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Victorian England and the Age of Mass Politics
Queen Victoria
Ruled England from 1837-1901
Exemplifies Victorian qualities: earnestness, moral responsibility, domestic propriety
The Victorian Period was an age of transition
An age characterized by energy and high moral purpose
Change in Victorian England
London becomes most important city in Europe
Population from two million to six million Shift from ownership of land to modern urban
economy Impact of industrialism
Increase in wealth World’s foremost imperial power
Victorian people suffered from anxiety, a sense of being displaced persons in an age of technological advances.
“Victorian” social conduct is governed by: Strict rules Formal manners Rigidly defined gender roles Relations hampered by sexual prudery Intense obsession with a public appearance of
propriety (private facts were often the compete opposite!)
Early Victorian 1830-1848
By 1900 , England had 15,195 lines of railroad and an underground rail system beneath London.
The train transformed England’s landscape, supported the growth of commerce, and shrank the distance between cities.
Reform Bill of 1832 extends the vote to all male property owners
Signs of trouble
Unemployment Poverty Rioting Slums in large cities Working conditions for women and children were terrible
Middle Victorian (1848-1870)
A time of prosperity, improvement, stability, optimism
1851: The Great Exhibition The Crystal Palace Showcases the triumphs
of Victorian Industry Empire begins to expand
Political Shift
Political parties realigned between 1850-1865 Tory = Conservative
Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) Whig = Liberal
William Gladstone (1809-1898)
After 1865 democracy expands
Benjamin Disraeli
Aggressive foreign policy & Expansion of the British Empire
Democratic reforms Influenced by John Stuart Mill's On Liberty
Utilitarianism Reform Bill of 1867
Expanded suffrage to include almost all men over 21 Redistribution of seats in parliament
1875: Reduced regulation of unions Improved sanitation
Late Victorian (1870-1901)
Erosion of Victorian values Imperialism
Bismarck's German becomes a rival power As does the US
Economic depression = mass immigration
Rise of socialism
William Gladstone
Irish home rule, free trade, and opposed imperialism
1872: the secret ballot Reform Act of 1884
Extends suffrage to men in the countryside 2 million added to the franchise
Women's Rights and Suffrage
Organized to amend marriage and property laws
1890s: suffrage seem as the key to solving women's rights issues Suffragettes = middle class women
Educated Had servants to take care of the house while they
organized Working class and socialist women worked
independently
Women's Rights and Suffrage
Organized to amend marriage and property laws
1890s: suffrage seem as the key to solving women's rights issues Suffragettes = middle class women
Educated Had servants to take care of the house while they
organized Working class and socialist women worked
independently
Key Suffragettes
Millicent Garrett Fawcett (1847-1929) Leader of the National Union of Women Suffrage
Societies Demanded universal female suffrage Grew the movement at home and abroad
Emmeline Pankhurst Militant. Founded the Women's Social and Political
Union 1907: WSPU begins to uses violence
Large scale protests, arrests, hunger strikes, etc.
Women get the right to vote in 1918 and 1928
The End of an Era
"Few of us, perhaps, have realized till now how large a part she had in the life of everyone of us; how the thread of her life [bound]
the warp of the nation's progress."
-A newspaper quote on the Death of the Queen in 1901
During the tumultuous time, The Queen ultimately came to represent: England & Empire Stability & Continuity Duty, Family, & Propriety A stern, conservative, durable symbol of her
dynamic, aggressively businesslike realm.
The Liberal Agenda 1905-1920s
Parliament Act of 1911 House of Lords loses powers House of Commons is now the seat of national
power Life of parliament reduced from 7-5 years
Welfare state Unions get the right to strike Gov't workers insurance Unemployment insurance and pensions School attendance become compulsory
What about the Irish? 1848: Young Ireland Movement
Nationalist Gladstone unable to get Irish Home Rule
through Ulster (protestant North) opposed to Home Rule 1914: Home Rule passed but Protestant refuse
to accept it 1916: Easter Rebellion crushed by British
troops 1922: Ireland independent. N. Ireland still
British
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