Scarica THE EDWARDIAN AGE AND WORLD WAR I (1901-1919) e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! THE EDWARDIAN AGE AND WORLD WAR I (1901-1919) When Queen Victoria died, the royal house took the Germanic surname of Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha. Victoria’s son Edward reigned until 1910 as Edward VII. His greatest achievement was in foreign policy. British power was being challenged by American emergent industries and the ambition at sea of Germany. King Edward VII signed the Entente Cordiale with France in 1904: England could pursue its interests in Egypt and France in Morocco. The king’s diplomacy created a new alignment in Europe: England could count on France and Russia against Germany, Austria or Italy. Edwardian society was similar to Victorian society as regarded – moral values; – class distinctions; – the poverty affecting a large part of the population. The Liberals won the general elections in 1906. They were divided into two groups: 1 group: those who supported the traditional liberal values laissez-faire and self-help. those who supported New Liberalism in favour of certain forms of State intervention in social life. The foundations of the Welfare State were laid. Reforms were introduced: 1905 Free school meals. 1907 Free school medical inspections. 1908 The Children’s Act gave children some legal protection. It restricted the sale of alcohol and cigarettes. 1908: The Old Age Pensions Act, which introduced pensions of one to five shillings for people over 70. 1909: minimum wages were fixed. 1911: The National Insurance Act, which gave people the right to free medical treatment and sickness benefits. The Liberals passed the Parliament Act in 1911 the Lords’ right to veto money bills passed in the Commons was removed; they could only delay them for two years; a general election would be held at least every five years. This system still operates today. 1911: A series of strikes of seamen, dockers and railway workers was called because of high prices and low wages. They involved a great number of men and were often accompanied by violence. The Suffragettes At the beginning of the 20th century only men were allowed to vote. A few educated ladies had been arguing in favour of voting rights for women since the 1860s. In 1903 Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst founded the WSPU (Women’s Social and Political Union). The Suffragettes, as they were called, protested that women should be able to vote. The WSPU began to break the law to gain publicity and support. They began a campaign of vandalism: they chained themselves to railings outside Downing Street and Buckingham Palace; they made arson attacks on post boxes, churches and railway stations. The Government dealt with the protests harshly and sent many Suffragettes to prison. In prison some women went on hunger strike to draw attention to their campaign. Prison authorities began force-feeding them. The outbreak of World War I In 1914 a Serbian nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro- Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo. Austria bombed Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. The German Kaiser, Wilhelm II, declared war on Russia and then on France. Germany invaded Belgium in order to attack France from an unexpected front before Russia or Britain could intervene. Britain had participated in the creation of Belgium in 1831 and had guaranteed its neutrality. It now faced the threat of a commercial blockade due to the presence of the German navy in the North Sea and the Channel. It declared war on Germany on 4th August 1914. 130,000 British soldiers crossed the Channel to fight on the Western Front in northern France. Britain relied on volunteers until 1916. The Empire sent troops from the dominions.
