1

• You will…–Differentiate between England,

Great Britain, and the United Kingdom–Explain the structure & function of

the British Government

2

Explain the difference between England, Great Britain, & the United Kingdom using this map.

• England—Region within the United Kingdom

• Great Britain—England along with Scotland and Wales

• United Kingdom—All of Great Britain plus Northern Ireland

Northern

• “Great Charter”• Group of nobles used influence

of their money to limit the absolute power of King John in 1215

• First time a monarch gave power to the people

• King had to obey laws of the land

Look Familiar?

8

Key Terms:• Parliament—the lawmaking body of the

United Kingdom (like our Congress)• Constitution—a set of laws that governs how a

government works• Constitutional Monarchy—a government in

which a monarch is head of the state but has limited power

How can Britain have a constitution and a parliament but still be a monarchy?

Monarchy (king/queen)• Represents Britain• Has limited power

Parliament• Makes laws (based

upon the Constitution)• Collects taxes

• Responsible for making all laws and passing taxes

• Comprised of three parts:1. The House of Commons – elected officials2. The House of Lords – appointed officials

(spiritual and hereditary)3. The Monarchy – limited power, but must sign

bills into law

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• Headed by the British Prime Minister who is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons– S/he selects Government Ministers to head

specific governmental departments from the House of Commons/Lords

– They make sure that all laws are enforced– Current PM: David Cameron

1. What is the Legislative body in the UK?– What is its function?– Name the lower house. – How are these representatives placed in office?– Name the upper house. – How are these representatives placed in office?– Who signs the laws into place?

2. What is the Executive body in the UK?– What is its function?– Who is its leader?

• Current monarch: Queen Elizabeth II– Most of her responsibilities

are ceremonial – e.g. bestowing titles (knighthoods, etc.)

• Her heir: Prince Charles• His heir: Prince William– His heir: baby Prince George

“The Sun Never Sets

on the British

Empire”?

The

Empi

re a

t its

Hei

ght:

• In 1500s British had extensive trade network of colonies• Empire was on six continents• Sun literally never set on some part of it!• Ended in 1900s after WWI

• The English Channel is a body of water between England and France that connects the Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea.

• Links the United Kingdom and France.• Opened in 1994. • Lies beneath the English Channel• Consists of three parallel tubes, two of which

carry trains between the United Kingdom and France. – Third tube is a service tunnel for maintenance or

emergency evacuations.