The Victorian Period1830-1901

Quotes from the Times… “Youth is a blunder;

manhood a struggle; old age a regret” Benjamin Disraeli, Coningsby

“’Tis better to have loved and lost/ Than never to have loved at all” Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “In Memoriam, A.H.H.”

A man’s reach should exceed his grasp,/ Or what’s a heaven for?” Robert Browning, “Andrea del Santo”

Tennyson

Browning

A Time of ChangeLondon becomes most important city in EuropePopulation of London expands from two million to

six millionShift from ownership of land to modern urban

economy Impact of industrialism Increase in wealthWorld’s foremost imperial powerVictorian people suffered from anxiety, a sense of

being displaced persons in an age of technological advances.

Queen Victoria (1819-1901)Reign: 1837-1901

She had the longest reign in British history Became queen at the age of 18; she was

graceful and self-assured. She also had a gift for drawing and painting

Throughout her reign, she maintained a sense of dignity and decorum that restored the average person’s high opinion of the monarchy after a series of horrible, ineffective leaders

1840-Victoria married a German prince, Albert, who became not king, but Prince-consort

After he died in 1861, she sank into a deep depression and wore black every day for the rest of her life

The Growth of the British Empire England grew to become the greatest

nation on earth Empire included Canada, Australia, New

Zealand, Hong Kong, Singapore, South Africa, Kenya, and India

England built a very large navy and merchant fleet (for trade and colonization)

Social and Political Reform1832-First Reform Act-extended the vote to

most middle-class men1833-Britain abolished slavery/Factory Act-

regulated child labor in factories1834-Poor Law-Amendment applied a

system of workhouses for poor people1871-Trade Union Act-made it legal for

laborers to organize to protect their rights

The Reform Bill of 1832Transformed English class

structureExtended the right to vote to

all males owning propertySecond Reform Bill passed in

1867Extended right to vote to

working class

LATE VICTORIAN BRITAIN, 1867-1914: DISRAELI AND GLADSTONE

dem. had been entrenched by this time, and the extension of the franchise was an accepted part of the process in 1867, the 2nd Reform Bill was

passed by the gov’t of the Conservative (Tory) Benjamin Disraeli

w/ this working class male householders were given suffrage

in 1884, a 3rd Reform Bill went through under the Liberal William Gladstone, extending the franchise to male rural householders

late 19th c. G.B. still saw the same ongoing conflict though: reform v. tradition

Disraeli tried to profit from this by creating a new conservatism that appealed to est. landowners and the working class emphasized tradition, patriotism, and

reform, working w/ Queen Victoria, who emerged as key symbol of his vision

Disraeli also emerged as a leading imperialist: he made Victoria the Empress of India and bought shares in the Suez Canal, and fought colonial wars in Asia and Africa

At home, his social reforms recognized unions, public housing, consumer protection, workplace safety…

Gladstone and the Liberals followed “Peace, Retrenchment, and Reform”, favouring free trade and fewer colonial wars/adventuresThey also favoured a laissez faire approach and

the eradication of outdated laws In this respect, they reformed the army, civil

service, and educational institutions, doing away w/ patronage

after ongoing Balkan conflict saw the slaughter of 1000s of Christians by the Ottomans (and Disraeli backed the Ottomans b/c of his concerns over Russia), Gladstone was back in office

Gladstone was not successful in his own foreign policy initiatives – conflict w/ the Boers and the Irish showed that peace was elusive; w/ his intro of the Irish Home Rule Bill he split his own party

w/ these devels. and those in other Euro. nations, a new type of rivalry had emerged, based on ind., imperialism and eco. competition

nat’lism in the Balkans was esp. complex b/c of the number of ethno-cultural groups in close proximity; they were stuck in the collapsing Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires, and the Balkan Wars of 1912-13 only inflamed emotions

the “spark” would thus occur in this region, creating the total war that would transform the 20th c.

Germany and G.B. emerged as the key powers in this period often called “The Road to War” – both identified their dominance as a natural outcome of earlier history: the difference was that in Ger. the old aristocracy retained its influence w/o much trouble, while in G.B. the dispute b/n the landed interests and the people led to constitutional crises and reforms

The Crystal PalaceErected to display the exhibits

of modern industry and science at the 1851 Great Exhibition

One of the first buildings constructed according to modern architectural principles

The building symbolized the triumphs of Victorian industry

Utilitarianism

Derived from the ideas of Jeremy Bentham and his disciple James Mill, the father of John Stuart Mill

Rationalist test of valueThe greatest good for the greatest

numberUtilitarianism failed to recognize people’s

spiritual needs

Religious Movement in Victorian England

Evangelical Movement: emphasized a Protestant faith in personal salvation through Christ. This movement swept through England. Led to the creation of the Salvation Army and YMCA.

Oxford Movement (Tractarians): sought to bring the official English Anglican Church closer in rituals and beliefs to Roman Catholicism

Challenges to Religious Belief Science

HuxleyDarwin- the Origin of Species and The Descent of Man

Higher CriticismExamination of the Bible as a mere text of historySource studiesGeologyAstronomy

Other Thoughts… John Stuart Mill (1806-1873)-philosopher who created

two ideas Utilitarianism: the object of moral action was to

bring about the greatest good for the greatest amount of people

Liberalism: governments had the right to restrict the actions of individuals only when those actions harmed others, and that society should use its collective resources to provide for the basic welfare of others. Also encouraged equal rights for women

Other Thoughts..

Charles Lyell (1797-1875):Showed that geological features

on Earth had developed continuously and slowly over immense periods of time

Charles Darwin (1809-1882): Introduced the survival of the fittest theory

Lyell

Darwin

Other Thoughts…Herbert Spencer (1820-1903): Applied Darwinism to

human society: as in nature, survival properly belongs to the fittest, those most able to survive. Social Darwinism was used by many Victorians to justify social inequalities based on race, social or economic class, or gender

Adam Smith- 18th century economist, held that the best government economic policy was to leave the market alone—to follow a laissez faire or “let it be” policy of little or no gov’t intervention

Victorian LiteratureFour types of writing were

popular during the Victorian Era:

RealistNaturalistThe NovelPoetry

RealismThe attempt to produce in art and literature an

accurate portrayal of realityRealistic, detailed descriptions of everyday life,

and of its darker aspects, appealed to many readers disillusioned by the “progress” going on around them.

Themes in Realist writing included families, religion, and social reform

NaturalismBased on the philosophical theory that actions and

events are the results not of human intentions, but of largely uncontrollable external forces

Authors chose subjects and themes common to the lower and middle classes

Attentive to details, striving for accuracy and authenticity in their descriptions

The Novel Emily Bronte: Wuthering Heights Charlotte Bronte: Jane Eyre Charles Dickens: Many of his novels

were published in serial form. His comic and sentimental descriptions of the lives of people in diverse occupations and social classes made Dickens the most popular Victorian novelist. A Christmas Carol, Great Expectations, David Copperfield

Emily Bronte

Charlotte Bronte

Charles Dickens

The Late Victorian Period1870-1901

Decay of Victorian values British imperialism Boer War Irish question Bismarck's Germany became a rival power United States became a rival power Economic depression led to mass immigration Socialism

The Role of Women The Woman Question Changing conditions of women’s work created by

the Industrial Revolution The Factory Acts (1802-78) – regulations of the

conditions of labor in mines and factories The Custody Act (1839) – gave a mother the right

to petition the court for access to her minor children and custody of children under seven and later sixteen.

The Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act – established a civil divorce court

Married Women’s Property Acts

Working Conditions for WomenBad working conditions and underemployment drove thousands of women into prostitution.

The only occupation at which an unmarried middle-class woman could earn a living and maintain some claim to gentility was that of a governess.