Victorian Age Historical Context Notes PDF

Victorian Age – Historical and social context An introduction… https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victoria-queen-of-United-Kingdom 1837: Victoria came to the throne at the age of 18 (she was at first guide...

Victorian Age – Historical and social context An introduction… https://www.britannica.com/biography/Victoria-queen-of-United-Kingdom 1837: Victoria came to the throne at the age of 18 (she was at first guided by her statesmen); she was the last of the house of Hanover. 1901: she ruled for almost 64 years, till her death at the age of 81 (second longest reigning monarch -> the 1st is Queen Elizabeth II: 1952 – incumbent) In 1840 she married the German Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, with whom she had 9 children. She became emblematic of an entire epoch, the Victorian Age: her sense of duty and family provided a model of respectability. Great economic prosperity, imperial expansion, material progress and political developments. I. Social and political reforms Victoria reigned constitutionally o -> she never overruled Parliament o -> avoided the storm of revolutions (Europe, 1848) 1832, The First Reform Act -> vote to the middle class; 1833, Factory Act -> children couldn’t be employed more than 48 hours a week; no person under 18 could work more than 69 hours; 1834, Poor Law Amendment Act -> established workhouses 1842, Mines Act -> prohibited the working of children and women in mines 1846, repeal of Corn Laws (kept price of corn high) -> industrialists wanted more free trade 1847, Ten Hours’ Act -> limited working hours to ten a day for all workers 1867, Second Reform Act -> gave the vote to skilled working men 1870-76, Education Acts → reorganized elementary education and it became free in 1891. 1871, Trade Union Act -> legalized trade unions and granted the right to strike 1875, Chimney-sweepers act → put an end to the employment of children in this job. 1884, Third Reform Act -> right to vote to all male householders  I.I Workhouses places where very poor people could live and work in return for food and accommodation. deterrent against poverty -> deliberately unpleasant so that the poor would try to improve their conditions instead of relying upon welfare. o -> strong belief in the power of progress o -> religious beliefs: Puritan virtues of hard work and duty (self-made man) families were split up very meager meals -> slow process of starvation. I. II Chartism working-class movement demanding political reforms -> People's Charter of 1838. universal male suffrage (→ it was achieved only in 1918) secret ballot → to protect the elector in the exercise of his vote (1872) payment of members of parliament → so that poor people too could enter it annual general elections abolition of the property qualification → so that working people could also be represented in Parliament No one was ready for such democracy so their petitions were rejected and the movement came to an end in 1848. HOWEVER → it inspired trade unions → and with time many of the demands were accepted and the right to vote was gradually enlarged. ◦ 1868 they joined in the Trades Union Congress (TUC) ◦ 1875 Trade Union Act → it legally recognised the Unions and confirmed their right to strike ◦ it led to the constitution of the Labour Party → a new political party which represented the interests of the urban proletariat (now one of the two major parties together with the Conservative party, aka Tories) ◦ all this represents the birth of socialism in Britain as a reformist and liberal force rather than a revolutionary one II. Material progress 1825, Stockton & Darlington Railway -> first railway in the world to operate freight and passenger service with steam traction 1854, building of the London Underground  1851, the Great Exhibition (Housed at the Crystal Palace, in Hyde Park) o symbol of Britain’s leading industrial and economic position o exhibits from several countries (including China, America, and Canada) to show off their scientific and technological developments o first building iron and glass to be entirely prefabricated (dismantled in 1852 and moved to a new site, but it burnt down in 1936) Victorian cities: o 1875, Public Health Act -> provided clean water and sanitation o Gas lightning and rubbish collection o Public buildings III. The British Empire and foreign policy covered nearly 1/5 of the world's land area 1/3 of the population was under Britain’s rule nearly 1/2 of the world’s trade was carried in British ships “The empire on which the sun never sets” two Opium Wars (vs China; 1st 1839–42; 2nd 1856-60) -> England gained access to five Chinese ports and the control of Hong Kong (! Returned to China on July 1, 1997) supported Turkey in the Crimean War (1853-56) o -> Florence Nightingale (known in the newspapers as “the Lady with the Lamp”): volunteered to lead the nursing team at Scutari Base Hospital -> in England she formed an institution for the training of nurses 1857, Indian Mutiny (aka First War of Independence): unsuccessful rebellion against British rule (! India gained independence in 1947) 1876, Victoria became Empress of India  Africa was the last continent to be colonised 1882, Britain took over Egypt to protect its routes to India through Suez Canal (construction 1859-1869) 1884, Britain gained Sudan o Boer Wars (vs Dutch settlers, Boers; 1880-81; 1899-1902) -> gained South Africa ! The Commonwealth of Nations is an intergovernmental organisation of 52 member states that were mostly territories of the former British Empire it dates back to the mid-20th century with the decolonisation of the British Empire through increased self-governance of its territories formally constituted by the London Declaration in 1949, which established the member states as "free and equal" the symbol of this free association is Queen Elizabeth II who is the Head of the Commonwealth. the Queen is also the monarch of 16 members of the Commonwealth, known as Commonwealth realms. The other Commonwealth members have different heads of state IV. Social changes important demographic increase urban and industrial country, resulting in overcrowded and unhealthy slums the middle class mostly benefited from this new situation (manufacturers, merchants and bankers) but poverty and misery was widespread among the lower class ◦ hard working conditions (they had to work many hours in dangerous conditions and for low wages) ◦ hard living conditions (unhealthy overcrowded slums, insufficient sanitation and water supply ◦ children were forced to work → they grew up in squalor and with no schooling V. The middle class and the Victorian set of values: the Victorian Compromise the middle class -> descendants of Puritans great moralisers -> Victorian values: hard work, sense of duty, restraint, punctuality and application Respectability: mixture of morality and hypocrisy ◦ Good manners, ownership of a house, church, charitable activity Victorian Compromise -> refers to the contradictions and paradoxes inherent in the Victorian Age ◦ prosperity and progress VS poverty and misery ◦ moralism and philantropy VS capitalism and exploitation ◦ good manners VS corruption sexuality was a taboo and it was used to establish the moral value of people ◦ unfaithfulness was a crime for women the family was the centre of Victorian society → mirrors a patriarchal society ◦ the Queen herself had 9 children ◦ the father was the head of the family and he was very authoritarian ◦ the mother was to be submissive and dutiful women were subordinate to men ◦ they were expected to be dutiful, frail, innocent and pure ◦ they were confined within the family walls, at most they could be a governess or a teacher ◦ a married woman had no rights in front of the law → her husband held control over her Jingoism (= sciovinsimo) -> excessive nationalism ◦ The white man’s burden ◦ Racial superiority