- •1) Describe the geographical position of the British Isles offering an explanation for its advantages and disadvantages. Define the term “continental shelf”, its importance for the economy.
- •3)Examine the main stages in the formation of the population of Great Britain (Ancient Britain, The Celts, Romans, Anglo-Saxons) their contribution.
- •4)Describe the Danish raids on England. The struggle of Alfred the Great and its results. Scandinavian borrowings in England.
- •6)Give the main characteristics of the modern population of Great Britain (size, destiny) Immigration and its effects: the visible minority and it’s role.
- •7) Analyse some national traits of the British people and character. How did geography and history affect the British character? How different are they from other nations?
- •8) Describe Great Britain as a constitutional monarchy, its role and social influence.
- •9)Describe the structure and composition of the British Parliament. The House of Lords, main functions and recent changes. The House of Commons: fuctions and role. Devolution.
- •10)Discuss the Electoral system. The majority electoral system and its peculiarities.
- •11)The composition of the Britih Government. The role of the British Prime Minister and the Cabinet. Explain the term “Shadow Cabinet” and its significance.
- •12) Expand on the formation, development and role of the Commonwealth of Nations in the contemporary world and of Britain’s contributions to this organization.
- •13)Discuss the British in their private life, their love of gardens. Leisure and sports in their lives.
- •14)The conflict in Nothern Ireland, its solution.
- •Riots of August 1969
- •Violence peaks and Stormont collapses
- •Sunningdale Agreement and uwc strike
- •[Edit]Late 1970s
- •[Edit]Hunger strikes and the emergence of Sinn Féin
- •Paramilitary ceasefires and peace process
- •First ceasefire
- •Second ceasefire
- •15)Give a general assessment of the role of Britain in the present world. The main issues of the home and foreign policy of the present government.
- •16)Сharacterize the major political parties in the uk (Conservative, Labour, Liberal Democrats and other)
- •17) The role of the church in Britain today. The established churches in the country. Decline of church attendance, reasons.
- •1)Give an account of the geographical position of the United States, its advantages and disadvantages. The size of the country, its composition.
- •Intermontane Plateaus and Basins
- •2)Outline the physical features of the us. The chief mountain ranges and plains the main rivers and lakes. The climatic regions. The main mineral resources and their role.
- •Illegal Immigration
- •6) Discuss the reasons, development and consequences of the War of Independence (1775-1783).
- •7) Expand on the basic values of the American nation. Explain their importance. The "frontier heritage*, the heroes. What is political correctness? Refer to examples in language.
- •9) The prelude, chief events of the Civil War (1861-1865) and its major consequences.
- •10) The development of the usa after the Civil War. The Monroe doctrine. American expansionism at the end of the 19th century.
- •11) Describe how and when the American Constitution was adopted. The structure of the Constitution and its principles. The Bill of Rights and its role.
- •12) The role and the structure of the Congress - the supreme legislative body. Its main functions (the Senate, the House of Representatives).
- •13) Examine the institution of the American presidency, its power and functions. Give a motivated criticism of the home and foreign policy of the present administration.
- •14) Describe the process of presidential elections, their indirect character. What is meant by an "electoral college". Comment on the results of the presidential elections of the year 2008.
- •15) Explain what is meant by a "strict division and separation of powers" between the Congress, the President, the Supreme Court and the system of checks and balances under the Constitution,
- •16) Characterize the main political parties in the usa (the Republicans, the Democrats history, political platform and role today).
- •17) Describe the national Symbols of the usa: the flag, the Great Seal, the National Anthem and the 10 federal holidays.
- •Independence Day
- •Veterans' Day
- •Valentine's Day
Paramilitary ceasefires and peace process
Main article: Northern Ireland peace process
Since the late 1980s, while the IRA continued its armed campaign, its 'alleged' political wing Sinn Féin, led since 1983 by Gerry Adams, sought a negotiated end to the conflict, although Adams knew that this would be a very long process. In a statement, attributed to a 1970 interview with German filmmaker Teod Richter, he himself predicted that the war would last another 20 years He conducted open talks with John Hume—the Social Democratic and Labour Party leader—and secret talks with Government officials. Loyalists were also engaged in behind-the-scenes talks to end the violence, connecting with the British and Irish governments through Protestant clergy, in particular the Presbyterian Rev Roy Magee and the Anglican Archbishop Robin Eames.
First ceasefire
After a prolonged period of political manoeuvring in the background, the loyalist and republican paramilitaries declared ceasefires in 1994.
The year leading up to the ceasefires was a particularly tense one, marked by atrocities. The UDA and UVF stepped up their killings of Catholics (for the first time in 1993 killing more civilians than the republicans). The IRA responded with the Shankill Road bombing in October 1993, which aimed to kill the UDA leadership, but in fact killed nine Protestant civilians. The UDA in turn retaliated with theGreysteel massacre and shootings at Castlerock, County Londonderry.
On 16 June 1994, just before the ceasefires, the Irish National Liberation Army killed a UVF member in a gun attack on the Shankill Road. In revenge, three days later, the UVF killed six civilians in a shooting at a pub in Loughinisland, County Down. The IRA, in the remaining month before its ceasefire, killed four senior loyalists, three from the UDA and one from the UVF. There are various interpretations of the spike in violence before the ceasefires. One theory is that the loyalists feared the peace process represented an imminent "sellout" of the Union and ratcheted up their violence accordingly. Another explanation is that the republicans were "settling old scores" before the end of their campaigns. They wanted to enter the political process from a position of military strength rather than weakness.
On 31 August 1994, the Provisional IRA declared a ceasefire. The loyalist paramilitaries, temporarily united in the "Combined Loyalist Military Command", reciprocated six weeks later. Although these ceasefires failed in the short run, they marked an effective end to large-scale political violence in the Troubles, as they paved the way for the final ceasefire.
In 1995 the United States appointed George Mitchell as the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland. Mitchell was recognised as being more than a token envoy and someone representing a President (Bill Clinton) with a deep interest in events.[90] The British and Irish governments agreed that Mitchell would chair an international commission on disarmament of paramilitary groups.[91]