Many of us have a very stereotypical idea of ​​Great Britain, influenced by classic literature and feature films. What can we tell you about the British? They are probably extremely punctual and prim, they love tea and prefer oatmeal. Not too much, right? But in fact, Britain has a very ancient and extremely interesting history, which influenced the emergence of the so-called English character. The history of the state can best be illustrated by people who ruled the country at different times and controlled the minds of their fellow citizens. The head of the government cabinet is the Prime Minister of England. This position imposes great responsibility, so the English aristocrats who occupied it were extraordinary people. I would like to talk about some of them in detail.

Prime Minister: how the position came about

The Prime Minister of England is the very first adviser and assistant to the ruling dynasty. We can say that the position imposes a number of specific obligations, but does not limit the range of responsibilities. Since, in addition to general activities, the Prime Minister of England must still have a certain subordinate structure, he was offered several positions to choose from. Most often, the Prime Minister became Lord Chancellor or First Lord of the Treasury.

It is worth noting that until the eighteenth century, an adviser to the monarch was called prime minister quite rarely, and only Robert Walpole, who headed the government for more than twenty years, was awarded this title. Subsequently, the title came into use and became the official title of the position.

In England they have great respect for their prime ministers. For example, twelve years ago a limited series of stamps was issued depicting the most significant heads of government in the entire history of the country.

Residence of the Prime Ministers of Great Britain

Britain is known for its traditions; it seems absolutely natural to the inhabitants of the country that the Prime Minister of England has his own residence, which is transferred along with the position. The roots of this tradition should be sought in the eighteenth century. Then, amazed by Robert Walpole's devotion to the crown of Great Britain, George II decided to give his devoted servant a residence on Downing Street. The first prime minister turned out to be a very modest person and agreed to accept the gift only on the terms of transferring the house to his successor and subsequent heads of government. It so happened that for two and a half centuries all prime ministers, upon taking office, moved to number ten Downing Street.

Some aristocrats who headed the cabinet preferred to live in their own residences. But for official receptions the historical residence on the well-known street was always used.

First Prime Minister of Great Britain

This man deserves great respect from the British. The first prime minister in British history, Robert Walpole, spent every minute of his life working for the good of the country; he was a reliable support for the kings for twenty-two years. To this day, no one can beat his record.

Walpole's influence on the cabinet was truly limitless; he possessed a rare gift of eloquence and persuasion. This helped his career take off. Walpole's policy was based on low taxation and the avoidance of international military conflicts. This allowed the prime minister to gain great love from the people and the gratitude of the kings, who were able to significantly increase the treasury by reducing spending on military campaigns.

It is worth noting that Robert Walpole was not only a talented politician, but also a lover of beauty. His collection of art objects, which later became the basis for the Hermitage exhibition, was the largest and richest in Britain.

After his resignation, the former Prime Minister of England continued to influence the country's politics, guiding the actions of his successor. The king himself often turned to him for advice, although the politician practically did not leave his residence in the last years of his life. From there he could direct the new cabinet, receiving news from numerous informants in London.

The only assassinated prime minister in British history

The twenty-first head of the cabinet went down in the country's history as the first and only prime minister to fall victim to an assassination attempt. Spencer Percival ruled the country for about three years. The politician was predicted to have a long career, because he was one of the most talented speakers in the cabinet. But he fell victim to the personal revenge of the Englishman Bellingham when leaving the palace.

Head of the British Cabinet of Jewish descent

Twice Prime Minister of England Disraeli was an extraordinary man. He had a lot of mutually exclusive talents, which, combined with perseverance, helped make his career.

Disraeli had Jewish roots, but considered himself a true Englishman, he had the gift of writing, and many interesting stories came from his pen. In addition, the politician turned out to be a talented merchant, and at the time of his death he owned a very impressive fortune.

Benjamin Disraeli's political career was not easy. He was constantly in a state of struggle for his post; it was during the period of his management of the cabinet of ministers that the politics of England most resembled a swing. In some periods, the Prime Minister was adored and given all sorts of gifts, while in others he fell out of favor. Contemporaries characterized him as a witty person who was able to solve almost any issue. Queen Victoria greatly appreciated her Prime Minister, who actually brought India to her. During his tenure, Disraeli paid a lot of attention to the improvement of cities and making life easier for ordinary Englishmen.

Last Prime Minister of the Liberal Party of Britain

Winston Churchill - the greatest Briton in the history of the country

Prime Minister of England Churchill managed to become the most prominent political figure of the twentieth century. He suffered the bloodiest war in the history of mankind, during which he managed to prove himself as a bright and courageous politician. From the very beginning of the war, Churchill supported the USSR and inspired his people to resist the occupiers. His numerous radio appearances were very popular among the British, and the Prime Minister himself often traveled to hospitals and battlefields.

It was this controversial man who is considered the person who launched the flywheel of the Cold War in 1946 with his Fulton speech.

Loser Sir Anthony Eden: Prime Minister of England

Churchill's successor as prime minister turned out to be the most unlucky in British history. He considered himself one of the politicians who advocated the creation of an alliance against the influence of the USSR spreading to Europe in the post-war years. His policy was characterized by a series of failures that cost Great Britain great financial losses.

On the other hand, it was Eden who first opened the world’s eyes to the Nazis’ plans for the Jewish nation. He himself saved hundreds of thousands of Jews from the Holocaust.

England: female prime minister

The "Iron Lady" of England became the first woman in the history of the country capable of managing the cabinet of ministers. Baroness Margaret Thatcher became the seventy-first Prime Minister of Great Britain and remained in power for about eleven years. She ruled the country quite harshly and confidently, for which she received her nickname.

Thatcher's policies were characterized by a number of economic measures that were not always popular with the people. For example, during the Prime Minister's reign, the unemployment rate increased several times, and the influence of trade unions was significantly limited. The measures taken to nationalize unprofitable private enterprises were not entirely clear to the Cabinet of Ministers. But in the end, this policy turned out to be extremely far-sighted.

Thatcher significantly raised taxes and actively criticized the USSR. Her anti-communist attitude sometimes even served as a reason for jokes in the Soviet press. By the way, it was Soviet journalists who nicknamed the Prime Minister the “Iron Lady,” which greatly pleased Thatcher.

When you start studying the lives of the prime ministers of England, they all seem to be interesting people. Each of the seventy-six heads of government is worthy of respect from the people whose interests he served.

He came to power at the most difficult moment for England (it was threatened by the invasion of fascist troops). On June 22, 1941, after Germany attacked the USSR, he declared support for the Soviet people. The victorious coalition, which included Great Britain, inflicted a crushing defeat on Germany. The Prime Minister's assets include participation in numerous international conferences, negotiations and correspondence with the leaders of the USA and the USSR. Churchill's famous Fulton speech on March 5, 1946 is considered the beginning of the Cold War.

Sir Robert Anthony EDEN, Lord AVON

Prime Minister of Great Britain 1955-1957 (Conservative Party)

On April 6, 1955, he replaced Churchill as Prime Minister. A staunch supporter of the preservation of the British colonial empire, as well as policies aimed at creating a coalition of European powers against the USSR. One of the initiators of the Anglo-French-Israeli aggression against Egypt in 1956. After its failure, he was forced to resign in 1957.

Maurice Harold MACMILLAN

Prime Minister of Great Britain 1957-1963 (Conservative Party)

While serving as Prime Minister, he concluded an agreement with the United States on Britain's access to American nuclear missiles and participated in the development of an agreement with the United States and the USSR on a partial test ban (1963). For this, Charles de Gaulle vetoed Britain's admission to the EEC, as he was afraid of the penetration of American nuclear weapons into Europe. There was strong economic growth under him. In 1959, the Conservatives achieved a significant majority in the House of Commons, and Macmillan famously said to voters: “You've never had it better!”

He was known for his tough leadership style, which Thatcher later adopted; in 1962 he changed his entire office (the so-called British Night of Long Knives).

Alexander Frederick DOUGLAS-HOME, Baron HOME

Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1963-1964 (Conservative Party).

Having taken the post of prime minister, Hume renounced the title of lord and was re-elected to the House of Commons (the only such case in the entire history of parliament). Hume's premiership was very short; Having taken office due to the unexpected illness of Harold Macmillan, he resigned the following year, losing the election to Labor led by Harold Wilson. Hume's cabinet, like its predecessor, suffered the consequences of the scandalous Profumo affair.

James Harold WILSON

Prime Minister of Great Britain 1964-1970, 1974-1976, (Labour Party)

Wilson first became prime minister in 1964. Introduced tough austerity measures and cut social security spending. Restricted immigration from African and Asian countries. In 1967, he announced the withdrawal of British armed forces "to the East of Suez", i.e. from the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf basin. In 1970, Labor was defeated in the elections and Wilson was forced to resign.

Once again became head of the British government in 1974. By this time he had developed an acute form of spy mania. He suspected a conspiracy against him in the British intelligence services, feared a military coup, but was most concerned about the Soviet threat. At the same time, some officers of the British counterintelligence MI5 were convinced that Wilson himself was a Soviet spy. On 16 March 1976, Wilson unexpectedly resigned as Labor leader and prime minister.

Edward Richard George HEATH

Prime Minister of Great Britain 1970-1974 (Conservative Party)

Serving as Prime Minister from 1970-1974, he introduced Britain into the European Community, but was removed due to the economic and industrial crisis in the country. His confrontation with striking miners, part of his campaign to control inflation, led to the Conservatives' defeat in the 1974 election.

Leonard James CALLAGHAN

Prime Minister of Great Britain 1976 -1979 (Labour Party)

In 1976 he succeeded Harold Wilson as prime minister and in 1977 entered into an agreement with the Liberals to support his government in office. Strikes during the so-called "Winter of Discontent" (1978-1979) caused the government to lose the confidence of the House of Commons, forcing him to call elections, and his party was defeated in the May 1979 vote. This made Callaghan the first prime minister since Ramsay Macdonald to be forced to call an election under pressure from the House of Commons. In 1980, under pressure from the left, he resigned as leader of the party and in 1985 announced that he would not stand for parliament in the next elections.

Margaret Hilda THATCHER

Prime Minister of Great Britain 1979-1990 (Conservative Party)

During her 11 years as head of the British cabinet, she carried out a number of tough economic reforms, initiated the transfer into private hands of sectors of the economy where the state monopoly had traditionally reigned, and advocated an increase in taxes. One of Thatcher's most extraordinary decisions was the partial nationalization of unprofitable privately owned enterprises. She gained a reputation as an “iron lady”: in her office, all work was based on a clear hierarchy, accountability and high personal responsibility. By the way, she owes the nickname “Iron Lady” to the newspaper “Red Star”. Received it in 1976. By that time, Thatcher had already become famous as the “anti-communist thunderer.” Margaret herself liked this nickname.

John Roy MAJOR.

Prime Minister of Great Britain 1990-1997 (Conservative Party)

The Gulf War, to which Major immediately sent about 45,000 British soldiers, helped strengthen the position of the new government, but aggravated the situation in the country's economy. During the years of Major's premiership, a financial crisis provoked by currency speculators erupted, which went down in history as “Black Wednesday.” The UK government was forced to devalue the pound and leave the European Monetary System (ERM). Following Britain's forced exit from the European Monetary System, the British economy has partially recovered. This was facilitated by a flexible economic policy with a floating exchange rate and a low refinancing rate.

In the elections in May 1997, the Conservative Party was defeated, and the post of Prime Minister was taken by Labor member E. Blair.

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As you know, the form of government of the United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. However, this country does not have a constitution as such, and many of the subtleties of government are determined by centuries-old traditions. And although today the head of Great Britain is the monarch, the country is actually led by the prime minister. Of course, the queen has almost absolute power, but other people run the state. Read on in this article about where the Prime Minister of England lives, what he is responsible for and what powers he has, as well as a little about the most prominent political figures who held this position.

Position of Prime Minister

By tradition, the prime minister is chosen by the monarch. This is usually the person who enjoys the highest support in the House of Commons. In most cases, this becomes the leader of the majority party. The term of office of the First Minister is closely related to the period of the House of Commons, with the support of which he was elected. The Prime Minister has great power, oversees the work of the government, in short, he is the main representative and adviser to the monarch.

Interestingly, the house at 10 Downing Street in the British capital, London, was originally a personal gift from the king to Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of England. However, he refused such a present. It was agreed that the premises would become the residence of the country's first ministers, and since then most of the political figures holding this position have lived at this address.

The list of prime ministers of England, the list of which is quite large, since this position has been occupied by 53 people since its introduction in 1721, belonged to different parties and pursued different policies. Each of them had varying degrees of influence and was remembered by people in their own way. Below we provide short information about the most significant figures who left the greatest mark on history.

Robert Walpole (1676-1745)

Robert Walpole began his political career at the age of 25. Under King George III, in 1721, he was appointed chief minister and concurrently administrator of the state treasury. Since then, it has been the custom in Great Britain to appoint a person who was at the head of the cabinet of ministers to this responsible position.

Robert Walpole, the first Prime Minister of England, held this post longer than any of his successors - he led the country's government for 21 years.

William Pitt the Younger (1759-1806)

He served as First Minister twice: from 1783 to 1801 and from 1804 to 1806. William Pitt the Younger is the youngest Prime Minister of England, as he was only 24 years old when he was first appointed to this position. However, the extreme nervous tension that he experienced while at the helm of the state significantly spoiled his health, which is why the figure died relatively young.

The years of the reign of William Peat the Younger were difficult for the United Kingdom, because at that time the country lost control of its colonies in North America, which negatively affected the economy. In addition, it was necessary to somehow respond to the French Revolution and develop a strategy for the war with Napoleon. Pitt not only initiated the creation of three anti-Napoleonic coalitions, but also contributed to the preservation of Ireland as part of England.

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881)

He held the position in 1868 and in 1874-1880. This politician, who in his youth published several novels that attracted a lot of public attention, showed himself as a politician who, along with state-level tasks, was also interested in the problems of ordinary people. Disraeli achieved the passage of a law according to which men who worked in cities could take part in elections. He also worked to improve the sanitary condition of urban settlements and the living conditions of workers.

Conclusion

Despite all the specificity of British laws, many of which exist solely in the form of traditions and are often conditional in nature, the principles of electing and removing the head of government and other nuances, the system of government in the country works quite effectively and can even be called democratic. And the Prime Minister of England (Great Britain) in this structure is the second person after the monarch.

LONDON, July 13. /Corr. TASS Ilya Dmitryachev, Maxim Ryzhkov/. Conservative Party leader Theresa May has been officially appointed as the new Prime Minister of Great Britain. She was elevated to this position by royal decree after an audience with Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

May is the 13th head of government during the reign of the current monarch.

May arrived at the meeting with Elizabeth II in a BMW car servicing the Home Secretary, accompanied by her husband Philip, wearing a black dress with yellow accents at the bottom. Coming out of the palace, the Mayev couple got into the prime minister's Jaguar.

Meanwhile, there are no more tourists in the square near Buckingham Palace than usual. And although some of them managed to photograph the new prime minister’s motorcade entering the palace, many people who were at the palace fence did not know who was sitting in the car. They learned about the ongoing procedure for changing the head of government from a TASS correspondent.

“Now I’ll definitely have something to tell my friends,” said Jamaican tourist Steve Bosman.

Meanwhile, Buckingham Palace released a photograph of a ceremony called kissing the monarch's hand, although in fact the new prime minister does not kiss the hand, but only shakes it. The Queen appeared in the photo in a light dress with a black bag in her left hand.

Changes on Olympus of the executive branch have already been reflected on the Internet. Thus, David Cameron has changed the design of his page on the microblogging network Twitter, where he calls himself a former prime minister and a member of the House of Commons from the Witney constituency.

First address to the nation

Theresa May called for the unity of the nation. She stated this in her first televised address as head of government.

“We believe in union not just between the people of the United Kingdom, but between all our people, between each of us, no matter where we come from. This means leading the fight against grave injustice,” May said.

May particularly focused on the need to combat social injustice, promising that it will be one of the main issues during her premiership. "The mission of making Britain a country that works for everyone is about more than fighting all these injustices. The Government I lead will be driven not just by the interests of the privileged few, but also by your interests. We will do everything to give you more." control over their own lives (destinies),” the new prime minister assured.

May also touched upon the topic of the UK's upcoming exit from the EU. In a referendum on June 23, 51.9% of the Kingdom’s citizens voted in favor of severing relations with Brussels. "We are at an important historical moment for our country. We will be going through a time of enormous national change after the referendum and I know that as a UK we will rise to the challenge," May said.

May herself opposed leaving the community of 28 states, but following the plebiscite she repeated more than once that she would carry out the will of the British and that “Brexit means Brexit.” At the same time, the new prime minister is confident that Great Britain can become even stronger after the severance of relations with Brussels. “Given that we are leaving the EU, we will achieve a new, important and positive role for ourselves in the world,” said the new head of the cabinet.

Congratulations from the White House

US authorities congratulated the leader of the Conservative Party on his appointment to the post. White House Press Secretary Joshua Earnest stated this at a regular briefing for journalists.

“We congratulate her on her new position, in which she will take on important responsibilities,” he said.

Ernest again repeated the words of US President Barack Obama that Washington expects “friendly negotiations” from London and Brussels on the kingdom’s exit from the EU. The press secretary noted that, based on the statements of the new prime minister, she "intends to continue a policy that is consistent with Obama's recommendations."

President of the European Commission (EC) Jean-Claude Juncker congratulated Theresa May on her appointment as Prime Minister of Great Britain. He posted a corresponding message on his page on the Twitter microblogging network.

"Please accept my warmest congratulations on your appointment as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom," he said. At the same time, Juncker called on May to begin negotiations on Britain’s exit from the European Union as soon as possible. “The result of the UK referendum has created a new situation that the UK and the EU must begin to sort out soon,” the EC President said.

British government reshuffles

On July 13, Cameron, who served as British Prime Minister since 2010, resigned. He made the decision to resign after the referendum on the issue of British membership in the European Union, held on June 23.

Cameron served as head of cabinet for just over 6 years, or 2,256 days to be precise.

In his first term as prime minister (2010-2015), he headed a coalition government of Tories and Liberal Democrats, and after the landslide victory of the Conservatives in last year’s parliamentary elections, he led a one-party Tory cabinet.