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Module One Lecture One Introduction to the Victorian Middle Class Society, Politics,Mentality and Culture.

a) enduring historical, sociological and political labels and competing insider views

the Victorian age the age of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), ho !eca"e #"$re%% of&ndia in 187' after $re iou%l changing the na"e of the *ano erian +riti%h d na%tto that of the *ou%e of a e-.o!urg and /otha, hen %he "arried rince l!ert ofthe latter hou%e) in 2o"anian, e$oca ictorian (%"all ca%e)

the age of the British Empire (a geo$olitical la!el) - the +riti%h "onarch controlledone third of the orld in the +riti%h colonie% hich e tended in Asia to fghani%tanand 4i!et, co ering the hole of &ndia ( thirt -four ti"e% the %i5e of #ngland) ,e tending to New Zealand and Australia ( here Mag itch in 6/reat# $ectation%6 or *ett orrell in 6 da" +ede6 ! /eorge #liot and "an a realVictorian illain got transported in a ind of %urrogate of a cri"inal % e ecution) 4he+riti%h #"$ire al%o e tended to Canada , :0 ti"e% the %i5e of #ngland &n Afric a,the +riti%h #"$ire occu$ied ;igeria and #g $t to the ;orth, after the urcha%e in187< of the ue5 .anal, and ent a% far do n a% the ti$ of the continent here itcon=uered outh frica after the +oer >ar, in the 1890% . (%ee / M 4re el an6&llu%trated *i%tor of #ngland6, 19'?, tran%lated into 2o"anian in 197< @ +oo ',3 rd .ha$ter) 4he union of &reland ith /reat +ritain ( to create 4he Anited Bingdo"of /reat +ritain and &reland in 1801) %anctioned and !rought to it% cli"a thecenturie%-old do"ination of &reland ! the rich, $o erful neigh!our

the country of the industrial revolution (an econo"ic, %ocial la!el) &t i% intere%tingto %ee hat cau%ed the indu%trial re olution and hat it% hi%torical con%e=uence

ere &n the %$an of a %ingle centur the hi%tor of %cience unite% in +ritain thena"e% of Ca"e% >att, Michael Darada , >illia" 4ho"%on, Lord Bel in, /eorge +oole,

Ca"e% .ler Ma ell 4he technological ad ance% include the in ention of thetelegra$h, the intercontinental ca!le, the generali%ation of %tea" $o er ( ith thelarge %cale i"$le"entation of the %tea" ha""er, the %tea" tur!ine, the %tea"loo" and the %tea" $lough) or the uni er%al "illing "achine@ the co""unicationindu%tr a% re olutioni5ed ! the in ention and the orld- ide %$reading of thetelegra$h, the intercontinental ca!le or $hotogra$h and ! the rotar $rinting

$re%%@ land tran%$ortation de elo$ed tre"endou%l ith the !uilding in +ritain of theEr%t %ucce%%ful railroad % %te" in the orld follo ed ! the con%truction of theEr%t underground rail a % %te", the Metro$olitan, in 18'0@ the electric la"$increa%ed the ur!ani5ation %tandard%, too@ the co""odit indu%tr a% changed !the introduction of the acuu" cleaner%, and the ar indu%tr 6thri ed6 after thein ention of the auto"atic gun%, the %hell gun and the >inche%ter gun (cf 1991&nfor"ation lea%e l"anac, *oughton MiFin, +o%ton)

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an age of material progress (thi% la!el i% the con%e=uence of the for"er one) hichcon%tantl %ought to acco""odate the de"ogra$hic and en iron"ental change% %oa% to allo other area% of life to ee$ $ace ith "aterial $rogre%% #ducation, fore a"$le, a% torn !et een the old and the ne li!eral "odel% a% a tool forcontrolling, in a di%ci$lined and !ene olentG$rogre%%i e a , the "ind% of $eo$le

and "a e the" Et "e"!er% of the ne %ociet ( ee the lecture% on the "odel% ineducation in the nineteenth centur )

an age of considerable environmental change H the change of the countr %ide andthe cit ali e Quite often, a $lain ould !e %$ectacularl tran%for"ed into a can on! the %$routing rail a % hich cut through "eado % in de$th or cut tunnel%through the "ountain%H all the%e %ite change% a"ounted to a %$ecial ind ofen iron"ental e ent% thought orth of !eing cele!rated in or %ong% a!out thena ie% (or rail a or er%) and their $ro e%% in ta"ing nature (a% the the"e $arfol lore de"on%trate% toda , in the "o%t recent and fa%hiona!le ind of"u%eogra$hical e hi!ition in +ritain, ai"ed at recreating the co""oner% e er dalife in the regional +riti%h near $a%t) Ar!ani5ation !eca"e o erriding, ith thedi%$lace"ent of the rural $o$ulation in the "a%% &n literature, thi% a% reIected !the no%talgic re"e"!erance of the rural $a%t in =uite a nu"!er of %ucce%%, or%i"$l re$re%entati e, Victorian no el%, %uch a% the "aJorit of /eorge #liot %no el% or the rural gentr and fa"il chronicle% that %$a ned into a $icture%=ueVictorian genre

the rst mass age in history, the precursor, of the 20 th century mass society (a%ociological la!el)

an age of liberal reforms meant to strengthen the economically liberal state (a la!elthat de"on%trate% the connection !et een econo" and $olitic%) Li!eral $olitic% i%

"iddle cla%% $olitic% ith little regard for the lo er cla%%e% (fro" a $o$uli%t or%ocial-de"ocratic ie $oint thi% could !e %een a% a 6cruel6 %tateH it did not!other to "anage the intere%t% of other than the ca$itali%tic entre$reneur%and did not interfere ith the "ar et 4he la!el for the Victorian or li!eral%tate a% a non-interventionist state, do"inated ! "ercantile free "ar et a regulation% &t a% !a%ed on the $olitical doctrine of laissez-faire thatga e free reign to the $ri ate ca$itali%tic enter$ri%e ithout regard to the$u!lic elfare 4hu%, the li!eral legi%lation a% dou!le-edgedH $rotectioni%t,for the ca$itali%tic, entre$reneurial cla%% and i"$o eri%hing hen not %i"$lindiKerent or e en o$$re%%i e to ard% the or ing cla%%

- la % hich enfranchised the "an of $ro$ert , called 62efor" +ill%6, %ince theco"$letel changed the oting =ualiEcation% at the !eginning fro" no"inal to real$ro$ert =ualiEcation% ! eli"inating the old 6rotten6 !orough% and thea$$oint"ent of con%tituencie% ! ro al charter 4he 2efor" +ill of 183?enfranchi%ed all the "ale o ner% of $ro$ert orth at lea%t 10 $ound% in annualrent@ the 2efor" +ill of 18'7 dou!led the nu"!er of oter%@ and the 188: +ill!rought a!out the uni er%al "ale enfranchi%e"ent 4he $arlia"entar !attle a%fought throughout the 19 th centur !et een the re$re%entati e% of the t o $olitical$artie%, the Li!eral% and the .on%er ati e%, ith >illia" # art /lad%tone,

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nic na"ed 64he Old Man6, at the head of the Li!eral art and four ti"e% at thehead of the e ecuti e a% the +riti%h ri"e Mini%ter, !et een 18'8-7:, 1880-8

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of the age, the Victorian "a%%e% de"on%trated in the %treet% and %ent$etition% of right% (chart%) %igned ! e er-increa%ing nu"!er% of $eo$le tothe leader% of the nation !ut the ere ne er li%tened to (the 18:0 .hart, fore a"$le, a% %igned ! o er three "illion three hundred $eo$le hore=ue%ted for the lo er cla%%e% $reci%el hat ca"e to !e granted to the

"iddle cla%%e% in the cour%e of the centur ) 4hi% $rolonged %treetde"on%tration re"ind% one of the long de"on%tration for de"ocrac in+uchare%t, in the iata Ani er%itatii =uare at the !eginning of the 1990%)@under .harti%t in%$iration, there ere organi%ed %tri e%, %uch a% the Er%tgeneral %tri e of 18:? !ut all the%e got $racticall no here and had tocontinue their 6Eght6 ! the !etter organi%ed trade-unioni%t "o e"ent ofthe 18'0% and 1870% (after the re$eal of the .o"!ination ct%, hich hadfor!idden gathering% of riotou% $eo$le, in the a e of the Drench 2e olution !et een 1799, i e , and 18?:) 4hi% $ro ed that there e i%ited irtuall 6t onation%6 in +ritain, a% +enJa"in i%raeli $ut it, the rich and the $oor 4he rich$a%%ed and enacted =uite a !ig nu"!er of con%i%tent la % for the $oor, !ut it

a$$ear% that the for"er ere too !u%il engro%%ed in their !u%ine%% tode ote enough attention or re%ource% to re%cuing the $oor 4he Dactor ct%of the $eriod 18331878, ho e er, eli"inated child la!our and gro%%o er or ing in factorie% o"e %u$$ort a% granted al%o ! thego ern"ent % u!lic *ealth ct% of 1871 187< hich granted %o"e"ea%ure of "edical a%%i%tance to the $oor a% ell till, for all the echoe% ofthe %ocial unre%t and unhealth li ing condition% of the $oor in the $rintedVictorian "edia, including the literature of the age, the 1880% %a the ri%e of "ore radical %ocial "o e"ent%, %uch a% the ide-%$read %ociali%" of theDa!ian !rand or the uto$ian %ociali%" of the intellectual% (cf Martin a H 6*i%tor of #ngli%h Literature 1837 to the re%ent6, ou!leda , ;e or ,

19':, the cha$ter on Victorian $ro%e) and of Mar ian co""uni%", %o"eti"e after the $u!lication of the .o""uni%t art Manife%to ! Barl Mar , in18