Great Britain

Agenda

• The country• The people• The religion• The queen• Their believes• Typically British• Conclusion

Great Britain

• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

• Population: ~ 60 million people • Capital Cities:– United Kingdom: London• England: London• Scotland: Edinburgh• Wales: Cardiff

GB = UK?

• No!• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern

Ireland

UKGB

HDI

• Human development index– used to rank countries by level of "human

development" – Life expectancy, Knowledge and education,

Standard of living

Norway Ireland Switzerland Austria United Kingdom

0.9

0.91

0.92

0.93

0.94

0.95

0.96

0.97

 Norway 0,968  Ireland 0,96  Switzerland 0,955   Austria 0,951  United Kingdom 0,942

The union jack

• Which one is the culture of UK?

The union jack

• Where is the welsh flag?– It’s missing

• Alternative Suggestion (incl. Wales) – was never used

The people

• people from the UK – “What is your identity?” – … answered separately by people from England, Scotland and Wales

England Scotland Wales0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

62

2840

38

7260

WelshScottishEnglishBritish

The people

• “What is your identity?”– Most English people feel British– People from Wales and Scotland more feel to be

Walsh / Scottish– Scottish & Walsh people think that • British = English

– For British people it’s the same!

The people

• Ethnic groups

92.10%

2.00%

1.20% 1.80% 2.90%

White Black Mixed race

Indian Others

The religion

• Religions

71.80%

2.80%

1.00%

15.10%

9.30%

ChristianMuslimHinduno religionothers

The religion

• Church of England - Officially established church• The Church of England understands itself to be

both Catholic and Reformed• The British monarch (Queen Elizabeth II), has the

constitutional title of "Supreme Governor of the Church of England". – The canon law of the Church of England states, "We

acknowledge that the Queen’s most excellent Majesty, acting according to the laws of the realm, is the highest power under God in this kingdom, and has supreme authority over all persons in all causes, as well ecclesiastical as civil."

The religion

• Importance of religion– UK - Germany

Very important Rather important Not very important Not at all important0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Great BritainGermany

The Society

• Power distance index (PDI)• Individualism• Masculinity

PDI IDV MAS0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

IndiaUnited KingdomAustria

Social structureUpper class

Upper class

Upper middle class

Middle class

Middle middle class

Lower middle class

Lower class

Skilled working class

Traditional working class

chavs

Aristocracy, land owners, high educated professionals ...Small part of the society

Less educated professionals,Blue Collar jobs

Low educated, Blue Collar jobs in industry...

Social structure

• British society moved from working-class society to a service society– Movement from working class to middle class

• UK was one of the origins of the industrial revolution

• Proud of their working class• It’s no bad thing to be part of the working

class / middle class

Working class hero

• John Lennon – Released 1970 As soon as your born they make you feel small,

By giving you no time instead of it all, Till the pain is so big you feel nothing at all, A working class hero is something to be, …They hurt you at home and they hit you at school, They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool, Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules, A working class hero is something to be, A working class hero is something to be. …

The society

• Importance of work

Very importa

nt

Rather importa

nt

Not very im

portant

Not at a

ll importa

nt0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

Great BritainGermany

The society

• It is important to this person to be rich?

Very much

like m

e

Like m

e

Somewhat like m

e

A little lik

e me

Not like m

e

Not at a

ll like m

e0.00%

10.00%

20.00%

30.00%

40.00%

50.00%

60.00%

Great BritainGermany

The society

• Importance of leisure time

Very impor-

tant

Rather important

Not very important

Not at all important

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Great BritainGermany

The society

• British people seem not to be the most enthusiastic workers.– Especially the middle & working class

• There are more important things in life!– Football– Pubs

... Just to name 2 of them

Football

• Not called soccer!• England is home to the oldest football clubs in the

world (1857)• National sport in England• Taken quite serious• Tough way of playing

• Tip: Become best friends by cheering for the same team!

Football

• Hooliganism– unruly and destructive behaviour of

sports fans– Indicator for social unhappiness• 1980s, 1990s … rise of hooliganism -

parallel rise in unemployment

– Organizers of FIFA world cups tend to be „afraid“ of British Hools

– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giT59xxnpOA&feature=related

Pubs(public houses)

• For a British person, the “local” is a part of life.• a place to relax– perhaps even more so than at home

• escape troubles and responsibilities

Pubs

• British people drink a lot• minimum drinking age is 18 • Tip: never ask for 'a beer'!– Ask for a specific type, or use a brand name• “a pint of bitter”• “a lager”• …

a pint

Asterix in britain

• Stereotypes• Interactive session