英美概况论述题(3)

2. How did the Civil Wars break out? What were the consequences of the Civil Wars? —— Charles I, also believed “the Divine Right of kings”. His prerogative rights should not be challenged by anyone. It encouraged confrontation with Parliament, whose members had become increasingly Puritan in sympathy. He managed to rule England for 11 years without Parliament. But in 1640, Charles needed money and feared the invasion of the Scots and had to call the Long Parliament. Then a whole series of measures were introduced by the Parliament limiting the authority of the Crown while increasing its own. Thus, by 1642, the king and the commons were at each other’s throats, war was inevitable. In 1642, the first Civil War broke out. By autumn 1646, Parliament held most of England and next year Charles was captured but escaped. He made a deal with the Scots who invaded England but were defeated by Cromwell. Thus was the beginning of the Second Civil War. In November 1648, the

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king was captured again and condemned to death. The English Civil Wars have been seen a conflict between Parliament and the king, but also as a conflict between the economic interests of the urban middle classes and the traditional economic interests of the Crown. The English Civil Wars not only overthrew feudal system in England but also shook the foundation of the feudal rule in Europe. It is generally regarded as the beginning of modern world history.

3. Tell briefly the history of the two-party system in the United States. What are the characteristics of the two major parties in the United States today? —— Political parties are the basis of the American political system. In general, America has a two-party system. This means that two major political parties-now the Democrats and the Republicans-dominate politics at the federal, state and local levels. There have been four periods in the history of political parties in America. The first periods of the party system began with the first two major parties or camps —— the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists led by Alexander Hamilton. Most of the Anti-Federalists later accepted the Constitution with the Bill of Rights, and began to call themselves Democratic-Republican. After the 1828 election of Andrew Jackson, the Democratic-Republican Party split. The main faction, led by Andrew Jackson, called themselves the Democratic Party, while the faction opposed to Jackson formed the Whig Party in 1834. As the struggle over slavery intensified, the majority of the Whig Party, part of the democrats, and other anti-slavery elements founded in 1854 the Republican Party. The third phase of the two-party system ran from the 1860s to the 1920s with the Republican Party dominating the political scene for most of the time. The fourth period began with Franklin D. Roosevelt’s coming into power and lasted till the 1980s. In this period, for about 50 years, with short interruptions, the Democratic Party was dominant. The Two major parties are really not very different today. But this does not mean there is not difference between them. On economic issues, the Democrats traditionally favour government intervention while the Republicans stress the role of the market more. On social issues the Democrats support a strong social security system while the Republicans oppose large government social security programs. In spite of these differences, the two parties both believe in individualism, defend capitalism and uphold private ownership of means of production. In terms of organization the two parties are actually loose political coalitions.

4. What were the causes and consequences of the War of 1812? —— The causes leading to the war were the following: (1) A war between Britain and France was going on in Europe. First the American government adopted a policy of not allowing trading with both countries. Later the U.S. government changed its policy by stating that if any of the two countries gave up its blockade against American shipping, the U.S. world lift the prohibition. In 1811, the U.S., on the condition that France would drop its blockade against American shipping, lifted the ban. This angered the British. (2) The Americans resented the British practice of impressing or forcibly removing seamen from American ships on the grounds that they were British subjects. (3) The U.S. wanted to take advantage of the War in Europe, when Britain and France had no time to look after their interests in the New World, to expand into Canada or Spanish Florida. This harmed the interests of the British. —— The war had great impact on the development of the Unite States. Firstly, the war made people realize the importance of a strong national government. Secondly, the war strengthened the feeling of national unity and patriotism. Thirdly, for almost 10 years after the war, the Americans turned their attention to the devlopment of the western part of the continent. Fourthly, it made both Britain and the United States realize their disputes should be slove through negotiation. A shaky peace in 1814 turned into lasing peace between the two countries.

5. What role does the community college play? What functions does it perform? What is it important in American higher education? What is the guiding principle of such a college? —— The community college as an institution is one of the most important innovations in the history of American higher education more accessible and in meeting the needs of educated adults, employees of local business, professional requiring certification as well as community organizations. It performs five main functions. First, it prepares students for transferring to a BA program at a four-year institution. Second, it provides vocational training for people who are already working or expect to be working in the future. Third, it gives remedial instruction to higher school students who are underprepared for college academically a …… 此处隐藏：4446字，全部文档内容请下载后查看。喜欢就下载吧 ……