Overview Of Victorian Era
In British history, the Victorian era was approximately from 1820 to 1914. But the exact period of Queen Victoria’s reign is from 1837 to 1901. During the Victorian era, state and economic status were grown, Britain was characterized by a class-based society, many people got eligible for voting and it emerged as the most powerful empire in the world. So, Britain emerged as a powerful nation with a rich culture. Also, Britain had a stable government, an expanded franchise with a growing state. Later, this empire emerged as a large and wealthy empire.
At this period, Britain entered into industrialization and more than three fourth of the population came under the working class. Various global political and economic power made to decline the fall of the British empire, but it became actually noticeable after World War II. This article describes the characteristics of victorian age, features of victorian age with its religion, science, government and politics and all other details.
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Characteristics Of Victorian Age
Victorian society - Gender And Society Discrimination
People in Victorian Society were mainly organized on gender and classes. Victorian society completely believed that men and women are on the doctrine of separate spheres. They also believed that men and women were completely different and meant to do different works in society. They believed that men belonged to the public sphere and females belonged to the private sphere. The men are more independent and the female is dependent. The men were meant to take part in the public work for earning money but females were meant for doing households and supporting families. But the people from working-class families could not live with this doctrine of separate spheres. Because they could not have enough money to lead their life. In the 19th century, Victorian morality is analysing the moral views of the middle class.
The victorian society discriminated against people based on economic and cultural ways. By accounting occupation, income, family structure, education, sexual behaviour, politics and leisure activities. As Britain entered into the working class, more than 70 percent of the population got income from wages and the annual income of the family was below r £100 per annum. At this period, only a limited number of upper-class people got their income from property, rent and interest. Upper-class people of Britain owned a major part of the land in Britain and controlled the local, imperial and national politics.
Victorian Era - Religion and Science
The majority of Britain’s population during the Victorian era were Christians. The state churches of the Victorian Era are Anglican churches of England, Wales, and Ireland. Presbyterian was the Church of Scotland. People also followed some other religions like Jews, Muslims, Roman Catholics, Hindus, and others
The Victorians have a great interest in science and technology. They appreciated and encouraged people to concentrate on science and technology. During her era, Charles Darwin worked on the theory of evolution and found it.
Government and Politics in Victorian Era
The political system followed by the British was a constitutional monarchy and dominated by aristocratic men. The constitution of British was unwritten and they contain both the written laws and unwritten conventions. The government have a monarch, the House of Lords, the House of Commons, and two houses of parliament at the national level. During the Victorian age, the House of Commons was kept as the centre of government and the house of lords lost its power and later transformed into a symbol of the nation. About 600 members in the House of Commons were named members of Parliament (MPs). They were mainly elected to represent Scotland, England, Wales, and Ireland. In that, England has more representatives while compared to other countries. There were two major parties in national politics. They are the Liberal Party and the Conservative party.
During the Victorian period, they mainly concentrated on certain important political events. They are working-class political activism, most notably Chartism, the abolition of slavery from the British empire and expansion of the franchise. The dominant political ideology concentrated on the rise of liberalism, especially in the middle class. The growth of the state and state interventions concentrated on limiting the working hours of people in factories and mines concentrated on public health and the provision of elementary education by the state. They were also concentrated on providing proper education and employment for women also, created laws like Married Women’s Property Acts, the repeal of the Contagious Diseases Acts for protecting women rights.
Victorian British Empire
For certain periods, the Victorian British Empire dominated the whole globe by either ruling or influencing. They maintained constant, complex and multidirectional traffic of people and goods between Britain and their colonies. During the Victorian age, people of Britain had abroad jobs like civil and military service, missionary work, and infrastructure development. Also, people from various locations travelled, studied and settled in Britain.
British controlled major parts of the African and Indian subcontinent. Later, India became central to imperial status and wealth for the British. While expanding their territory, the British were involved in violence like the Taranaki War (1860–61) in New Zealand, the Morant Bay Rebellion (1865) in Jamaica, Indian Mutiny (1857–59) and the Opium Wars (1839–42, 1856–60) in China.
During the Victoria time, Britain expanded their shelter colonies to Australia and Newzealand and also to Canada and South Africa. From 1870 to 1914, the victorian age mainly concentrated on new technologies like railways and telegraphy. At the same period, India started to fight for its freedom and decolonization after World War II.
Economy for Victorian Age
Britain became the supreme political power in the world because of its strong economy. The economy of the Victorian era grew rapidly between 1896 and 1873. Also, they faced a huge economic depression from 1896 to 1914. The industrial revolution in Britain expanded the British economy to a great height and became the richest country in the world. This risen the standard of living of people in Victoria times. After the 1840s, people did not get even enough food for survival and became addicted to alcohol, tobacco and many other activities. After the 1870s, the Victorian era started to concentrate on mass production like, clothes, newspapers, souvenirs and other products at affordable prices and improve their economy.
Victoria Time - Art and Culture
As British expanded its territories to vast areas, the British cultural products became most important. Later, Britain emerged as the cultural capital for English-speaking countries like the US, Australia, Canada and New Zealand. Victorian performance and print culture were rich and varied, a blend of melodrama, spectacle, and morality. From the 1850s to 1870s, People from Britain got attracted by the Music-halls.
The print culture that emerged from the Victorian period increased the literacy rates. So that, magazines and newspapers became affordable for even poor people. Many people started releasing many stories and novels with many characters. The novels and stories released during Victoria time also expressed the life of people in Britain.
This article described the complete information about the Victorian era, with their politics, government, economy, empire, art and culture in detail.
FAQs on Victorian Era
1. What exactly was the Victorian Era?
The Victorian Era refers to the period of British history during the reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1901. It is primarily known for the massive expansion of the British Empire and the peak of the Industrial Revolution, which led to significant scientific, technological, and social changes.
2. Why is this period called the Victorian Era?
The era is named directly after Queen Victoria, who was the monarch of the United Kingdom during this time. Her long and influential reign became so closely associated with the profound changes of the 19th century that the entire period now bears her name.
3. What were the most important inventions from the Victorian Era?
The Victorian Era was a time of incredible innovation. Some of the most important inventions include:
- The first postage stamps (the Penny Black)
- The telegraph and the telephone, which revolutionised communication
- Photography, allowing moments to be captured for the first time
- The railway system, which connected the country and transported goods efficiently
- Antiseptics in medicine, which drastically improved surgery survival rates
4. How was daily life different for the rich and the poor back then?
There was a huge class divide during the Victorian Era. The wealthy enjoyed luxurious lives with large houses, servants, and access to new technologies and leisure activities. In contrast, the poor, including children, often lived in crowded, unsanitary slums and worked long, dangerous hours in factories, mines, and mills for very low pay.
5. Why is the Victorian Era seen as a time of great progress but also great problems?
This is a key contradiction of the era. The 'progress' came from industrialisation, scientific discoveries, and the wealth of the empire. However, this progress created immense 'problems' like child labour, dangerous working conditions, extreme poverty, and polluted cities. While the nation grew powerful, many of its people suffered greatly.
6. What were some key features of Victorian literature?
Victorian literature often focused on realism and social commentary. Novelists like Charles Dickens and the Brontë sisters wrote about the struggles of the poor, the role of women in society, and the conflict between the rich and the working class. Their work provides a powerful insight into the social issues of the time.
7. How did the Industrial Revolution change society during the Victorian Era?
The Industrial Revolution fundamentally reshaped society. It caused a massive migration of people from the countryside to cities in search of factory work, leading to the rapid growth of urban centres. This created a new working class and a wealthy industrialist class, changing the old social structure and the entire economy of Britain.
8. What was the global impact of the British Empire during this era?
During the Victorian Era, the British Empire grew to be the largest in history, covering about a quarter of the globe. This expansion spread the English language, British laws, and technology worldwide. However, it also involved the exploitation of the resources and people of its colonies, which had a lasting and complex impact on many nations.
