Category: Politics & Parliaments
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Why did King John sign the Magna Carta?
King John was a very unpopular monarch who came to the throne of England in 1199. The lords of England hated John, because he taxed everyone heavily, and was generally a weak and nasty ruler. By 1215, the English lords had enough of his misrule, and they got together an army and marched to London.…
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Why did Henry II bring about many reforms in government?
Henry II, who came to the throne of England in 1154, was one of the most effective of all England’s monarchs. He ruled over an empire that included half of France as well as England, Wales and Scotland. This meant that he had to travel a lot, and while he was away, he wanted a…
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Why did the Norman Conquest bring about changes in government?
After the last Anglo-Saxon king died in England, several people claimed the throne. One was the late king’s cousin, William, Duke of Normandy. He invaded England, and at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William defeated another rival for the throne. William was then crowned King of England. To keep all his Norman nobles happy…
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Oldest Parliaments
The Althing in Iceland, founded in the year AD 930, is usually given the credit of being the world’s oldest parliament. At the beginning it was a general assembly of freemen to vote and discuss issues of common concern. The Althing was suspended from 1800 to 1845.The world’s oldest continuous parliament is a title claimed…
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Why do we say that the origin of parliaments can be traced to Anglo Saxon times?
Though the first modern parliament can be traced back to the Curia Regis in 13th century England, the origins of parliament go back to the sixth century when England was ruled by Anglo Saxon tribes. In each of the Anglo Saxon kingdoms, an assembly called the Witenagemot existed. It was composed of important churchmen, earls,…
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When was the first modern parliament established?
The beginning of the modern parliament can be traced back to the 13th century when a council, known as the Curia Regis, or Great Council, advised the king. The Curia Regis was made up of noblemen and church officials. It was in fact, an English court, and it assumed this name during the reign of…
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Why the British Parliament is called the ‘mother of parliaments’?
The British Parliament was once described as the ‘mother of parliaments’ by the nineteenth century radical John Bright. It is one of the models of democratic government followed by many countries throughout the world, and is result of over 800 years of development and honoured tradition. During its first 400 years, Parliament developed from being…
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The Word ‘Parliament’
The French word ‘parler’ means to talk and ‘parlement’ means to parley, or consult, or hold a conference. In time, the word ‘parlement’ came to denote a conference between the king and his chief subjects. The word ‘parliament’ came into usage between 1258 and 1265. This was the period when Simon de Montfort, the most…
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Why was the Roman Republic not a true democracy?
Around 500 BC, the Roman aristocrats, who were rich landowners, decided they didn’t want to be ruled by kings anymore. These rich people wanted more power for themselves. But they couldn’t get rid of the kings all by themselves. They needed the poor men to fight for them. So, they promised the poor men that…
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Why Greece is called the birth-place of democracy?
You all know that India is a democracy, but do you know what a democracy is? Democracy, in Greek, means the rule of the people. In a democracy, the government is run by the people, and the citizens make their own laws. The earliest democracy in the world began in Athens in 510 BC. However,…