The Legacy of Victoria: Progress, Expansion, and Victorian Society

Long reign of Victoria

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) reigned from 1837 to 1901 (the longest period in history).
Her Reign was a period of:

- unprecedented material progress (science, medicine, factories),

- improvement in transportation (railway, roads, river for navigation),

- imperial expansion and political and constitutional developments (reforms to improve the working classes’ living life, social issues).

Britain became the centre of the European and world economy -> raw material came from the colonies, the only price was importing them in England.

Jingoism and literature

Starts a period of Jingoism = an aggressive patriotism (explorers, religious people, British in general used to colonise the peoples with jingoism because they thought that they were savage and inferior)

In literature we talk about the burden of the white man: civilise this people.
She reigned constitutionally, thus avoiding the storm of revolution which spread all over Europe in 1848 (she didn’t have an active role on the political side of England and was sided by Lord Melbourne).

She became a mediator above the parties, from her the king/queen took this role.

Her exemplary family life, her strictly respectable and decent (decoroso) code of behaviour generally know as “Victorianism” made her beloved especially by the middle classes, who shared her moral and religious views.

She took care of the family, children, she always went to Mess, she always stayed loyal to her husband but she became widow at 40 y.o. and she dressed only in black for the mourning for the rest of her life.

Social and political reforms

Britain acquired a leading and economical position in the world, and its Parliament was able to carry out important social reforms.

1. The Reform Act (1832) granted almost all members of the middle classes the right to vote

2. The Factory Act (1833) prevented children from being employed more than 48 hours a week and it generally improved working conditions (typical job for children was sweep chimneys)

3. The Poor Law Amendment Act (1834) introduced the system of workhouses for the poor, the old and the sick (Dickens lived there for a while and it was horrible because they overcrowded and starving after his father went to prison for bankrupt and he, at 12-13, went to work in a factory) but they had a salutary effect because they avoided laziness and idleness because they were dirty, horrible and invited people to do something for their conditions.

• The Chartism: the supporters of the Chartism were especially concerned with the working conditions and the extension of the right to vote. They were made by the working classes. They wanted the secret ballot (they voted with coloured balls) and wanted that to be a member of the parliament you hadn’t had to have a land (they were stated 30 years later)

• The liberal campaign for free trade (good for someone, bad for the others): England abandoned the traditional protectionist commercial policy that they had from the Napoleonic’s wars and free trade was adopted, by which goods could be imported subject to low duties. The government led by the Tory Prime Minister Robert Peel abolished the Corn Laws but he had to resign (1846). They adopted this measure because England had nothing to lose as Lord Palmerston.

- Education Act (1870) -> it recognises the need for generalised primary schooling

- Reforms Act 1867/1884 -> some sections of the working classes had the right to vote

- Ballot Act (1872) -> it secured the secret vote at elections

- Public Health Act (1875) -> it improved the health conditions thanks to medicine and the pipes (fognature sotterranee dove erano raccolti i sewage)

- Factory Act (1874) -> it established a 56-h working week

- Legislation Trade of Trade Unions (1871) -> (sindacati) improvement of the standard of living of the working classes

Expansion of the British Empire

In the last years of Victoria’s reign the British Empire reached its largest extension, including almost a quarter of the world’s population.

The great exhibition of the 1851 at Cristal Palace, with its display of goods coming from all the countries of the empire as well as from Britain, showed the world Britain’s prosperity and strength; it was created by Prince Albert, hours and of Queen Victoria.

There was a lot of commercial trades with the colonies for tusk (avorio), tea, exotic animals.

War and international crises

After the 1830s Britain tried to protect its trade routes against other nations

I’m 1839 it fought the Opium Wars against China and obtained access to five Chinese ports and control of Hong Kong (with a contract)

A dangerous crisis broke out in India: the native soldiers threatened British Rules and the organisation called East Indian was abolished. An Act of Parliament transferred the government of India directly to the throne. Queen Victoria obtained the title of Empress of India (1877) but she never went to India because it was to dangerous but she tried to get close with Indian culture and language.

The prime minister Benjamin Disraeli bought a large number of shares of the Suez Canal, a crucial role between the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean, to protect British routes to India.

Expansionism in Sudan and in South Africa: Britain was at war against the Dutch settlers, the Boers (1899-1902)

In 1854 Britain fought in Crimean War against Russia. The Russian, expansion to the Mediterranean was temporarily stopped.

The Crimean War was the first conflict to be photographed and the first to be reported by newspaper correspondents.

Florence Nightingale was the real hero of the war since she recognised military hospitals and laid the foundations of modern nursing. Sir Stuart Mill supported Florence and the right of women like the education and the right to vote.

Victorian society and social classes

There was a rise in population thorough the century.

Most people lived in small towns. The poor lived in the slums.

Victorian cities were: Classes:

• upper classes: aristocracy and the gentry

• middle classes: mainly linked to clothing manufacture, business and finance (industrialists, manufacturers, etc…)

• lower middle class: linked to the new economic activities such as banking, insurance and public services (lawyers, doctors, bankers, etc.)

• Working class: labour -> skilled and unskilled labour

• Poor women: prostitution, working in the industries or governance

- Family and religion

- Moral seriousness

- Social respectability

- Hard work

- Charity

• Respectability was a mixture of both morality and hypocrisy, severity and conformity to social standards. It implied good manners, a comfortable house with servants and a carriage, regular attendance at church and charitable activity. (They went to gambling, to brothels, to smoke opium, to prostitution but the people didn’t have to know this side) -> Victorian compromise

• Philanthropy especially absorbed women

• The family was a patriarchal unit with the father representing authority, while women had the responsibility for the managing of the house and the education of children (Jane Air against this type of family).

• Female chastity was also very important, this is why single women with a child suffered public humiliation and were marginated by society (like the mother of Oliver Twist).

Religious and philosophical movements

The religious movement known as Evangelicalism influenced Victorian emphasis on moral conduct.

Inspired by the teachings of John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of Methodism, the Evangelicals believed in similar to puritans:

1. The importance of the Bible reading and praying a home

2. Obedience to a 3. Dedication to a 4. The need to bring enthusiasm into the Church (in England)

The movement which influenced thinking in 19th century was UTILITARIANISM, which contributed to the Victorian conviction that any problem could be overcome through reason.

Utilitarianism supported the idea that only what is useful is good and the institutions should do the greatest good for the greatest.