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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 labelsand competing insider views

the Victorian age the age of Queen Victoria (1837-1901), ho !eca"e #"$re%% of

&ndia in 187' after $reiou%l changing the na"e of the *anoerian +riti%h dna%t

to that of the *ou%e of ae-.o!urg and /otha, hen %he "arried rince l!ert of

the 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 controlled

one third of the orld in the +riti%h colonie% hich etendedin Asiato fghani%tan

and 4i!et, coering the hole of &ndia ( thirt-four ti"e% the %i5e of #ngland),

etending toNew Zealand and Australia(here Magitch in 6/reat

#$ectation%6 or *ett orrell in 6da" +ede6 ! /eorge #liot and "an a real

Victorian illain got transportedin a ind of %urrogate of a cri"inal% eecution)4he

+riti%h #"$ire al%o etended to Canada, :0 ti"e% the %i5e of #ngland &nAfrica,

the +riti%h #"$ire occu$ied ;igeria and #g$t to the ;orth, after the urcha%e in

187< of the ue5 .anal, and ent a% far don a% the ti$ of the continent here it

con=uered outh frica after the +oer >ar, in the 1890%.(%ee / M 4reelan

6&llu%trated *i%tor of #ngland6, 19'?, tran%lated into 2o"anian in 197< @ +oo ',

3rd.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 the

centurie%-old do"ination of &reland ! the rich, $oerful neigh!our

the country of the industrial revolution(an econo"ic, %ocial la!el) &t i% intere%ting

to %ee hat cau%ed the indu%trial reolution and hat it% hi%torical con%e=uence

ere &n the %$an of a %ingle centur the hi%tor of %cience unite% in +ritain the

na"e% of Ca"e% >att, Michael Darada, >illia" 4ho"%on, Lord Belin, /eorge +oole,

Ca"e% .ler Maell 4he technological adance% include the inention of the

telegra$h, the intercontinental ca!le, the generali%ation of %tea" $oer (ith the

large %cale i"$le"entation of the %tea" ha""er, the %tea" tur!ine, the %tea"

loo" and the %tea" $lough) or the unier%al "illing "achine@ the co""unication

indu%tr a% reolutioni5ed ! the inention and the orld-ide %$reading of the

telegra$h, the intercontinental ca!le or $hotogra$h and ! the rotar $rinting

$re%%@ land tran%$ortation deelo$ed tre"endou%l ith the !uilding in +ritain of theEr%t %ucce%%ful railroad %%te" in the orld folloed ! the con%truction of the

Er%t underground raila %%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 6thried6 after the

inention 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) hich

con%tantl %ought to acco""odate the de"ogra$hic and eniron"ental change% %o

a% to allo other area% of life to ee$ $ace ith "aterial $rogre%% #ducation, for

ea"$le, a% torn !eteen the old and the ne li!eral "odel% a% a tool for

controlling, in a di%ci$lined and !eneolentG$rogre%%ie a, the "ind% of $eo$le

and "ae the" Et "e"!er% of the ne %ociet (ee the lecture% on the do"inant,re%idual and e"ergent "odel% in education in the nineteenth centur)

an age of considerable environmental changeH the change of the countr%ide andthe cit alie Quite often, a $lain ould !e %$ectacularl tran%for"ed into a canon! the %$routing raila% hich cut through "eado% in de$th or cut tunnel%through the "ountain%H all the%e %ite change% a"ounted to a %$ecial ind ofeniron"ental eent% thought orth of !eing cele!rated in or %ong% a!out thenaie% (or raila orer%) and their $roe%% in ta"ing nature (a% the the"e $arfollore de"on%trate% toda, in the "o%t recent and fa%hiona!le ind of"u%eogra$hical ehi!ition in +ritain, ai"ed at recreating the co""oner% eerdalife in the regional +riti%h near $a%t) Ar!ani5ation !eca"e oerriding, ith thedi%$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$re%entatie, Victorian noel%, %uch a% the "aJorit of /eorge #liot%noel% or the rural gentr and fa"il chronicle% that %$aned into a $icture%=ueVictorian genre

the rst mass age in history, the precursor, of the 20 thcentury 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 !eteen econo" and $olitic%) Li!eral $olitic% i%

"iddle cla%% $olitic% ith little regard for the loer 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 "aret 4he la!el for the Victorian or li!eral%tate a% anon-interventioniststate, do"inated ! "ercantile free "aret a regulation% &t a% !a%ed on the $olitical doctrine of laissez-fairethatgae free reign to the $riate ca$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$reneurial cla%% and i"$oeri%hing hen not %i"$lindiKerent or een o$$re%%ie toard% the oring cla%%

- la% hich enfranchisedthe "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% ! roal charter 4he 2efor" +ill of 183?enfranchi%ed all the "ale oner% 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 unier%al "ale enfranchi%e"ent 4he $arlia"entar !attle a%fought throughout the 19thcentur !eteen the re$re%entatie% of the to $olitical$artie%, the Li!eral% and the .on%eratie%, ith >illia" #art /lad%tone,

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

"iddle cla%%e% in the cour%e of the centur) 4hi% $rolonged %treetde"on%tration re"ind% one of the long de"on%tration for de"ocrac in+uchare%t, in the iata Anier%itatii =uare at the !eginning of the 1990%)@under .harti%t in%$iration, there ere organi%ed %trie%, %uch a% the Er%tgeneral %trie of 18:? !ut all the%e got $racticall nohere and had tocontinue their 6Eght6 ! the !etter organi%ed trade-unioni%t "oe"ent ofthe 18'0% and 1870% (after the re$eal of the .o"!ination ct%, hich hadfor!idden gathering% of riotou% $eo$le, in the ae of the Drench 2eolution !eteen 1799, ie, and 18?:) 4hi% $roed that there ei%ited irtuall 6tonation%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$$ear% that the for"er ere too !u%il engro%%ed in their !u%ine%% todeote enough attention or re%ource% to re%cuing the $oor 4he Dactor ct%of the $eriod 18331878, hoeer, eli"inated child la!our and gro%%oeroring in factorie% o"e %u$$ort a% granted al%o ! thegoern"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 liing condition% of the $oor in the $rintedVictorian "edia, including the literature of the age, the 1880% %a the ri%e of"ore radical %ocial "oe"ent%, %uch a% the ide-%$read %ociali%" of theDa!ian !rand or the uto$ian %ociali%" of the intellectual% (cf Martin aH 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 Marian co""uni%", %o"eti"e after the $u!lication of the .o""uni%t art Manife%to ! Barl Mar, in18