United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland

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1801–1927

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Motto
Dieu et mon droit

Anthem
God Save the King

Ireland (1922)

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Capital

London

Government

Constitutional monarchy

Monarch

- 1760-1820

George III

- 1820-1830

George IV

- 1830-1837

William IV

- 1837-1901

Victoria

- 1901-1910

Edward VII

- 1910-1936

George V

Prime Minister

- 1783-1801

William Pitt the Younger

- 1801-1804

Henry Addington

- 1804-1806

William Pitt the Younger

- 1806-1807

The Lord Grenville

- 1807-1809

The Duke of Portland

- 1809-1812

Spencer Perceval

Legislature

Parliament

- Upper house

House of Lords

- Lower house

House of Commons

History

- January 1, 1801

Act of Union

- May 3, 1921

Government of Ireland Act

- December 6, 1922

Anglo-Irish Treaty

- April 12, 1927

Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act

Area

315,093 km²

Population

- 1801

16,345,646

Density

51.8/km²

Currency

Pound sterling

Great Britain

Ireland

United Kingdom

Irish Free State

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The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland often shorten to The United Kingdom or Great Britain and Ireland is a constitutional monarchy (₳|₩) that was formed by the Act of Union (₳|₩) on January 1, 1801 that united the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland. The United Kingdom was composed of the constituent countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.

A recurring issue in British politics during the 19th century was the question of home rule for Ireland. An Irish Republic was proclaimed in 1916 as a breakaway state, with a declaration of independence in 1919. On May 3, 1921 the British authorities divided the island into Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland, which were to be two autonomous regions within the United Kingdom. The solution was never accepted by the rebels and following the Anglo-Irish Treaty on December 6, 1921 the Irish Free State was established, effectively dividing the country. The northern part of the island was however to remain within the United Kingdom and to retain the far ranging autonomy in had received.

The old name continued in official use until April 12, 1927 when it was changed to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland by the Royal and Parliamentary Titles Act.

History[]

The legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was completed on January 1, 1801, under the name of the United Kingdom. However, armed struggle for independence continued sporadically into the 20th century. The Anglo-Irish Treaty of 1921 established the Irish Free State. Six northern, predominantly Protestant, Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom.

Great Britain's industrial revolution greatly strengthened its ability to oppose Napoleonic France. By the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815, the United Kingdom was the foremost European power, and its navy ruled the seas. Peace in Europe allowed the British to focus their interests on more remote parts of the world, and, during this period, the British Empire reached its zenith. British colonial expansion reached its height largely during the reign of Queen Victoria (1837-1901). Queen Victoria's reign witnessed the spread of British technology, commerce, language, and government throughout the British Empire, which, at its greatest extent, encompassed roughly one-fifth to one-quarter of the world's area and population. British colonies contributed to the United Kingdom's extraordinary economic growth and strengthened its voice in world affairs. Even as the United Kingdom extended its imperial reach overseas, it continued to develop and broaden its democratic institutions at home.

By the time of Queen Victoria's death in 1901, other nations, including the United States and Germany, had developed their own industries; the United Kingdom's comparative economic advantage had lessened, and the ambitions of its rivals had grown. The losses and destruction of World War I (₳|₩), the depression of the 1930s, and decades of relatively slow growth eroded the United Kingdom's preeminent international position of the previous century.

Britain's control over its empire loosened during the interwar period. Ireland, with the exception of six northern counties, gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1921. Nationalism became stronger in other parts of the empire, particularly in India and Egypt.

In 1926, the United Kingdom, completing a process begun a century earlier, granted Australia, Canada, and New Zealand complete autonomy within the empire. They became charter members of the British Commonwealth, an informal but closely-knit association that succeeded the empire.^[1]