A short and relatively sweet period of British history; major shifts in politics meant that the working class were getting a voice and the role of women in society finally began to change. But war was looming, and the the Kings involvement in politics began to turn sour.
Queen Victorias death in 1901 meant that her son the Prince of Wales was next in line to become King Edward VII, but it was a role she was reluctant to give. Prior to becoming king, Edward brought scandal to the royal family with his involvement in two divorce cases.
The start of the century had seen a major shift from the dominance of Europe to the rise in power of America and Japan, and although top of the agenda for many politicians was to keep Britain at the centre of global trade, King Edward was more concerned with the growing threat from somewhere slightly closer to home - Germany.
Germany had been gaining economic and military power in the latter part of the 19th century, and Edward VII had concerns over this nephew, Kaiser Willhelm II, who gave indications that war was on Germanys mind, and his fears proved to be correct.
The relationship between the the monarchy and parliament dwindled during this time, which started off with the refusal to approve the Liberals "Peoples Budget" in 1909: An idea to introduce taxes on the lands and high incomes of Britains rich, enabling the funding of a social welfare programme. King Edward was dismayed, and even introduced his son as "the last king of England", and continued to urge the budget to be passed. Ordinary people were starting to get a voice, and Winston Churchill and Lloyd George were those promoting such change, and soon politics was to be changed forever - the Lords of the Lands were to never again have the power to stop the democratic will of the people.
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