British culture and civilization

British culture and civilization

by Alexandru Mihai XI-C

● Where does the british culture come from? In

● British folklor II
● White people with a dark past III
● Multicultural London IV

British culture is influenced by the combined nations' history; its historically Christian
religious life, its interaction with the cultures of Europe, the traditions of England, Wales,
Scotland and Ireland, and the impact of the British Empire. Although British culture is a
distinct entity, the individual cultures of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are
diverse and have varying degrees of overlap and distinctiveness.

Some of the most popular British folklore are:

1. The Lincoln Imp is a grotesque on a wall inside Lincoln Cathedral, England, and it
has become the symbol of the city of Lincoln. A legend tells of it being a creature
sent to the cathedral by Satan, only to be turned into stone by an angel.

2. Jack o' Kent or Jack-a-Kent is a Welsh folkloric character based in the Welsh
Marches. He is alternately referred to as either a cleric or wizard who regularly beats
the Devil in bets and games. He is most well known around Herefordshire and
Monmouthshire, and his legends are used to tell the origin of many of the geological
formations around the region.

3. Spring-heeled Jack is an entity in English folklore of the Victorian era. The first
claimed sighting of Spring-heeled Jack was in 1837. Later sightings were reported all
over the United Kingdom and were especially prevalent in suburban London, the
Midlands and Scotland.

White people with a dark past

The British Empire, a worldwide system of dependencies—colonies, protectorates, and other

territories—that over a span of some three centuries was brought under the sovereignty of
the crown of Great Britain and the administration of the British government. The policy of
granting or recognizing significant degrees of self-government by dependencies, which was
favoured by the far-flung nature of the empire, led to the development by the 20th century of
the notion of a “British Commonwealth,” comprising largely self-governing dependencies that
acknowledged an increasingly symbolic British sovereignty. The term was embodied in
statute in 1931. Today the Commonwealth includes former elements of the British Empire in
a free association of sovereign states.

Colonialism is defined as “control by one power over a dependent area or people.” It occurs
when one nation subjugates another, conquering its population and exploiting it, often while
forcing its own language and cultural values upon its people. By 1914, a large majority of the
world's nations had been colonized by Europeans at some point.
British culture and civilization
The concept of colonialism is closely linked to that of imperialism, which is the policy of using
power and influence to control another nation or people that underlies colonialism.

During the nineteenth century, industrialization shifted the economy of Great Britain to
primarily large-scale industries, and with this, competitive commercial companies began
being founded. The East India Trading Company and others began seeking materials from
foreign territories, as the British people could afford more luxuries than ever before. In
territories such as India, the British began being absorbed into the trade communities and
eventually took steps to overtake the governments. As the British Empire developed,
however, it was not without great opposition and conflict. One of the largest challenges came
when the American colonies revolted in the Revolutionary War and ultimately won
independence in 1776. After losing it’s stronghold in the Americas, the Empire only began
expanding elsewhere in places like India, Australia, and islands in the Caribbean

In 2012 the British Foreign Office admitted that thousands of records documenting atrocities
committed by the British Army and colonial service were deliberately destroyed, and the
records which remained were illegally kept hidden from the eyes of the media and the public.
Here are just a few of the atrocities committed during the reign of the British Empire, known
to history as the Pax Brittanica.

In the 1870s while under British rule, India was swept with several famines which led to the
deaths of over five million of its people. Simultaneously with these deaths from starvation,
malnutrition, and disease India’s exports of grain to the rest of the world, ordered and
supervised by officials of the British Empire, increased, in some cases to record levels.
Under British rule, India provided food to the rest of the world as its own people starved

The British Empire British used concentration camps in an attempt to end the guerrilla
warfare which erupted during the third year of the Boer War wich was an atrocity on a vast
scale, essentially making war on a civilian population rather than an enemy army. The
camps, which consisted of tents as the only shelter for the prisoners, eventually numbered
over 100, with 45 erected for the Boers and over sixty for Africans unfortunate enough to live
in the territories “controlled” by the British army

The British did not cause what we know as the Irish Potato Famine, which affected potatoes
across the continent of Europe as well as Ireland. It was caused by a potato blight that
destroyed the potato crops. But the starvation in Ireland and the deaths which resulted from
the famine were wholly preventable and the British Empire did little or nothing to prevent it
other than assign a man with a near-psychotic hatred of the Irish in general and the poor in
particular, Charles Trevelyan to direct their policy. As the rate of deaths from the famine were
nearing their peak, the man tasked with providing aid to the suffering wrote to Lord
Monteagle that the famine was an “effective mechanism for reducing surplus population.”
This are just a few of the atrocities committed by the British Empire, The civilized world is not
so civilized after all.

Multicultural London
British culture and civilization
Being the largest city in the UK, London is also home to one of the most ethnically diverse
populations in the world. Approximately 1/3 of Londoners were born abroad and over 200
languages are spoken in the capital. The wide range of cultures and languages are
celebrated in London in many different ways – mainly with amazing food and lively festivals

Chinese immigrants have been settling in this area of Westminster since as far back as the
18th century (although it was once home to many Huguenot and Maltese immigrants). Today
Chinatown is packed full of Chinese supermarkets, bakeries, and over 80 different Chinese
restaurants, but Gerrard Street is the epicentre of London’s Chinatown. If you happen to be
in London at the end of January or early February, be sure to head to Chinatown to celebrate
Chinese New Year!

Camden may be known for its alternative and artsy vibes, but believe it or not this popular
London neighbourhood has a ton of Latin culture that deserves to be explored. Here you will
find a ton of different Cuban restaurants and bars blasting salsa music (not to mention tons
of Spanish tourists), and there’s even Spanish translation services available throughout the
neighbourhood as well.

Waltham Forest has one of the highest ethnic populations in Europe (mostly consisting of
Eastern Europeans and British Pakistanis), but some parts of Waltham Forest seem so
European, you’ll find it hard to believe that they’re not in Eastern Europe. Not only was the
Waltham Forest Town Hall influenced by Swedish architecture, you can also find a ton of
different restaurants and shops influenced by Scandinavian, Portuguese, Italian and Spanish
cuisine.

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