's Liberation Movement) • 3rd wave – 1990s2000s (ideas are the same, but they wanted to get rid of things the second wave had failed to do); feminisms, expansion, multiplicity, postcolonialism. 4. Anne Bradstreet the first feminist 17th century; the most prominent of early English poets of North America and first female writer in the British North American colonies to be published Mary Wollstonecraft education; an eighteenthcentury English wr...
British Literature in the 20th-21st Century REVISION QUESTIONS 1. The Contradictory, diverse, chaotic 20th century. New developments in science and philosophy. The essence and influence of Freudian theory. Contradictory, diverse, chaotic 20th c- simultaneous rejection and invocation of the past. While modernists apotheosized the creative geniuses of the past, they also rejected old poetic forms. Challenge old and established beliefs and more and more people had access to books and education more people went to universities. profound change in morals: · No universal value and perspective on things · Multiple truths, multiple perspectives · Nothing has inherent (kaasasündinud, sisemist) importance · Life lacks purpose Science: Albert Einstein-general theory of relativity had a huge impact on culture as well. Everything is relative. Philosophy:...