The UK historical problem,please?

Question

1.What are some general characteristics of Scotland, how did Scotland become part of the Union of Great Britain?
2.What is the political problem in Northern Ireland?

Answer 1

These are really broad questions. I'll try to give simple answers...

1) Prior to the reign of King James I, England and Scotland were two separate kingdoms. When Queen Elizabeth I of England died without heirs in 1603, James VI of Scotland was her closest living relative. He inherited the throne of England as King James I, and became the King of both Scotland and England.

Jame's descendants of the House of Stuart were the rulers of both kingdoms. During the reign of Queen Anne the two Kingdoms were formally united into one kingdom through legislation in both the Parliaments of England and Scotland. These are known as the Acts of Union of 1707.

The Acts of Union were a pair of Parliamentary Acts passed in 1706 and 1707 by, respectively, the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. The Acts joined the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland (previously separate states, with separate legislatures but with the same monarch) into a single United Kingdom of Great Britain.

2) The current political problem in Northern Ireland stems from the Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921. Ireland had been a under England's control since 1542, and officially part of the United Kingdom since 1801.

The Anglo-Irish Treaty was the result of the Irish separatists movement against British domination of Ireland. The Irish separatists were victorious in their cause and in 1921, The Republic of Ireland was recognized as an independent nation from Great Britain.

Part of the Anglo-Irish Treaty stipulated that Northern Ireland (which had been created earlier by the Government of Ireland Act) would have the option of withdrawing from the Irish Free State within one month of the Treaty coming into effect. If Northern Ireland chose to withdraw, a Boundary Commission would be constituted to draw the boundary between the Irish Free State and Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland had always had a large Protestant population that was loyal to the United Kingdom, unlike the rest of Ireland which was Catholic and wanted independence.

Basically the problem in Ireland today stems from the Catholics in Northern Ireland who want the province to secede from the United Kingdom and join the Republic of Ireland, and Protestants who wish to remain a part of the United Kingdom. There have been ongoing political and military conflicts between both sides since the 1920s, although the conflict escalated in the 1960s and 70s. This period is known as, "The Troubles".

Hope this helped,
Peace.

Answer 2

1. Mountainous. King James VI of Scotland was named as heir to Elizabeth I as she was childless and James was in line for the throne. He became King of England as James I. In 1707 the Parliaments were united, many say because the Scots attempts to set up a colony in the New World had nearly bankrupted the country and the English were prepared to underwrite the debt in exchange for a unity of Parliaments.

2. Caused by religion. In the 17th century large numbers of Scots protestants were settled in Catholic Northern Ireland. This was known as 'the plantations'. The Irish Parliament was dissolved in 1801. For much of the 19th century the Irish tried for their independence, but for a number of reasons were unsuccessful. When the UK was on the point of granting that independence in the 1920s the protestants in Northern Ireland objected, saying they wanted to remain part of the UK (fearing they would be swamped in a mainly Catholic independent state). originally, only 4 counties wanted to stay, but by some double dealing between politicians on all sides 6 remained forming Northern Ireland. Th two extra were mainly catholic, but in the minority and there were many problems as a result. These, hopefully, look as if they have been solved.

Answer 3

1. Hilly like Switzerland but you can't understand a word they say. Bunch of theiving clan chiefs caused trouble so English king Edward 1 took the country in 13thC.
2. Lot of resentful Catholics in it and to the South of it kept supporting Marxist terrorists up North in 20th C. Now OK but you can't understand a word they say.

Answer 4

things in N.I have got peaceful so with some luck some other countries can take a leaf out of there book