Volume One The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 3
Chapter One Panoramic View 3
Section One The Country and the People 3
Names and Positions 3
Geographic Features 5
Climate and Weather 7
Factors Influencing English Weather 10
Inland Water 10
People 11
Official and Local Languages 13
Religion 13
The English Language 15
Section Two The British Government 19
The Monarch 20
Parliament 24
The House of Lords and Noble Titles 25
The House of Commons 26
The Government and the Cabinet 28
Civil Servants 29
Local Governments 30
Section Three Politics and Law 32
Political Parties 32
Elections 35
Justice and the Law 37
Law Courts 38
Legal Profession 40
Police Force 41
Section Four National Economy and Cities 42
Economic System and Structure 43
The Public Sector 44
The Private Sector 45
Mining and Manufacturing Industries 46
Transportation and Communications 49
Foreign Trade 51
Agriculture 52
British Disease and Thatcher's Prescription 54
Cities 57
Section Five Cultural and Social Life 62
Class Structure and Social Problems 63
British Families 65
Education Policies 68
Types of Schools 70
Higher Education and Universities 73
Oxbridge 75
Employment 77
Social Welfare 78
Chapter Two English History 80
Section One Origin of the English Nation 80
The Native Celts and Anglo-Saxon Conquest 80
Roman Britain(55 BC—410 AD) 81
The Anglo-Saxon Conquest(446—871) 82
The Norman Conquest(1066) 85
Influence of the Norman Conquest 86
Section Two The Great Charter and Beginning of Parliament 89
Henry Ⅱ's Reforms 89
King John 92
The Great Charter 93
Beginning of Parliament 94
Section Three Decline of Feudalism in England 96
The Hundred Years'War(1337—1453) 96
The Black Death(1348—1349) 98
Wycliffe and the Lollards 99
The Peasant Uprising(1381) 99
The Wars of the Roses(1455—1485) 100
Section Four The Tudor Monarchy and the Rising Bourgeoisie 102
The New Monarchy 102
Henry Ⅶ 103
Henry Ⅷ and Reform of the Church 103
Elizabeth Ⅰ(1533—1603) 105
Renaissance and Changes in the Way of Life 107
Section Five The English Civil War(Bourgeois Revolution) 110
Background of the Revolution 110
James Ⅰ(1603—1625)and the Parliament 111
Charles Ⅰ(1625—1653) 112
The Short Parliament and the Long Parliament 113
The Civil Wars 114
Cromwell as Lord Protector 116
Restoration(1660) 117
Section Six The Industrial Revolution and the Chartist Movement 119
Background of the Industrial Revolution 119
Process of the Industrial Revolution(1750—1850) 121
Effect of the Industrial Revolution 123
Reform of the Voting System 125
The Chartist Movement(1836—1848) 125
Queen Victoria(1837—1901)and Polite Society 127
Section Seven The Rise and Fall of the British Empire 130
Foreign Expansion 130
Effect of Foreign Expansion 132
Britain and the First World War 134
Effect of the War on Britain 135
Britain and the Second World War 136
Volume Two The United States of America 143
Chapter One Panoramic View 143
Section One The United States and Its Natural Conditions 143
Position and Area 144
Surface Regions and Landforms 145
Climate and Weather 149
Land Resources 151
Rivers and Lakes 152
Forests 154
Mineral Resources 155
New Problems 156
Section Two American People 158
The Indians 159
Immigration into America 159
People and Ethnic Groups 162
Melting Pot or Mosaic 167
Distribution of People 168
Background of the Class Structure 170
Upper,Middle,and Lower Classes 171
Section Three Government and Politics(Ⅰ) 175
Basis of the U.S.Political Theory 175
Government Principles 176
Federal System 178
The Federal Government 179
The Legislative Branch 180
Legislative Procedure 182
Section Four Government and Politics(Ⅱ) 186
The Executive Branch 186
General Election 189
The Judicial Branch 193
Federal Police 196
State Government 197
Local Governments 198
Political Parties 199
Section Five National Economy(Ⅰ) 203
General Introduction 203
Economic System 205
Types of Businesses 207
Role of Government in National Economy 209
Themes in Business Life 211
Section Six National Economy(Ⅱ) 213
Mining 213
Manufacturing 214
Principal Products 215
Service Industry 216
Agriculture 219
Forestry 221
Major Cities 223
Section Seven Culture and Holidays 229
The Basis of American Culture 229
Holidays and Festivals 242
American Education 248
Elementary and Secondary Education 249
Higher Education and Universities 250
Employment and Social Welfare 253
Chapter Two American History 256
Section One Native Indians and the Thirteen English-American Colonies 256
Indians as Native Americans 256
Columbus Discovering the New World(1492) 258
Founding of Colonies 258
The Early Colonies and Immigrants 265
Life in the Colonies 267
Section Two The War of Independence 271
Relationship Between the Colonies and England 271
The French and Indian War(1756—1763) 273
Conflicts Leading to Armed Revolution 274
The First Continental Congress 277
The First Armed Clash 277
The Second Continental Congress 278
The Declaration of Independence 280
Military Struggle and Final Victory 282
Section Three Founding of the American Constitution and the Washington Administration 285
America Following Independence 285
The Constitutional Convention 287
Ratifying the Constitution 289
The American Constitution 290
Washington as the First President 293
Section Four America During the First Half of the 19th Century—an Era of Expansion 297
Jefferson and His Time 297
The Purchase of Louisiana(1803) 299
The Second War with England(1812) 299
Military Actions 301
Immediate Effect of the 1812 War 301
The Monroe Doctrine(1823) 302
Jackson and Spoils System 303
Mexican War and Its Results(1846—1848) 304
Opportunities and Adventures 305
Effect of Westward Movement 308
Section Five The Civil War 310
The Beginning of Negro Slavery 310
Life of the Black Slaves 311
Conflicts Arising from Slavery 312
Abraham Lincoln 315
Military Contest in the Civil War 316
The Emancipation Proclamation and Final Victory(1862) 318
Lincoln's Death and American Concept of a Hero 319
Effect of the Civil War and Reconstruction 321
Section Six The United States After the Civil War—Development and Foreign Aggression 323
Situation After the Civil War 323
Economic Development 326
Appearance of Monopoly Businesses 328
Effects of Economic Development and Monopoly 330
Social Reforms During Industrialization 332
Imperialist Foreign Policy and War with Spain 334
Aggression Against China 336
Section Seven America During and After World War Ⅰ 337
World War Ⅰ and America's Neutrality 337
America Entering into the War(1917) 338
America and the Treaty of Versailles 339
America After the War and Red Scare 340
Industrial Progress 341
New Culture 342
The Lost Generation 345
Background of the Great Depression 346
The Great Depression 347
President Roosevelt's"New Deal" 348
Section Eight America During and After World War Ⅱ 351
The Outbreak of General War 351
Changes in the US Policy 353
The Lend-lease Bill 353
America's Entry into the War 354
America After the War 357
Cold War and America's Containment 357
McCarthy Era 359
John Kennedy 360
Beat Generation 361
Demands for Reform and Counterculture 362
Johnson and His Great Society 365
Vietnam War 366
Nixon and Watergate Affair 367
From Carter to Clinton 368
War Against Terrorism 371
Supplementary Materials for Reference 373
Section one An Outline Introduction to American Literature(1600—1985) 373
Section Two The Ancient Mediterranean World and the Origin of European Civilization 392
Section Three Appearance and Development of Christianity 403
Section Four Information Material 409
Britain's Papers,Radio and Television 409
The U.S.Press,Radio and Television 410
Kings and Queens of England and Great Britain 411
Prime Ministers of Great Britain 413
The 50 States of America 415
Presidents of the United States 416
Currency 418
Bank and Public Holidays in Britain,1982 418
Bibliography 419