By studying history, we learn about our own times. There are few periods more important to western culture than the Victorian Era. The years spanning the reign of Queen Victoria in Britain - 1837 to 1901 - are considered the true beginning of 'modern' thinking and progress. This time period begins just after the Industrial Revolution, which brought new manufacturing practices into play, created a demand for factory workers, and started the exodus from the land that brought millions into the cities.
When people think Victorian, they think of gingerbread on the deep porches of large single-family homes, heavily-curtained parlors crowded with red velvet furniture, and Audubon prints of exotic birds. They may cite the effects of the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of the railroads. The British Empire ruled much of the world, and international trade was booming. People made great fortunes, and the middle class arose as the foundation of peace and prosperity.
The middle class really came into its own in this time. Storekeepers, tailors, hat makers, and druggists were pillars of society, and bankers, judges, and doctors (and their wives) led fashion. However, there was also a huge working class who struggled to make ends meet either on family farms or in the large factories that came with the Industrial Revolution.
People lived lavishly while others starved. The English population exploded while Ireland lost millions to famine and emigration. Factories enticed the young people from the farmlands of England and America. Scientists discovered new laws of physics, the New World gave up its secrets to naturalists, and steel and glass dominated the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Although this period is seen as morally strict, this perception is flawed. Family life was paramount to the Queen, and social rules were rigid. However, gambling, prostitution, and drinking were rampant, giving rise to great reform movements of prohibition and evangelism. Romanticism held sway in art and drama, but realism was coming into its own. Photography started during this era, as did psychiatry.
Human nature began to be taken as more 'natural' than religion. Prosperity was seen as a right for the upper and middle classes, while the poverty of those lower on the social scale were seen by many as inevitable. Industry was considered the hope of the future, and it's ill effects taken as 'the cost of doing business'. However, giants in the newspaper industry and great novelists chronicled the plight of the poor and sought to change it.
Many recognize the period architecture, where the Gothic influence became increasingly evident. Those who drive west across America can see how the colonial style of the east gives way to gables and towers of homes reflecting the value placed on family life and keeping up with the neighbors. In England, the spa resorts were showcases for the wealth of both high society and rich merchants. The importance of sea air and mineral waters brought thousands to the seashore each season.
Politics, with all the social programs of today, show the influence of the 19th century progress and problems. Government was never before seen as either a balance for a nation's wealth or an answer to its needs. We need to understand what began this movement and see how it has worked in the days since to make wise decisions for the future.
When people think Victorian, they think of gingerbread on the deep porches of large single-family homes, heavily-curtained parlors crowded with red velvet furniture, and Audubon prints of exotic birds. They may cite the effects of the Industrial Revolution and the expansion of the railroads. The British Empire ruled much of the world, and international trade was booming. People made great fortunes, and the middle class arose as the foundation of peace and prosperity.
The middle class really came into its own in this time. Storekeepers, tailors, hat makers, and druggists were pillars of society, and bankers, judges, and doctors (and their wives) led fashion. However, there was also a huge working class who struggled to make ends meet either on family farms or in the large factories that came with the Industrial Revolution.
People lived lavishly while others starved. The English population exploded while Ireland lost millions to famine and emigration. Factories enticed the young people from the farmlands of England and America. Scientists discovered new laws of physics, the New World gave up its secrets to naturalists, and steel and glass dominated the Great Exhibition of 1851.
Although this period is seen as morally strict, this perception is flawed. Family life was paramount to the Queen, and social rules were rigid. However, gambling, prostitution, and drinking were rampant, giving rise to great reform movements of prohibition and evangelism. Romanticism held sway in art and drama, but realism was coming into its own. Photography started during this era, as did psychiatry.
Human nature began to be taken as more 'natural' than religion. Prosperity was seen as a right for the upper and middle classes, while the poverty of those lower on the social scale were seen by many as inevitable. Industry was considered the hope of the future, and it's ill effects taken as 'the cost of doing business'. However, giants in the newspaper industry and great novelists chronicled the plight of the poor and sought to change it.
Many recognize the period architecture, where the Gothic influence became increasingly evident. Those who drive west across America can see how the colonial style of the east gives way to gables and towers of homes reflecting the value placed on family life and keeping up with the neighbors. In England, the spa resorts were showcases for the wealth of both high society and rich merchants. The importance of sea air and mineral waters brought thousands to the seashore each season.
Politics, with all the social programs of today, show the influence of the 19th century progress and problems. Government was never before seen as either a balance for a nation's wealth or an answer to its needs. We need to understand what began this movement and see how it has worked in the days since to make wise decisions for the future.
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