1. Why Did Britain Rise to Global Power in the 1700s?
Unit 4 Section 3
TYWL: How the enlightenment ideas and thinkers influenced revolution around the world.
I can: identify enlightenment ideas and understand how they caused revolution and change around the world. How revolutions spark change in not only the political realm, but also economically, and socially.

2. Location control trade during the Renaissance.
In the 1700s, winning side in European conflicts.
powerful navy, to protect its growing empire and trade.
favorable climate to business & commerce.
Union of England & Scotland brought economic advantages to both lands.

3. Growth of Constitutional Government
In the century following the Glorious Revolution, three new political institutions arose in Britain:

4. 1. Political parties in England (1600s
1. Political parties in England (1600s.) 1st political parties, the Tories & Whigs, represented small exclusive groups of wealthy men.
2. Cabinet system was a group of advisers to the prime minister. (met in a small room). Made up of leaders of the majority party in the House of Commons.
3. The Prime Minister (Head of the Cabinet) was the leader of the majority party in Parliament & in time the chief official of the British gov’t.
David Cameron

5. Institutions were part of the evolution of Britain’s constitutional gov’t :gov’t whose power is defined & limited by law.

6. Politics and Society
The age of Walpole was a time of peace & prosperity. Britain was an oligarchy, a gov’t in which the ruling power belongs to a few people.
Highest nobles held seats in the House of Lords.
Wealthy landowners controlled the elections to the House of Commons.
Right to vote limited to male property owners.
Middle class of merchants began to grow. They controlled the towns & cities. Could marry into the landed gentry.

7. George III
George III came to power anxious to reassert royal power. He wanted to end Whig domination, choose his own ministers, dissolved the cabinet system, & made Parliament follow his will.

8. Toward these ends, he:
Gave parliamentary seats to his friends & supporters.
Tried to force English colonists in North America to pay the costs of their own defense after the 7 yrs War (French & Indian War).
In 1775, George’s policies in North America triggered the American Revolution, which ended in a loss for Britain.
Cabinet rule was restored in 1788