Plain text site map
|
 |
|
|
|
English History
|
Late Victorian England
A tale of Two Prime Ministers. This era could be subtitled 'The
Gladstone and Disraeli Show' for the two politicians who dominated it.
The two men, Gladstone and Disraeli, could not have been more dissimilar.
Gladstone was liberal, humanitarian, and devout. Queen Victoria found
him stuffy.
 |
|
| Disraeli |
Disraeli, on the other had, was imperialist, nationalistic, and charming
to boot. The queen enjoyed his company, for he could make her laugh.
The Irish Question. This was also the age of the 'Irish Question',
the question being whether or not the Irish should be allowed to rule
themselves. Gladstone was a constant activist for increased Irish autonomy,
but his views were not widely supported, and Irish extremists began
a campaign of terrorism, the fruits of which are still with us today.
Legal reform proceeded slowly. Education was made more accessible
for the lower classes, and the Ballot Act of 1872 made voting a private
affair for the first time. The Army Regulation Bill abolished the practice
of purchasing commissions in the armed forces.
Victorian literature. In this age before TV's, computers, and
Nintendo, the most common form of entertainment was reading aloud (parents
of the video age take note!). Writers like Dickens, Tennyson, and Trolloppe
were widely read and discussed. The advent of universal compulsory education
after 1870 meant that there was now a much larger audience for literature.
Disraeli himself, when he wasn't locking horns with Gladstone, was a
very popular novelist.
Victoria's Empire. Much of the attention of the country was focussed
abroad during this era. In 1876 Victoria was declared Empress of India
and the English Empire was constantly being expanded. The prevailing
attitude in Britain was that expansion of British control around the
globe was good for everyone.
Urbanization. On the home front the Industrial Revolution gathered
steam, and accelerated the migration of the population from country
to city. The result of this movement was the development of horrifying
slums and cramped row housing in the overcrowded cities. By 1900 80%
of the population lived in cities. These cities were 'organized' into
geographical zones based on social class - the poor in the inner city,
with the more fortunate living further away from the city core. This
was made possible by the development of suburban rail transit. Some
suburban rail companies were required by law to provide cheap trains
for workers to travel into the city centre.
Seaside Resorts. The growth of rail transit also gave birth to
that Victorian mainstay, the seaside resort. As the Industrial Revolution
progressed, working hours decreased, and the introduction of Bank Holidays
meant that workers had the time to take trips away from the cities to
the seaside. The seaside resorts introduced the amusement pier to entertain
visitors. Some of the more famous resorts were at Blackpool and Brighton.
The new aristocracy. The Industrial Revolution also meant that
the balance of power shifted from the aristocracy, whose position and
wealth was based on land, to the newly rich business leaders. The new
aristocracy became one of wealth, not land, although titles, then as
now, remained socially important in British society.
The Victorian Age :
Back :The Great Exhibition
Next : The Railways
Also see "Victorian London"
in our "London History"
section.
History
Prehistory - Roman
Britain - Dark Ages - Medieval
Britain - The Tudor Era - The
Stuarts - Georgian Britain -
The Victorian Age
Contents © David Ross and Britain Express
|
|
|
