2.10 Thinking Thematic

• There have always been divisions between those in power, and those being ruled
• Aethelred


  • Seen as a weak king by his subjects as they did not think he could protect them from Viking invasions
• William of Normandy


  • When he became King of England, there were many rebellions against Norman rule
  • At times, William had to resort to harsh measures to keep control
• King John


  • Divisions between the monarchy and the barons grew as the barons became resentful of John's abuses of power
  • This erupted into a civil war in 1215
• Henry VI


  • Seen as a weak and ineffective king
• Henry VIII


  • Concerned about the growing independence of some of his key ministers (Wolsey and Cromwell)
• Elizabeth I


  • Faced the Northern Rebellion (northern nobles plotted to replace Elizabeth with Mary Queen of Scots)
• Charles I


  • During the period known as his 'Personal Rule', Charles dissolved Parliament and ruled without it
• James II


  • Some leading nobles asked his Protestant daughter, Mary, to take James' place
• Mary and William


  • After the Glorious Revolution, they were forced to accept the Bill of Rights which saw the powers of the monarchy restricted
• 1830s


  • There was a lot of public pressure on the government to reform the electoral system
  • The system was reformed in 1832 by the Great Reform Act, but further pressure was applied by those who did not think the reforms were extensive enough
• Early twentieth century


  • The rise in popularity of the Labour Party put pressure on the Liberals and Conservatives to pass welfare reforms
• Early twentieth century


  • Women campaigned for the right to vote
• World wars


  • Censorship had to be used to keep public morale high
• Margaret Thatcher


  • Her decision to close some coal mines was opposed by some miners
  • Arthur Scargill led these miners on a year-long strike (1984–85)
• CND


  • Challenged Parliament's right to sanction the use of nuclear weapons
• Tony Blair


  • Received a lot of criticism for his decision to go to war with Iraq
• Regions of the UK

  • Have been calling for devolved powers since the 1980s
• Basis of individuals' or groups' claims to power


  • In the medieval period, the consensus was that the monarch was appointed by God
  • Under the Tudor monarchs, the belief of the political nation underpinned monarchs' right to rule
  • From the nineteenth century, people began to recognise the need for a reformed system that was more representative of the people
• There are exceptions to these generalisations, such as:
• How individuals or groups have maintained their position and power

  • During the medieval period (c.790–c.1500), force was used to stop challenges to power
  • From c.1500 to c.1750 there are still examples of individuals and groups using force to keep power, but other methods were also used
  • From c.1750 to 2010 there was an increase in concessions