Research On The Relationship Between Urban Development And The Formation Of The Nation-state Of England (1485-1688)

The rising of nation state was an influential event in history of England. A new type of country as it was, this nation state got rid of the power of church and the rule of feudal separationist, while in the same time stimulated capitalist economy. Cities, important factors in the course-changing of English history, were closely related to the foundation of nation state. This thesis starts with the analysis of cities, and reveals the importance of them by exploring how they contributed to the foundation of nation state. The introduction part gives information about former works and opinions in the educational circles of nation state and English urban history.The first chapter discusses the relationship between urban economy and English national economy in early modern times. One of the most important changes brought about by the development of cities was a unified national market, which led to political changes in England. In accordance to economic changes, English government adopted the policy of mercantilism home and abroad—protecting interests of English merchants with the expulsion of the Hanseatic merchants and protecting its overseas interests with the enactment of Navigation Act, to name a few. These measures not only promoted English national economy, but also boosted a mood of economic nationalism. The nation state policy and nation state economy came into being, due to the collaboration of city businessmen and English government.Chapter two talks about how urban politics contribute to the foundation of English nation state. Urban politics played an important part in the process. In the beginning of English sovereignty, cities were supporters of English sovereignty against Roman Catholic Church and the establishment of administrative systems in the urban governments helped that of English nation state. In the conflicts between the English parliaments and the King, urban politics showed its ambiguity—on the one hand it contributed to the power of parliament because the increase of the number of urban seats, on the other, the prosperity of city oligarchy reinforced the ruling of King. Along with its ambiguity, it stabilized the structure of nation state. From civil war to the issue of Bill of Right, autonomous cities began to submerge in the political course of England as a modern country, after they were under direct control of central government, step by step. This process helped the forming of modern nation-state political systemChapter three analyses the influence of cities to the formation of sense of English national state. Bristol is taken as an example to show urban sense of localism transformed into sense of national state in the foundation of English nation state, at the same time, urban democracy thought germinated in the process of democratic selection, which also suggested the emergence of democracy thought in the consciousness of nation-state.The conclusion is that the city,which existed as a reform factor, promoted the establishment of nation-state in both economic and political thought...