• The second accomplishment of the Reform Bill was to eliminate the “rotten boroughs” and gave the vacant seats to the industrial cities. This Bill broke the monopoly in Parliament of the conservative landowners and ended the long reign of the Tory party which had been in power almost continuously from 1783 to 1830. The Whig party, which represented the interests of the industrial capitalists and businessmen, came into power.
• Under the economic policy of Laissez faire (a policy based on the Utilitarian philosophy) which asserted that the function of private property and not to interfere with the economic operation of the country, the capitalists did not feel they were responsible for the poverty of the working people. In order to demand their own rights, the working people launched large-scale demonstrations. They put forward their political demands in the form of a Charter and organized meetings to collect signatures. In the 1830s and 1840s the country was threatened by social unrest. The Chartist Movement reached its peak in 1838, 1842, and 1848.
Queen Elizabeth (1533-1603) and Queen Victoria (1819-1901).
• The English people were proud of two queens in their history: Queen Elizabeth (1533-1603) and Queen Victoria (1819-1901). There are similarities between the two queens. First, both queens were on the throne for a long period of time, Queen Elizabeth being on the throne for over forty years (1558-1603) and Queen Victoria more than 60 years (1837-1901).
• With the introduction of the steam engine, it was possible for the capitalists to hire unskilled workers, such as women and children. Many skilled workers were unemployed, and what made the situations worse was the enforcement of the Corn Laws, which forbade importing any grain from foreign countries when the price of wheat dropped to a certain price; this measure kept wheat at a high price in the interests of the landed class. In 1845 serious crop failures in England and the potato blight in Ireland kept the price of bread still higher.
accession in 1837 and her death in 1901. She ruled for 63 years, the longest in English history. The period has been
generally regarded as one of the most glorious in the English history.
• The Reform Bill of 1832 extended the right to vote to all men owning property worth ten pounds or more. This bill extended the right to vote to the industrial capitalists and the lower middle class, but not the workers (they had to wait until 1867 when a second Reform Bill was passed)
• Secondly, during their long reigns England developed rapidly both politically and economically. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, capitalism first took its shape, and the small island country defeated the strong naval power Spain in 1588. During the long reign of Queen Victoria, England grew the workshop of the world as well as its financial and polf slaves
effect other areas
• The impetus of refom • • A series of laws ;①child Labour in factories in 1833 ②Factory Act ( 1833) ③ Poor Law Amendment Act (1834 )④The repeal of the Corn Laws in 1846 ⑤ Ten Hours Act in 1847
The Victorian Age
(1832-1902)
Objectives
1. To have the basic knowledge about the brief history of the Victorian Period. 2. To know something about the critical realist 3. To be familiar with Charles Dickens’ writing styles and major contribution to English literature.
一 Political
• 1 Reform • 2 Chartist Movement (1838-48)
The Progress of Reform
• ① great changges in administration • leadership/ financial policy
Whig Tories (dominions)
Chartist Movement • The major contradition in the political arena became more definite between labour and capital. • The workers for social justice and a better life • For want of possessing votes and leadership,a unified purpose and funds
Historical Background
Victoria age:
-- began with the passage of the Reform Bill in 1832 and closed at the end of the Boer War in 1902.
• Victoria ；
• the queen Victoria’s
• Thirdly, during their reigns, literature flourished. In the age of Queen Elizabeth drama flourished and with it there was the greatest dramatist William Shakespeare. whereas in the age of Queen Victoria, novel flourished and with it a galaxy of brilliant novelists appeared on the literary scene.
The Movement Fizzled Out • Reson: 1 Toomas Carlyle • 2 "Hungry Forties"