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(1837-1901)
History and societ
William Bell
Scott,
Iron and
Coal
(1864-67).
and conditions were frightful. In the large cities,
urban slums
became synonymous with the Industrial Revolution. The filth,
misery and moral degradation of the workers’ dwellings are
evidenced by different sources such as contemporary newspaper
reports, essays, novels, paintings and engravings.
Social reforms.
During the Victorian Age several important
social reforms were carried out. The most important, besides
the Reform Bills, were:
➤
the
Mines Act
(1862), forbidding the employment of women
and children in mines;
➤
the
Emancipation of religious sects
(1871), which
allowed Catholics to hold government jobs and to enter the
universities of Oxford and Cambridge;
➤
the
Trade Union Act
(1875), which legalized the activities of
the unions of workers. The unions grew steadily and came to
play an important role in the determination of internal policy.
The new political parties.
During Victoria’s reign Britain’s modern
parties were born: the
Conservatives
grew out of the old Tories, and
the
Liberals
out of the Whigs. Alternation between the two parties in
power was fairly regular, with great prime ministers emerging from each.
The growth in political importance of the working class was marked by
the
foundation of the Labour Party
in 1900. Thanks to this, and to the
third Reform Bill, representatives of the workers could sit in Parliament.
S
tudy questions
1
What internal situation did Victoria have to face when
she came to the throne?
2
What is meant by ‘free trade’ and how did it influence
British home policy?
3
What important inventions did technical progress lead
to and what relation was there between the new
technology and industry?
4
What were the living conditions of the poor and what
was the Poor Law? What does the term ‘urban slum’
refer to?
5
What were the most important social reforms achieved
during the Victorian Age?
6
Which modern political parties were founded?
The myth of progress
01
Listen to the description of the picture above, then answer the questions.
1
On first looking at the painting, what strikes your attention first: people or things?
2
Which elements in the painting would you relate to industry and which to commerce?
3
Would you call this painting realistic or symbolic?
4
Do you think that the painting and its elements still relate to the idea of work in our world or do
they totally belong to a past age?
listening
001-027_The Victorians.indd 5
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