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  • Essay / The rise of democracy in Britain - 912

    Greece was once on top of the world. Her philosophy, her sculptures, her paintings, her theater and her architecture are some of the great gifts she left us, but the most important is democracy. Democracy is believed to have been created in an ancient Greek city; this city is known as Athens. Athens' success as a city was due to the way it ran its government. In this town, everyone had a say in what they wanted to do. Without a doubt, democracy has been the best old idea to keep for all countries in the world. Britain has an amazing history as a superpower that at one point had its own empire. They certainly succeeded, but they had not established a democracy, and it took Britain several years to achieve this. So when did Britain become democratic and why? The main reason Britain moved from a monarchy to a democracy was the Industrial Revolution. During the Middle Ages, the monarchy was extremely strong in Britain. There were many notable kings and queens; there were kings like James I, George III, Henry VII and many others who are known for accomplishing things like separating the Catholic Church from England or being defied by the American colonists. During this period, people were not allowed to think for themselves. Neither the Church nor the monarchy allowed people to have their own ideas or express their opinions. Kings had absolute control over everything from raising taxes to imposing a religion on their people. Everyone within the British kingdom was prevented from thinking like the king and living for the king. There were only two kinds of people in those days, there were those who weren't... middle of paper... like it is today. It is interesting to note that Great Britain, after becoming a democratic country, retained the monarchy and does not have an official written constitution. Works Cited Albert, Craig, William Graham, Donald Kagan, Steven Ozment and Frank Turner. “Towards a Parliamentary Government in England” The Heritage of World Civilizations. 9th. Combined. Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall, 2011. 462. Print. The official website of the British Monarchy. The role of the monarchy. Retrieved November 8, 2013 from http://www.royal.gov.uk/monarchuk/howthemonarchyworks/howthemonarchyworks.aspxWelcome to a history of England - History of England. The Dark Ages (450 - 1066) - Introduction - History of England. Retrieved November 7, 2013, from http://www.historyofengland.net/kings-and-queens/the-dark-ages-450-1066-introduction#the_dark_ages_450__1066__introduction__summary