United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland and Germany Vereinigtes Königreich von Großbritannien, von Irland und von Deutschland (German) | |
1901 – | |
Motto "Gott mit uns" ("God with us.") | |
Anthem God Save the King | |
The United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland and Germany. | |
Capital | London & Berlin |
Official language | English, German |
Government | Parliamentary constitutional monarchy |
Head of state 1974 - |
Monarch King George V |
Head of government 2010 - |
Imperial Chancellor (Reichskanzler) David Cameron |
Area | 855,950 km² (2007) |
Population | 146,041,448 (2007) |
Historical era - | |
Currency | Mark Sterling |
The United Kingdom of Great Britain, Ireland and Germany (commonly known as the United Kingdom, UK or less often UKAG) is a large nation located mostly in northwestern Europe. The UK is a federal state comprising of numerous member states: England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Prussia, Malta, Flanders, Wallonia and various other German states.
The nation is a constitutional monarchy under the House of Hohenzollern-Hanover. The country is ruled by a single parliament which meets in two places - the House of Commons meets in the Reichstag building, in Berlin, and the House of Lords meets in the Palace of Westminster, in London. However, each federal state has its own government - for example, Scotland is administered from Edinburgh. The Imperial Confederation has its headquarters in Heligoland, and includes the Crown Dependencies of the Channel Islands, Isle of Man and Cyprus.
The United Kingdom is one of the most powerful nations in the world, and has retained some degree of control over the vast majority of its colonial holdings, through the formation of the Imperial Confederation - this includes Australia, Canada, India, and huge portions of Africa. The UK is a major player in European politics and is the world's foremost political power; on the economic level, it frequently swaps places with the USA and PRA as the world's largest economy.
History[]
Formation[]
The Anglo-German Union was formed from two nations: the United Kingdom, and the German Empire. Their union was brought about after the collapse of the royal family in Britain, with all of Queen Victoria I's sons dying from various causes across the 19th century. This left her daughter, Victoria, in line for the throne. However, Victoria II suffered from breast cancer, and died just a few months into her reign. Her husband, King William II of Germany, had become something of a hero to the British public after being so supportive of both queens on their deathbeds. The British populace, which already had warm relations with Germany, was happy to have a new, foreign king installed on the throne, and on 5th August King William II of Germany became King William V of Great Britain.
The path was now set for unification of the two nations. Though both nations were happy to unite, already with strong cultural links to one another, it was far easier said than done. Bitter political debate filled the Houses of Parliament and the Reichstag as to the unification of the two systems - one an increasingly more powerful democracy, the other rigid and authoritarian. Even after the official formation of the UKBG in 1902 fierce debate and reform would rage for years until, by 1908, the first Act of National Governance was passed, limiting the power of the aristocracy in the House of Lords and granting strength to the House of Commons.