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History and societ
(1837-1901)
with Turkey, and Russia was finally defeated.
Florence Nightingale
, an
Englishwoman, went to the Crimea to organize hospitals and to relieve
the soldiers’ sufferings. She became one of the most admired figures in
Britain and her work had a great influence on the foundation of the Red
Cross in Geneva in 1864.
Colonial policy: Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
During the
reign of Queen Victoria the British Empire greatly expanded. It grew
out of two complementary processes: the impulse to consolidate overseas
markets and the surplus of population at home.
Australia
– up to then
only used as a penal colony – and
New Zealand
became flourishing
centres for cattle and sheep raising. Many people also went to
Canada
,
part of which was already occupied by the French.
Colonial policy: India and Africa.
The British government took over
from the East India Company and ruled directly over
India
, which for
the first time in its history was united under one single power. In 1876
Queen Victoria
became
Empress of India
– the territories controlled
actually included today’s India, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
In
Africa
the British occupied Uganda, Kenya, Rhodesia, and the Niger
territories. They also obtained the majority of the shares of the
Suez
Canal
, excavated between 1859 and 1869, the crucial route between the
Mediterranean Sea and the Indian Ocean. In the colony of the Cape of
Good Hope, formerly Dutch, the relations
between the Dutch colonists (called Boers) and
the British were never good. The
Boer War
(1899-
1902) was won by Britain, which gained control
over the provinces of Orange and Transvaal, rich
in gold and diamonds.
The celebration of the Empire.
On the surface,
the last part of the Victorian Age – roughly from
1870 on – seems one of prosperity and splendour.
Victoria’s Golden andDiamond Jubilees
,
celebrating the 50th and 60th anniversaries of the
queen’s accession, in 1887 and 1897, were occasions
for the display of Britain’s commercial and financial
greatness.
S
tudy questions
1
What do we mean by the ‘Irish question’?
2
What was British policy in Europe and who
shaped it?
3
What factors contributed to the expansion of
the British Empire during Victoria’s reign?
4
Consider colonial policy in relation to:
•
Australia, New Zealand and Canada
•
India
•
Africa
5
What did Queen Victoria’s Jubilees mean for Britain?
people
Florence Nightingale
(1820-1910)
Born into a wealthy family, she dedicated
her whole life to nursing the sick and
wounded, especially at war fronts. During
the Crimean War she organized camp
hospitals so efficiently that the mortality
rate fell from 45% to 20%. She became
a legendary figure.
A scene from the
Boer War: Lord Robert’s
entry into Pretoria on
5th June 1900.
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