explain the strange case of Britain
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The strange case of Britain:
The transformation of Great Britain into a nation state was not a sudden process. There was no one British nation before the eighteenth century.
People residing in the British Isles were mainly English, Welsh, Scots and Irish. These ethnic groups had distinct political and social traditions.
As the English nation grew in wealth and power, it began to dominate the other islands.
In 1688, the English Parliament seized power from the monarchy. The Parliament passed the Act of Union, 1707, by which England and Scotland were unified resulting in the formation of the ‘United Kingdom of Great Britain’.
The Parliament was dominated by the English, and the political and cultural identities of the Scots were systematically suppressed. The Catholics in Scotland were brutally suppressed whenever they wanted to regain their independence.
Ireland was inhabited by the Protestants and the Catholics. The English supported the Protestants and established their rule with their help and support. Catholics, who constituted a majority in Ireland, revolted against the British on numerous occasions but were suppressed.
Ireland forcibly became a part of Britain in 1801. The English language dominated, and both Scotland and Ireland were subordinate to England.
This is a strange case because the formation of nation states in Great Britain was not a result of a sudden upheaval or revolution. It was rather a result of long-drawn-out process
The Parliament passed the Act of Union, 1707, by which England and Scotland were unified resulting in the formation of the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain'. The Parliament was dominated by the English, and the political and cultural identities of the Scots were systematically suppressed.