Constitutional Monarchy君主立宪制

TermsConstitutional Monarchy君主立宪制Constitutional Monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state and the power of the monarch (the king or queen) is limited by a parliament, by law, or by custom. Most constitutional monarchies have a parliamentary system in which the monarch only exercises ceremonial duties, but a prime minister is head of government and exercises effective political power.MPsThe House of Commons is a democratically elected body consisting of about 650 members called Members of Parliament (MPs). Each member is elected by and represents an electoral district of Britain known as a constituency. MPs are only allowed to sit for the lifetime of the Parliament, that is, the length of time between General Elections when a new set of MPs is elected. MPs receive a salary and will be able to identify with the “typical” voter they represent.Tower BridgeTower Bridge, officially opened on 30 June 1894, is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London which crosses the River Thames. It is close to the Tower of London, from which it takes its name, and has become a symbol of London. The bridge consists of two towers tied together at the upper level by means of two horizontal walkways, and the vertical component of the forces in the suspended sections and the vertical reactions of the two walkways are carried by the two strong towers. The present color of white and blue is for Queen Elizabeth II’s silver jubilee.Afternoon Cuppa (tea)下午茶Afternoon tea was 'invented' by Anna Maria, the wife of the 7th Duke of Bedford, who would get hungry before dinner and start drinking tea and having a bite to eat in the mid-afternoon in order to tide her over during the long gap between lunch (at 1 p.m.) and dinner (at 7 p.m.). It starts with a pot of tea served with sugar and milk and includes thin slices of bread and butter, muffins, or scones with jam; sometimes with little sandwiches with egg, cucumber, or tomato with a pudding.The Open UniversityThe Open University is founded in Britain in the 1960s for people who might not get the opportunity for higher education. It is a distance learning and research university where the students’ previous academic achievements are not taken into consideration for entry. It provides a wide range of short and long-term undergraduate and postgraduate programs to students of all ages in the world in varied learning places from on-campus to off-campus. Learning takes place through a variety of media from printed materials, books, audio/video cassettes, TV, radio to software and wet-site. It has become the academic institution in the United Kingdom by student number.a welfare stateA welfare state can be defined as “a state with a government which assumes responsibility for the well-being of its citizens throughout life, through a range ofinterventions in the market economy.” The welfare state will aim to offer its citizens a life with certain specified standards of living which it considers reasonable and possible for all, and protection against the unexpected hazards of life (such as losing a job, becoming sick, having an accident, and so on).the quality press大报The quality press, such as Telegraph, The Times, Guardian, Observer, carry more serious and in-depth articles of particular political and social importance. They also carry reviews and feature articles about high culture and will generally be read by a well-educated, middle class audience.the tabloids小报The tabloids are also called “the gutter press”, which are smaller format newspapers with color photos and catchy headlines. The Mirror, Sun, Mail, etc. belong to the type. This kind of newspapers deals in scandals and gossip, usually about famous people, whether in politics, sports or entertainment, and carry lots of crime, sports and sensational human interest stories. The stories are short, easy to read and often rely more on opinion than fact.the Highland gamesThe Highland games is a celebration of Scottish and Celtic culture which takes place every summer in the north of Scotland. At the heart of any Highland games are the heavy events, known as “tossing the caber”——enormous men wearing kilts try to throw tree trunks high into the air to show off their physical prowess and strength. On the other hand, the musical aspect of the Highland games refers to that beautiful girls dance gracefully on top of swords accompanied by the music of the bagpipes, drums and fiddle, in which the dancers try to outdo each other in terms of grace and technical achievements.pantomime儿童哑剧Pantomime is a special kind of Christmas show for children which is loved by people of all ages and which also allows the audience to join in. “Pantomime” was the name of the Roman actor who performed shows without speaking. A pantomime is always based on a well-known children’s story, and there are certain types of characters, such as a “principal boy”, a “dame” and a “horse” in the show and certain situations and events. A pantomime contains lots of songs, dances and comedy. Members of the audience have to shout a warning to one of the characters and argue with them.Hogmanay苏格兰新年除夕It refers to Scotland’s New Year’s Eve, the major winter celebration. One widely practiced custom is “first footing.” It is believed that in the early hours of January 1st the first person to cross the threshold of a household can bring luck and prosperity. To be a true luck-bringer, the First Foot should be vigorous, healthy, young, good-looking and preferably dark-haired. He should bring symbolic gifts of food or fuel or money, or even carry a bunch of evergreen as a promise of continuing life. In return, the luck-bringer must be entertained with food and wine hospitably.Boxing Day节礼节(12月26日)Boxing Day is a holiday of particularly British origin, which takes its name from the old custom of giving employees or tradesmen (such as milkmen) an annual present or “Christmas box” on that day. It is on the second day of Christmas Day. It is common to spend the day with family members or friends, exchange presents and have a family meal in celebration. It i s also a day when stores launch one of the year’s biggest sales periods.Madam Tussaud 杜莎夫人蜡像馆: Madam Tussaud's Waxwork Museum(Madam Tussaud's for short) is one of the most popular tourist destinations ,located on Marylebone Road in London .It was established by Madam Tussaud in 1835, and it is one of the highest level waxworks museums in the world. In Madam Tussaud's there are lots of different famous people's waxworks in it displaying waxworks of historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars and infamous murderers. Not only in London but also in Amsterdam, New York, Las Vegas, Hong Kong and Shanghai.What’s welfare?It means health, happiness/comfort and freedom from want. A safety net to offer help to the vulnerable(脆弱人群)What’s a welfare nation/state?Key: a state with a government which assumes responsibility of the well-being of its citizens throughout life, through a range of interventions in the market economy.福利国家指其政府在整个市场经济过程中,对国民终生承担健康责任的国家The British welfare system has nearly covered every aspect of all people living in the UK, this welfare system offer various kinds of welfare services and the British live a relatively relaxed and happy life.Aim to offer its citizensa life with certain specified standards of living which it considers reasonable and possible for all Protection against the unexpected hazards of life (losing a job, sick ,having an accident ,etc.) Provides education, housing, food ,health care, pension , unemployment , insurance, sick leave or time off due to injury, etc.Features of British Educational systemLong history 历史悠久Perfect rules ,laws &regulations法律完善Perfect management system完美管理Efficient ,excellent 优良有效Scientific科学In good order有序Sufficient funds资金充足Open education system 公开Compatibility of Interchange相容立交Advantages of the British Educational SystemHigh quality \Formal language-widely used \Well-known\Short\Best environment\Parents accompanying students\Free medical service\Over 6months )part-time jobs(20 hours)\In holiday full time \transport , convenient,More single than married \Divorce’s reasons \Cohabite without marriages ¼in 2000 \Job first, raising babies until late 30s.\ single –parent familyGirls : financially independent, working, Choose her own husband, no dowry (嫁妆),It marks the beginning of a new and independent family.The new couples become the masters of themselves.In the past 20 years : nuclear family : father working , mother at homeNow : divorce: 1/3 marriages in divorce Mother: work and family Crimes increasing Children : independent and mature。

英国君主立宪制国际商务创新1201班刘承恩学号：20120200526一、定义：君主立宪制（又称立宪君主制，constitutional monarchy），是指在宪政体制下由一个世袭或选出的君主作为元首的政体。

相对于君主独裁制，君主立宪是在保留君主制的前提下，通过立宪，树立人民主权、限制君主权力、实现事实上的共和的政体。

二、发展原因（1）《大宪章》确立了“法律至上”“王权有限”的宪政传统13世纪初，英王约翰残暴统治引发了贵族、市民的反抗，在武力的胁迫下，走投无路的约翰于1215年6月15日签署了贵族们早已拟好的《大宪章》。

《大》的签订，确立了“王在法下”的原则，即英王的权力并非是至高无上的，它只能在法律的约束下行使权力，第一次明确了国王也必须服从法律，国王也不能凌驾于法律之上。

这是在黑暗的中世纪中人们试图用法律的形式限制王权的第一次尝试。

《大》体现了“法律至上”“王权有限”的精神和原则，成为英国政治传统而不断被继承和发展。

如1628年议会通过《权利请愿书》，全文共有8条，列数了国王滥用权力的行为；重申了过去限制国王征税权利的法律，强调非经议会同意，国王不得强行征税和借债；重申了《大宪章》中有关保护公民自由和权利的内容，规定非经同级贵族的依法审判，任何人不得被逮捕、监禁、流放和剥夺财产及受到其他损害；规定海陆军队不得驻扎民居，不得根据戒严令任意逮捕自由人等等。

1641年议会通过《大抗议书》，要求进一步改革，如实行工商业自由，政府对议会负责等。

（2）议会制形成了国王与议会协商共治天下的统治传统英国议会是西方资产阶级议会的鼻祖。

1265年，贵族在与英王亨利三世的斗争中获胜，召开了英国历史上第一次议会，除了有贵族和主教参加外，还邀请了骑士和市民代表，议会拥有决定征税、颁布法律等权利，行使国家的最高立法权。

从1343年开始，在议会内部逐渐区分为上、下两院，上议院由贵族和教会代表组成，称为“贵族院”，下议院由乡绅和市民代表组成，称为“平民院”。

T he British Commonwealth 英联邦The British Empire was replaced b y the British Commonwealth or the Commonwealth of Nations in 1931. It is a free association of independent countries that were once colonies of Britain. Member nations are joined together economically and have certain trading arrangements.The C ommonwealth has no special powers. The decision to become a member of the Commonwealth is left to each member nation. At present there are 50 members counties whit in the commonwealth (1991).Constitutional monarchy君主立宪制It is a political system that has been practised in Britain since the Glorious revolu tion of 1688. According to this system, the C onstitu tion is superior to the Monarch. In law, the Monarch has many supreme powers, but in practice, the real power of monarchy has been greatly reduced and today the Queen acts solely on the advice of her ministers. She reigns but does not rule. The real power lies in the Parliament, or to be exact, in the House of C ommons. the British ConstitutionThere is no written constitu tion in the United Kingdom. The British C onstitu tion is not set ou t in any single document, but made up of statu te law, common law and conventions. The Judiciary determines common law and interpret statues.parliament (legislature)Parliament is the British legislature,where proposals for new laws are introduced, discussed and either rejected or accepted, where existing laws are amended or abolished, and where votes are taken on taxing and spending. Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons.T he House of LordsThe House of Lords is made up of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal.The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York and 24 senior bishops of the C hurch of England.The main function of the House of Lords is to b ring the wide experience of its members into the process of lawmaking.T he House of CommonsThe House of Commons is elected b y universal adult suffrage and consists of 650 Members of Parliament (MPs). It is in the House of Commons that the ultimate authority for law-making resides.the OppositionIn the General Election, the party which wins the second largest nu mber of seats becomes theoffcial Opposition, with its own leader and“shadow cabinet”. The aims of the Oppositionare to contribute to the formulation of policy andlegislation, to oppose government proposals, toseek amendments to government bills, and to pu tforward its own policies in order to win the nextgeneral election.Quality papersQuality papers are directed at readers who wantfull information on a wide range of publicmatters.There are 5 quality dailies: FinancialTimes, The Daily Telegraph,The Guardian, TheIndependent, and The Times.tabloidsTabloids appeal to people wanting news of moreentertaining character, presented moreconcisely.There are 5 tabloids:Daily Mail, DailyExpress,Daily Mirror,Daily Star and The Sun.SkySky provides television and broadband internetservices, fixed line and mobile telephoneservices to consumers and businesses in theUnited Kingdom.Sky is a b rand name forsatellite television providers and channels acrossthe world, owned by News Corporation. TheBritish Sky Broadcasting Group is a publicsatellite broadcasting company operating in theUnited Kingdom and Ireland. It is the largestpay-TV broadcaster in The United Kingdom withapproximately 9,860,000 subscribers.BBCThe british broadcasting corporation,the UKorganization responsible for making antransmitting of its own television and radioprograms.A welfare stateA welfare state is a system of g overnment-ru norganisations that help everyone to have a goodquality of life by providing a safety-net ofprovisions to ensure people’s welfare.the NHSThe National Health Service was established inthe UK in 1948 and based first on Acts ofParliament. This Service provides for everyresident a full range of medical services. It isbased upon the principle that there should be fullrange of publicly provided services designed tohelp the individual stay healthy. It is now alargely free service.T ripartite SystemThe 1944 Education Act created a tripartitesystem for England and Wales in which allchildren were given the right to free secondaryeducation. A “tripartite”system of secondarymodern, technical and g rammar schools selected11 year-old children at the end of their primaryeducation by means of an exam (eleven plus).E lev en plusUnder the old selective system, children take anexamination ,called the “eleven plus", in theirlast year at primary school. The results of thisexamination determine the kind of secondaryschooling each child will receive.comprehensiv e schoolsIn the 1960s, C omprehensive schools wereintroduced all over the country and are the mostpopular secondary schools in Britain today. Suchschools admit children withou t reference to theiracademic abilities and provide a generaleducation. Pupils can study everything fromacademic subjects like literature to morepractical subjects like cooking.public schoolsFee-paying secondary schools which are longestablished and have gained a repu tation for theirhigh academic standards, as well as theirexclusiveness and snobbery. The b oys’publicschools include such well-known schools as Etonand Harrow, and girls’ famous schools includeRoedean. Most of the members of the BritishEstablishment were educated at a public school.GCSE(中等教育普通证书)The General Certificate of Secondary Education(GCSE) is an academically rig orous,internationally recognised qualification awardedin a specified subject, generally taken in anumber of subjects by pupils in secondaryeducation in England and W ales over two years(three years in certain schools). It is the mainexamination that all students should take at 16.A-L ev el (进阶级课程):Some students continue in the same school for afurther 2 years of study (Sixth Form) leading tothe examination of the General Certificate ofEducation, Advanced level (GCE A level).Usually 3 or 4 academic subjects are studied & 1general studies paper. This is the main examinationrequired for university entrance.Open univ ersityThe Open University is founded in Britain in the1960s for people who might not get the opportunityfor hig her education. It is a distance learning andresearch university where the students’previousacademic achievements are not taken intoconsideration for entry. It provides a wide range ofshort and long-term undergraduate and postgraduateprograms to students of all ages in the world in variedlearning places from on-campus to off-campus.Learning takes place through a variety of media fromprinted materials, b ooks, audio/video cassettes, TV,radio to software and wet-site. It has become theacademic institution in the United Kingdom by studentnumber.T he Russell GroupThe Russell Grou p is a self-selected association oftwenty-four public research universities in the UnitedKingdom. The group is headquartered in London andwas established in 1994 to represent its members'interests, principally to government and parliament. In2010, Russell Group members received approximatelytwo-thirds of all university research grant and contractincome in the United Kingdom. The group is widelyperceived as representing the best universities in thecountry.。

AbstractConstitutional monarchy, also known as parliamentary monarchy, is a governmental form in which Parliament exercises the supreme power. However, the monarch, as head of state, is only a symbol of authority. Britain is a typical representative of this governmental form. In this paper, firstly it explains the concept of constitutional monarchy, and then comes the history and reasons of Britain constitutional monarchy, then gives brief introductions of constitutional monarchy that once existed or still exists in other countries, namely France, Japan and China. Finally it talks about the influence of constitutional monarchy. From the historical review of constitutional monarchy, it is helpful to develop a systemic and deeper understanding of constitutional monarchy.Key words: Constitutional monarchy, Parliament, Britain, Power, DevelopmentHistorical review of Constitutional MonarchyI IntroductionConstitutional Monarchy has had a history of more than 300 years. Firstly established in Britain, it has been continuously perfecting itself afterwards. In the governmental system, Parliament has a stronger power than Crown. As such a crucial political structure, how did it come into being? When did it start? What does it really mean？How does it work on the whole world? Here the paper will have specific illustrations.II Body1.The Concept of Constitutional MonarchyConstitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a written, unwritten or blended constitution. It differs from absolute monarchy in that an absolute monarch serves as the sole source of political power in the state and is not legally bound by any constitution.Most constitutional monarchies employ a parliamentary system in which the Monarch may have strictly Ceremonial duties or may have Reserve Powers, depending on the constitution, have a directly or indirectly elected prime minister who is the head of government and exercises effective political power.In the past, constitutional monarchs have co-existed with fascist and quasi-fascist constitutions and with military dictatorships. Contemporary constitutional monarchies include Australia, Canada, Japan, Norway, Spain, andUnited Kingdom and so on.2.The History of British Constitutional MonarchyBritain is the democratic cradle of western politics in modern world. As the earliest constitutional mode in the world, British parliamentary constitutional monarchy has great impact in the world. Therefore, it is indispensable to havea brief view of British constitutional monarchy. Here are two instrumentalevents in the history of British constitutional monarchy.2.1The Great Charter of LibertyThe Great Charter of Liberty was originally issued on June 15, 1215, which required king John of England to proclaim certain rights, respect certain legal procedures, and accept that his rights will be bound by the law.The Great Charter of Liberty had a significant influence on the historical process in some English speaking countries. It influenced the development of most famous documents, such as the United States Constitution.The Great Charter of Liberty was a document that firstly forced an English king in an attempt to limit his power as well as protect the barons’privileges. King Henry I was the first monarch who voluntarily stated that his power was under the law.2.2 Glorious RevolutionThe glorious revolution, which was also famous as the war of English succession bloodless revolution, was the overthrow of King James II of England. In 1688, a union of parliamentarians and the Dutch stadtholder William II led an army to invade England, and the throne was ascended as William III of England. After the revolution, modern British parliamentary democracy commenced, never since has the monarch held absolute power, and the Bill of Rights has become one of the most important document in the political history of Britain. Since 1689, government under a system of constitutional monarchy in England, and later the United Kingdom, has been uninterrupted. Since then, Parliament’s power has steadily increased while the Crown’s has steadily declined.3.The Reasons of British Constitutional MonarchyIn the long-time development of civilization, eventually England employed constitutional monarchy as its political system, which was totally suited to national conditions and promoted the economic development of British capitalism. Its constitutional mode of representative governmental system combined with the political culture and historical tradition of the country constitutes the parliamentary kaleidoscope of democratic politics of the world today. Through many historians and politicians’analysis, it has been figured out that political tradition and national psychology are two reasons of the system. .3.1Political traditionsIn British history, monarchy had been advancing while being constrained,that is to say, both the king and nobility have certain rights and obligations to maintain a balanced relationship. In 1925, Edward II formally established Parliament, which marked the beginning and development of the restrictions on crown’s power. This tradition was reserved during the process of British development. Parliament’s power has steadily increased while the Crown’s has steadily declined, breaking the balanced relationship now and then. Every time when it was recovered, Parliament’s power has a shade increased once more. Apparently it can be proved that British monarchy has a centuries-long evolutionary process, ultimately established after the British bourgeois revolution, rather than the product of bourgeois overnight.3.2 National psychologyThe English Nation is a stable and legalistic people. In the long course of historical development, they formed legal tradition and the idea of loyalty.Among different classes in Britain, they all held full respect to their majesty.They owed much to the king for the boost of social and economic development. In a sense, King was an idol of the whole nation for protecting people’s freedom and property. For example, Charles II was welcomed when he returned with a promise that “respecting P arliament”; on the contrary, feeling of relaxation filled the whole country after Cromwell’s death. The former one was under Parliament while the latter was not. That is why the English nation supports King.The establishment of parliamentary system is aiming to adapt to the capitalist socio-economic development and the need for political democratization, likewise the reservation of monarchy was determined by considering the British tradition and the objective reality. Therefore, constitutional monarchy was the best choice made by bourgeois and nobility under the historical conditions.4.Constitutional Monarchy in Other Nations4.1FranceIn French history, constitutional monarchy temporarily appeared in the July Dynasty. It was established by great bourgeois during the French July Revolution of 1830, which was the final and highest phase of the constitutional monarchy in France. The natural hostilities between great bourgeois and landed aristocracy determined the inexorable trend for the July dynasty to replace the Bourbon Court, while the French constitutional problems and the limits of French great bourgeois made the constitutional monarchy in an inevitable dilemma.4.2JapanIn the later half of 19th century, Japan was experiencing a renewal of itself.The famous Meiji Restoration was a chain of events that led to enormous changes in Japan’s social and political structure. Thereafter Japan became a country of constitutional monarchy. But the constitutional monarchy in Japan was not the same as in Britain. The tenno in Japan holds more power than thequeen in Britain.4.3ChinaIn China, constitutional monarchy has never existed. However, once there was a group of bourgeois trying to establish it, hence the One Hundred Days Restoration came up. Unfortunately it merely lasted one hundred days. When probing into the reason, feudalism was the instrumental point of the failure. It showed that China had no foundation of capitalism and constitutional monarchy. Though it failed, the ideology of constitutional monarchy did havea huge impact in China’s society at that time.5.The Influence of Constitutional MonarchyBritain, as the head of leading to develop capitalism, has suffered from a long and tortuous history in order to create the very political structure, which serves for the survival and development of capitalism. Eventually British chose the constitutional monarchy which has proved itself a propellant in British history. It cannot be denied that constitutional monarchy did work on the British development, and that it has a positive influence on the international society.However, some historians have been argued that British revolution has the deficiencies of conservativeness and concession. It made a concession to the feudalism with conserving the monarch. Admittedly, it is a question open to dispute. Nevertheless, when contemplating this question, it is better to take the historical conditions into consideration. Constitutional monarchy was the best possible form at that time, and later it has had a significant and far-reaching influence among most western countries. They were following the example of Britain which so far 13 countries of Northern and Western Europe in all are under constitutional monarchy.III ConclusionConstitutional monarchy is a pretty important political structure in the Europe. During its 300-year history of development, it has been generated an enormous impact in the political system of the European countries, expanding to the world. British constitutional monarchy, as the earliest constitutional mode in the world, plays the bellwether in exploring the road of representative governmental system. From the analysis above, it is more straightforward to havea deeper understanding of the constitutional monarchy.IV References[1]曹娟，英日两国君主立宪制的区别，理解教材，12[2]陈利金，近代英国君主立宪制的局限性，广西师范大学学报[J]，1990(8)，76-83[3]来安方，《英美概况》，郑州：河南人民出版社，2004.[4]李其荣，从英国君主立宪制的确立看英国资产阶级革命的保守性，80-81[5]刘杰，论英国宪政模式的世界影响，历史教学[J]，2006(2)，32-35[6]尚待贵，维新派君主立宪思想的反思，法治纵论[J]，249-262[7]沈尊华，英国确立君主立宪制原因初探，安徽教育学院学报[J]，1997(3)，27-28.[8]谢天冰，英国君主立宪制及其历史渊源，福建师范大学学报[J]，1989(2)，93-99[9]许金华，论法国七月王朝君主立宪制的建立，史学月刊[J],2001(4)，86-90[10]王宇博，君主立宪制：英国的历史选择，60-64[11]汪效驷，论君主立宪制在英国的建立及影响，淮北煤师院学报[J]，2001(5)，42-51[12]赵丽霞，漫谈英国君主立宪制的历史成因，休闲驿站[J]，37。