Scarica La storia moderna: 1901/1945 e più Dispense in PDF di Inglese solo su Docsity! The Modern Age: 1901/1945 From the Edwardian Age to the First World War When Queen Victoria died in 1901, her son Edward became king as Edward VII. At that time, the Britain Empire was powerful and wealthy, but its power was being challenged by other countries, where technical innovations and industries were growing. Also, European countries had imperial ambitions: Germany was building a navy to compete against Britain’s supremacy at sea. In 1904, King Edward signed an agreement with France and Russia, which had to support Britain in any conflict against Germany, allied with Italy and Austria. As regards society, Edwardian England was similar to Victorian England: the classes were defined and preserved, and the large part of the population was poor. The political landscape began to change. In 1906, the Liberals won the elections; they were divided in those who supported traditional liberal values and those who supported New Liberalism, in favor of forms of State interventions. They were guided by David Lloyd George, who started the Welfare State; he introduced: ● Old-age pension for people over 70; ● Free meals and medical inspections in schools; ● Minimum wages; ● Free medical treatment, sickness benefits and health insurance for workers. In the Parliament, the Lord’s right to veto was removed and passed in the Commons; also, the elections had to be held every five years (this system still operates). In 1903 Mrs Emmeline Pankhurst founded the Women’s Social and Political Union. They were called ‘’Suffragettes’’ and wanted women to have the right to vote; they held large protest marches in London, and due to their behavior, they were sent to prison. In 1918, women over 30 got the right to vote, extended to women over 21 in 1928. Britain and the First World War In 1910, KIng Edward VII died and was succeeded by his son who became George V. In 1914, a Serbian nationalist assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne and his wife in Sarajevo. This event led to the First World War: Austria began bombing Serbia, Germany declared war on Russia and then invaded Belgium in order to attack France. Britain was facing the threat of a commercial blockade due to the presence of the German navy in the North Sea, so Britain declared war on Germany. During the war, men were turned into soldiers, while women took their places in civilian jobs: this contributed to bringing about women’s suffrage. In the meanwhile, in Ireland in 1916 there was a rebellion in Dublin, the so-called Easter Rising. The ‘’Home rule’’ was suspended until the end of the war and Irish people were scared of getting recruited for the war. The insurrection was supported by Germany, but soon repressed. In 1915 Italy joined France and Britain. The bloodiest battles in British history took place during 1916, when battles, the so-called war of attrition, were fought to kill and wear down the enemy. Soldiers had to live in trenches in unhealthy and dishuman conditions; they relieved the stress thanks to religion, poetry and letters. The trench life was recalled by the War Poets. 1917 was the most important year:
