E37: What do you think have been the most important chances in your country during the last 100 years

This essay concerns the main changes in England, many of which apply to the whole of Britain.

In the 1890s England was at the peak of her power, the strongest and most influential country in the world. Military conquest, followed by trade, had created the most far-flung empire the world had ever known. The development of the colonies under this influence fostered heavy industry and consumer manufacturing, enormously enriching the home country. Britain 'ruled the waves'. Yet the seeds of decline were already present. From 1890 to 1914 the power of Germany was increasing. Between the two world wars, Britain managed to retain her empire, but from 1945 onwards the constituent countries gradually achieved independence. British markets declined, and the emphasis shifted to the European Economic Community. By 1990 Britain had become an influential, though second rank political, financial and economic power. The country is now in constant financial trouble, and currently trade is in deep recession. In the past century, England has progressively moved into a situation of decline.

Secondly, as in Germany, though to a lesser degree, saturation bombing in World War II destroyed large sections of the industrial infrastructure. Ironically, this facilitated the rebuilding of factories in the Ruhr after Marshall Aid had restored the German economy. In both countries the demand for steel and coal fell drastically, paving the way for the new electronic and high-tech industries. However, whereas the Germans retained and modernized their old infrastructure, England neglected hers. This, coupled with years of strike action, only terminated in the Thatcher regime, weakened the British economy, while the Germans strengthened theirs. The overall result is that, although still influential abroad, England has become a second-class power, living under the shadow of the USA, and currently unable to maintain her position in the Exchange Rate Mechanism of the European Economic Community.

However, all is not doom and gloom. Most though not all of the changes in England's social fabric have been improvements. In late Victorian and Edwardian days, class structures were rigid, and maintained both by the abject poverty of the working classes and by religious and moral pressures.
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Source: www.englishdaily626.com