Text 8. Gr. Britain economy. How it all started

The end of the 18th century witnessed some of the most profound political changes in British history. These changes included the loss of the American colo­nies in 1776 after a seven-year war and the revolutions in agriculture and industry.

The Industrial Revolution is the name given to the period beginning in the second half of the 18th century in which industry was transformed from hand-work at home to machine-work in factories. The driving force behind this development was the increase in population and the consequent increase in de­mand for products. This was only made possible, however, by a series of inven­tions such as the steam-engine.

The Industrial Revolution in Victorian Britain entered its second stage: new industries were developed, new factories were built, Britain's products were ex­ported all over the world. And it was during Queen Victoria's reign that Britain became known as «the workshop of the world».

Life in the new factories and towns was one terrible hardship. Men, women, and children worked fifteen or sixteen hours a day in dangerous, unhealthy con­ditions for poor wages and lived in dirty slums. At the same time, the working classes were becoming organized. In the last quarter of the century, there was a massive increase in trade unionism. Parliament was forced to come to terms with the new social conditions. The Reform Act of 1832, which granted the franchise to tenants of land, was followed by other urgently needed social reforms: the cre­ation of the police force; free compulsory education (1870); legal recognition of trade unions.

World War I was followed by a period of severe hardship. It was a time of great social unrest and mistrust between the various classes. Unemployment was high, wages low and there were numerous strikes, including a General Strike in 1926 by all the unions in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the owners of the coal­mines cutting miners' wages.

The Great Depression of the 1930s actually began with the collapse of the American financial markets (the Wall Street crash) in 1929. In Britain unemploy­ment reached huge proportions: over three million people, out of a total workforce of 14 million, were out of work.

World War II had cost Britain more than a quarter of its national wealth. Af­ter the war the Labour government, using the planning experience gained during the war, nationalized the railways and the coal, steel, shipbuilding, gas and elec­tricity industries, and extended the social services provided by the state to include such things as insurance against unemployment, sickness and old age, and free medical care for everyone (NHS, National Health Service). This legislation came to be known as the Welfare State.

There then followed a period of economic growth and prosperity. During the 1950s, there was a period of massive growth in the private sector, above all in the newer industries, particularly car and aircraft production, and wages increased by 40%. Most families could now afford a car, fridge, and a television set, and peo­ple began to talk of an affluent society. By the start of the 1960s, however, pro­duction was beginning to slow, while wages and prices continued to rise.

The main problems faced by the Government were economic, and it adopted the severest measures, including wage freezes and a 14% devaluation of sterling, in an unsuccessful attempt to overcome the difficult economic situation. And it was not until the International Monetary Fund began a rescue operation at the end of 1976 that a dramatic recovery got underway. This recovery was also due to the high levels of oil production reached in the North Sea.

Margaret Thatcher — the Iron Lady, as she was called — was elected Prime Minister in 1979, and the Thatcher «revolution» started and dominated the de­cade. Budgets throughout the 1980s have reduced income tax, and state-owned fa­cilities such as water and British Gas have been handed over to voters. Britain has enjoyed great possessions of knowledge, wealth, and communications. Mrs Thatcher once said she wanted Britain to make a return to Victorian values. In many respects, the country has. Most significant is Mrs Thatcher's creation of a new breed of Briton. Using the driving forces of greed and selfishness, Mrs Thatcher appealed to many voters for the simple reason that they wanted more money in their pockets, more home ownership, more of everything. And after a decade of Thatcherism people have really become better off.

Notes and Commentary

Victorian Britain — Великобритания времен королевы Виктории Queen Victoria — королева Виктория (1819—1901); правила Великобри­танией с 1837 г. по 1901 г.

General Strike — Всеобщая забастовка 3—13 мая 1926 г.; была организо­вана для поддержки шахтеров

the Great Depression — «великая депрессия», наступившая после бирже­вого краха на Уолл Стрит в Нью-Йорке; кризис, охвативший США в три­дцатые годы прошлого столетия the Wall Street crash — биржевый крах на Уолл Стрит в Нью-Йорке the Labour government — правительство, образованное после победы на выборах партии лейбористов — одной из двух крупнейших партий Великобритании

the National Health Service (NHS) — Государственная служба здравохранения Великобритании

the Welfare State — ряд мер, принятых лейбористским правительством (1945—1951) и обеспечивших социальную защиту всех слоев населения (пенсии, пособия по безработице и болезни, бесплатное образование, бес­платную медицинскую помощь и т.д.)

the International Monetary Fund — Международный валютный фонд Margaret Thatcher (the Iron Lady) — Маргарет Тэтчер (род. 1925), лидер консервативной (Conservative) партии Великобритании (1976—1990), первая женщина — премьер-министр (1979—1990)

EXERCISES

Exercise 1. Match the English words with their Russian equivalents.

agriculture (n) hand-work machine-work demand (n) steam-engine product (n) wage (n) trade unionism tenant (n) (of land) trade (s) union unemployment (n) strike (n) owner (n) coalmine (n) financial (a) market (n) social services insurance (n) legislation (n) economic (a) production (n) affluent society

рынок сельское хозяйство социальное обеспечение производство физический труд механизированный труд профсоюз богатое общество (общество всеобщего благоденствия) арендатор (земельного участка) безработица угольная шахта законодательство; свод законов заработная плата (работников ручного труда) экономический профсоюзное движение паровой двигатель товар финансовый забастовка спрос страховка; страхование владелец

Exercise 2. Find the Russian equivalents of the following.

To overcome a difficult economic situation; insurance against unemploy­ment, sickness and old age; a terrible hardship; Victorian values; to cut wages; free medical care; to reduce income tax; a period of economic growth and pros­perity; to dominate the decade; a new breed of Briton.

Exercise 3. Find the English equivalents of the following.

Обязательное бесплатное образование; расширить систему социального обеспечения; развивать промышленность; движущая сила; высокий уровень безработицы; низкий уровень заработной платы; значительный рост частного сектора; национальное богатство; добыча нефти.

Exercise 4. Translate in written paragraphs 2 and 3 of the text beginning with

the words «Life in the new factories...» and ending with the words «...legal

recognition of trade unions». When translating, please keep in mind the

norms of the Russian language.

Exercise 5. Fill in the correct word or phrase from the list below. Use the words or phrases only once.

Legal; social reforms; rescue; to become; free; political changes.

1. … better off

2. … recognition

3. to witness …

4. a … operation

5. … medical care

6. … urgently needed

Exercise 6 . Fill in the correct preposition.

1. to complain … something

2. … an unsuccessful attempt

3. to begin … the collapse

4. to hand … to voters

5. to be… of work

6. to come…terms

7. increase…demand

Exercise 7. Say whether these sentences are true or false and explain why.

Rewrite false statements to make them true.

1. During Queen Victoria's reign, Britain did not export its goods all over the world.

2. At the end of 1976, the International Monetary Fund helped Britain overcome the difficult economic situation.

3. In the 1950s, British people did not have enough money to buy a car, fridge, and a television set.

4. In Victorian Britain, life in the new factories and towns was extremely in­teresting and joyful.

5. After World War I the economic situation in Britain was very difficult.

Exercise 8. Choose all the expressions that are appropriate in answering the questions.

1. The Industrial Revolution

2. The period after World War II

The National Health Service, the Labour government, the second half of the 18th century, legal recognition of trade unions, free medical care for everyone, the franchise to tenants of land, nationalization, all over the world, insurance against old age and sickness, more than a quarter of Britain's, increase in demand for products, national wealth, dirty slums, prosperity, the Welfare State, the Great Depression, fifteen or sixteen hours a day, Queen Victoria, the creation of the police force, free compulsory education, the workshop of the world, machine-work, the Industrial Revolution, hand-work, dangerous, unhealthy conditions, a series of inventions, the steam-engine.

Exercise 9. Look through the text again and write down ways to describe

what Margaret Thatcher's policy was like. Use the vocabulary of the text.

Exercise 10. Ask six questions on the text (in written form).

Exercise 11.

A. Say what the text is about. Comment on the content of the text (orally).

B. Present the general idea of the text in five-six sentences in written form.