The Victorian Age - Historical Context - Queen Victoria

Factory workers had to wait fot the Reform Bill (1867) and the Trade Union Act (1871) have their unions legalised and to be enfranchised.

Famine in Ireland

In Ireland the failure of the potato crop in 1845 caused a terrible famine which killed thousands and caused massive emigration.

Corn Laws

The price of corn was kept high by the Corn laws.When,in 1846, they were repealed,there were political and economical consequences. It broke up the Tory Party and brought the Whigs to power while the reduction of the bread price and new techniques in agriculture brought better production and prosperity to farmers and partly relieved labourers'hardships.When revolutionary movements broke out throughout Europe in 1848, England was not affected.

Political unrest in Ireland

The reduction of the bread price brought some relief also to the terrible conditions of the Irish population,but the problem of Ireland was political as well as economic. Irish Roman Catholics,who did not have the same political and civil rights as Irish Protestants,had demanded political reform and equal civil rights.Their clams became even more pressing and political trouble was a constant problem.

The Crimean War

The peace that Britain had enjoyed since Waterloo was suddenly broken in 1854 by the Crimean War against the Russia. This war demonstrated the inefficiency of the nation's armed forces.

The influence of J.S. Mill

When the Whigs (now Liberals) were in power with the philosopher and economist Gladstone as Prime Minister the ideals of democracy became increasingly accepted under the influence of the political philosopher John Stuart Mill.He accepted the basic principle of Utilitarism,that is the pursuit of the greatest happiness for the greatest number of people,recognised the limits of the laissez-fare economic policy associated with it and argued the need for a certain balance between individual freedom and State intervention.

The growth of the Empire

Britain's Empire continued to prosper and towards the end of the century it covered a quarter of the earth's landsurface.In 1876 Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India.

Economic depression

In the 1870s the country entered a period of political flux,social tensions and economic depression because of increased competition from U.S.A. and Germany, who began to erect tariff barriers to keep out foreign goods.Britain's economy,so dependent on exports,was deeply affected.

A more democratic nation

The two Reform Bills of 1884 and 1888 extended the vote to agricultural workers and miners. In the last twenty-five years of the century the House of Commons became the true focus of legislative power, and there was the growth of local government authorities.

The Irish question

The Irish question dominated the parliamentary scene till the end of Victoria's reign. In 1886 and 1893 Gladstone's proposals of Bills for Ireland Home Rule were rejected and this gave rise to Sinn Fein,an extreme nationalistic movement that demanded an indipendent republic.

Queen Victoria's death

In 1901 Victoria died.She had restored popularity to the British Crown whose image previous monarchs had badly tarnished.

Focus on

The British Empire

From the beginnings to the 19th century

The beginnings of the British Empire date back to the 16th century when the British maritime power opened the way both to overseas trade and to the setting up of settlements in North America. During the Industrial Revolution Britain imported commodities from overseas to be transformed into finished products.At the beginning of the 19th century the Empire was just a collection of ports,islands and coastal regions.During that period the inhabitants of the colonies started to lokk for new opportunities and new territories and moved inland.

Expansion in India

The years immediately after the ascent of Queen Victoria to the throne were a period of expansion mainly in India and in Africa. The East India Company had established trading posts in India since the 17th century. In the second half of the 18th century the company contrasted the influence of the French and started to conquer large parts of the territory.India exported tea,cotton,wood and pepper and imported mainly cotton textiles and other British-made products.The British government replaced the East India Company's authority in 1857 and India was ruled by a Viceroi.Britain extends his influence in Afghanistan,Burma,the Punjab and Baluchistan.India was the one which offered the largest scope for investment.In 1876 Queen Victoria was proclaimed Empress of India. New chartered Companies looked for new areas of opportunity,colonial conferences were held at home,new gold and diamond mines were discovered in South Africa. But above all the English felt themselves a chosen race whose mission was to carry civilization and Christian religion all over the world.

Expansion in Africa

In the 17th century the Royal Africa Company provided slaves for the English colonies in the Caribbean. In 1807 the legal slave trade ended but Britain did not stop interest in the Dark Continent. In the second half of the century Britain extended her influence in Africa, in fact Egypt,Sudan,Nigeria,Kenya,Uganda,Rhodesia and Zambia became part of the Empire.in 1899 British imperial enthusiasm resulted in a colonial conflict:the Boer War,against the Boers,farmers of Dutch origin living in South Africa. British interest was mainly the diamond and gold mines and the Boer refusal to grant civil rights to British immigrants. The war was expensive but eventually Britain won in 1902.

From colonies to dominions

The 19th century transformed some colonies into dominions,as consequence of their desire to have an effective influence on Britain's worldpolicy and to have no interference in their home policy. The white colonies (Australia,Canada and New Zealand) had handled their local problems of administration and taken most decisions for themselves since the beginning. They had gradually developed the institutions which enabled them to become self-governing. The canadian colonies formed a confederation in 1867 known as the Dominion of Canada whose national government had full control of its own affairs. The position of Britain was limited to minor powers of veto, the supply of naval defence and some privileges to invest in local enterprises. The Austraian colonies became a dominion in 1901 and New Zealand in 1947.