Britain became a nation-state: 1. Before the eighteenth century, there were different ethnic identities with its own culture and politics- English, Welsh, Scot, and Irish. As the English nation's wealth and power increased, its influence over other island nations also increased. 2. English Parliament had taken the power from the monarchy in 1688. It became an instrument in building the nation-state of Britain, with England at its center. 3. United Kingdom of Britain was established through the Act of Union in 1707 between England and Scotland. Scotland eventually got suppressed by the English politically and culturally.