The later years of queen Victoria and Oscar Wilde, Appunti di Inglese

Scarica The later years of queen Victoria and Oscar Wilde e più Appunti in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! When Prince Albert died, Queen Victoria spent the next ten years in mourning. She still remained an important figure even though the political panorama was changing with the regrouping of the parties: the liberal party, including the former Whings, some Radical and a large minority of businessmen; the party was led by William Gladstone. The Conservative party, which had evolved from the Tories, reaffirmed its position under the leader of Benjamin Disraeli. Benjamin Disraeli became prime minister in 1868, and regained the office after the elections in 1874. In his second term, his government passed an Artisans and Labourers Dwellings act, which allowed local authorities to clear the slums and provide housing for the poor; a public health act,which provided sanitation as well as running water; a factory act, which limited the working hours per week. Foreign policy was dominated by the Eastern Question, that is the decay of the ottoman empire, and the attempt by other European countries, Russia in particular, to gain power there. William Gladstone was prime minister 4 times, starting in 1868. At that time, reforms focused on education. elementary school had long been organised by the church: the 1870 education act started a national system by introducing "board schools" mainly in the poorer areas. By 1880, elementary education had become compulsory. Other reforms included the legislation of trade unions in 1871, with the trade union act, and the introduction of the secret ballot at elections, with the Ballot act. The Third Reform Act of 1884 extended voting to all male householders, including miners, mill-workers and farm labourers. This extension gave public opinion an important role as a political force. The Irish parliamentary party, led by Charles Stewart Parnell, demanded self-government for Ireland. Gladstone believed that home rule was the only way to bring peace to Ireland, and tried to get Parliament to pass a bill 3 times, but the Irish government was granted it only after World War I. The anglo-Boer wars The struggle with France at the beginning of the 19th century had lead to Britain's global hegemony. However, since Waterloo, its foreign policy had been defensive. Many areas of the world characterised by political and cultural fragmentation and it was there that Britain began to gain control with major political intervention. This was the situation in Africa, in Asia and most of all in Africa, where Britain competed with the other European countries to divide up the continent. In South Africa, Britain controlled 2 colonies, Cape Colony and Natal, while the Dutch, the bores, had the two republics of the Transvaal and the orange free state. When Britain took over Transvaal in 1877, the Boers rebelled and war took out. The ear ended in 1902 with British victory. Empress of India In 1877, Queen Victoria was given a new title, the empress of India. In the last decades of 19th century, the British empire occupied an area of 4 million square miles and more than 400 million people. The empire was becoming more difficult to control. There was a growing sense of "white man's burden". It was a strongly felt obligation to provide leadership where states were failing or non-existent. India was economically important as a market of England, and strategically necessary to British control of Asia, from the Persian Gulf to Shanghai. In the late Victorians the new imperial government became more ambitious and through free market economics it destroyed traditional farming and caused the industrialization of India: the main manufacturer of cotton cloth for the world, India, became the largest importer of English's cotton. The end of an era The Victorian age came to an end with the death of Queen Victoria in 1901, she had embodied decorum, stability, and continuity. Her golden and Diamond Jubilees for 50 and 60 years on the throne had been celebrated with huge public paredes, and for her funeral London streets were packed with mourners. The late Victorians: Victorian urban society and women Britain was primarily an urban society. Victorian cities had gas lighting, rubbish collection and there were many public buildings, such as town halls, railway stations, libraries and museums, music halls, schools, hospitals, police stations and prisons. This was a period of a retail consumer boom. Middle-class women became involved in public life as leaders in campaigns against prostitution, as teachers or volunteer charitable workers. Further education opportunities for women became available with the opening of women's colleges in 1870. However a strong taboo remained regarding family issues such as condition of divorce and rights over children as well as questions of sex and childbirth. The 1882 Married women's property act gave married women the right to own and manage their own property independently of their husband for the first time. Social Darwinism Darwin's theory became the foundation for various ethical and social systems. The philosopher Spencer applied Darwin's theory of natural selection to human society: he argued that races, nations and classes, like biological species, were subject to the principle of survival of the fittest and then the poors did not deserve compassion. Late thinkers In the second half of the 19th century, some ideological conflicts were beginning to underline the self-confident attitude that had characterised the first part of Victorian's reign. Changed regarded several fields, scientific achievements, industrialization, sexuality and religion, and a growing pessimism began to affect intellectuals Among the thinkers, a significant role was played by those who protested against the harm caused by industrialism in man's life and in the environment. The spread of socialist ideas The 1880s saw the rise of an organised political. It was a middle class socialist group whose members aimed at transforming Britain into a socialist state and not through revolution, but by systematic, progressive reforms. The independent Labour Party was set up in 1893; it was a non-Marxist socialist party which attracted female and male intellectuals. Patriotism Patriotism was deeply influenced by ideas of racial superiority. Towards the end of Victoria's reign the British considered themselves the leader of civilization. There was a belief that the races of the world were divided by fundamental physical and intellectual differences, that some were destined to be led by others. This attitude came to be known as "jingoism". Aestheticism and Decadence