England's Monarchs, Industrial Change, and Global Expansion

Elizabeth I's Reign and Diplomacy

Elizabeth I skillfully prevented war at home by finding ways to prevent religious conflicts between Catholics and Protestants. She used the possibility of marriage to keep the peace. Her Catholic subjects were loyal because they thought she might marry one of their faith. For the same reason, Catholics were unwilling to go to war with England. At the same time, Protestant subjects hoped she would marry a Protestant.

She went to war with Spain. When they sent their huge fleet to invade England, Elizabeth sent out her ships to fight them off. Elizabeth I was left with the most powerful navy in the world.

The Glorious Revolution in England

As the ruler, James II tried to make England Catholic. Several English leaders looked for a new ruler, believing that the king had to be Protestant and respect Parliament. They invited the Dutch prince William of Orange to rescue the nation and its religion. William was the obvious choice because his wife, Mary, unlike her father, was Protestant.

William and Mary's armies quickly drove James out of the country. Parliament offered the throne to these new rulers, but with one condition: they had to accept the Declaration of Rights, a summary of all the rights held by people under their government. Under the English Bill of Rights, all laws had to be approved by Parliament. William and Mary agreed and made Britain a constitutional monarchy.

Impact of the Industrial Revolution

Because the new textile machines were so big and so fast, they needed more power than a human could supply. Therefore, mills had to be built to supply power. The machines had to be housed in factories, and factories were located in the city.

Urban Living Conditions for Workers

Workers lived in small quarters. Soot covered everything, even indoors, making it hard to keep anything clean. Many people from different houses or apartments shared a single bathroom. Many had to carry water in buckets from the nearest well. Garbage was everywhere in the streets, attracting rats and dogs. Dust from textile mills poisoned the air and water, and diseases swept easily through cities; many people died of cholera.

Napoleon Bonaparte's Rise to Power

Napoleon had won many wars and rose from captain to general. Later, he took control of the French government. To change the laws, he had a team of lawyers studying all the laws of France and rewriting them; these new laws were called the Napoleonic Code. He also let the Catholic Church operate freely and allowed other religions to have their freedom.

Motivations for European Imperialism

European nations started colonies in Africa and Asia for several reasons:

• To get raw materials and sell goods.
• To protect trade routes.
• Because when one country established a colony, others did the same. No country wanted to see its neighbors gain more power than it had.