c 
 
Politically this century was stable. Monarch and Parliament got on quite well together. Two
groups were formed within Parliament. One group, the Whigs, were the political descendants
of the parliamentarians. The Tories had greater respect for the idea of the monarchy. It was
the beginning of the party system in Britain.
At the beginning of the century, the Scottish Parliament joined with the English and Welsh
Parliament. Scotland retained its own system of law. In the highlands area of Scot land Stuart
monarch was tried to put on the throne by force. Many highlanders were killed or sent away
from Britain. The Celtic way of life was effectively destroyed. Britain expanded its empire in
the Americas, in Africa and in India. The increased trade with these new markets was one
factor which led to the Industrial Revolution. In England areas of common land disappeared
as landowners incorporated them into their large farms. Hundreds of thousands of people
moved into new towns and cities. Most of these were in the north of England, where the raw
materials were available. In the south of England, London came to dominate. It had a
population close to a million.

c


 
Britain had lost its most important American colonies in a war of independence. When the
century began, the country was locked in a war with France. Soon after the end of the
century, Britain controlled the biggest empire the world had ever seen. One section of this
empire was Ireland. British culture and way of life came to predomina te in Ireland. Another
part of the empire was made up of Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where settlers from
the British Isles formed the majority of the population. Tens of thousands of British civil
servants and troops were used to govern India. Becau se India was so far away Anglo -Indian
way of life developed. Large parts of Africa also belonged to the empire. There was an
enormous increase in wealth, so that Britain became the world's foremost economic power.
Being rulers of an empire was known as the white man's burden. Most people now lived in
towns and cities. They weren't depended their living on the owners of industries. Britain was
turning into something resembling a modern state. Slavery and the laws against people on
the basis of religion were abolished. Public services such as the police force were set up.



 
By the beginning of this century, Britain was no longer the world's richest country. The women
demanded the right to vote. The urban working class finally began to make its voi ce heard.
The Labour party replaces Liberals. Trade unions managed to organize themselves.