BRITAIN

To what extent do interest groups in Britain play an active role within the National Government, with a particular reference to religious sects?

Abstract

A growing population and changing society overflowing with new technologies and ideologies coupled with an increasingly powerful and politically active middle class created a necessity for political reform during the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Fear of revolution and a flexible system of government as well as an extended franchise fostered a climate positive to change according to the will of the masses that were politically empowered via the use of protests and demonstrations. Overall, major changes in mentality and the obvious necessity for increased government involvement to keep order in society greatly expanded the role of government within Britain during the Industrial Revolution. Policy Communities and Policy Networks Concepts and models in political science probably reflect the politics of the period in which they were first formulated. This is both unsurprising and desirable, as their utility is to help understand, explain, and even predict events in the real world. An ambition to develop concepts more applicable to the realities of post-war British politics was the foundation of the British origins of what is now termed the network approach.

Table of Contents

Introduction4

Purpose of Study5

Significance of Study5

Literature Review6

Humble British Origins8

The Church of England13

Research Design19

Literature Search19

Keywords19

Discussion20

The other Christian churches21

Other religions24

Conclusion29

References31

To what extent do interest groups in Britain play an active role within the National Government, with a particular reference to religious sects?

Introduction

The role of the British government was greatly expanded during the industrial revolution moving through the three stages of laissez faire to liberalism then progressing towards socialism. Overall, these political shifts were fuelled by a growing sense of morality within the middle class and their interest in politics, new ideologies - including the concept of equality, a clear need for government order within a rapidly changing and populous society, fear of revolution created by circumstances in France and public pressure from an increasingly expanded franchise. The combination of these factors led to the recognition of the necessity for increased government involvement and political reform in all areas of society, in particular those of suffrage, welfare and parliamentary structure.

In addition to the formation of an exploited working class during the industrial revolution, there was a prominent emergence of an educated middle class. This educated middle class took an interest in politics and was driven strongly by a new sense of morality, stemming from the Christian religion. In the instance of the Corn Laws of 1804 which were deemed unjust towards the townsfolk, a major political campaign ensued, involving petition drives supported by merchants, industrialists, and the middle class which finally caused the Laws to be repealed. The repeal of the Corn Laws caused a large political impact because it exemplified the shift in political power from the aristocracy to the middle class. This class began to pervade parliamentary proceedings imposing their values of morality through parliament and politics onto the working classes, which resulted in political reform and government involvement particularly ...