The Strange Case of Britain

Britain 

•  Great Britain is considered as a model of the nation or the nation-state according to some scholars.

•  In Britain, the formation of the nation-state was not the result of a sudden upheaval or revolution

•  It was the result of a long drawn out process.

•  There was no British Nation prior to the 18th century.

•  The primary identities of the people who inhabited the British Isles were ethnic  ones -  English, Welsh, Scott  and Irish.

•  All of these ethnic groups had their own cultural and political traditions.

Formation of Nation-state of Britain/ Unification of britain

1.  It was a long drawn out process.

2.  It started with the glorious revolution of 1688 that seized power from the monarchy and gave powers to the parliament.

3.  In 1707, the act of union between England and Scotland resulted in the formation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain

4.  Ireland was forcibly incorporated into the United Kingdom after the failed Revolt led by Wolf Tone and his United Irishmen in 1798. 

5. Finally, a new British Nation was forged through the propagation of a dominant English culture and the symbols of the new Britain - the British flag (Union Jack), the National Anthem (God Save Our Noble King), the English language - were actively promoted and the older Nations survive only as subordinate partners in this union.