Introduction
The term ‘Victorian’ was named after the reign of Queen Victoria who ruled England during the year1837 to 1901. It has been marked in history as an age that was preceded by the Georgian period and succeeded by the Edwardian period. This era is generally regarded as one among the outstanding ages of the United Kingdom that had embossed its marks in various fields, such as with the improvement of industries, the development of the middle class, art, literature, etc. It was also noted for the religious inconsistencies, affected with the advent of many scientific theories like the ‘On the Theory of Species’ by Charles Darwin and the great invention of Cowper Nikes that proved the rotundity of the earth.
Main body
History has been characterized this age as a long period of peace, followed by the Crimean War, fought between Russia and the European alliance during the year 1853 to1856 that ended with the fall of the Ottoman Empire in Russia. The term ‘Victorian’ has been achieved a wide range of connotations, with a firm set of moral standards, having Hippocratic application. Victorian age is noted on Victorian’s attitude to sexual decency which was far from reality. Victorians liked to follow conscious blindness in their sexual interactions. One can understand that Victorian morality was wrapped with the aristocracy. It has been observed that even as the Victorians pretend to be better than they exist, others to be much worse than they are. In the pages of world history, England traveled the world of aristocracy and religious perverseness. One can easily find the Victorian age was characterized by explosive changes and developments. Several events affected the social, political, and religious life of the Victorian people. In every field of social life, Victorians made surprising findings and changes. People in Victorian England are the real parents of modern England.
A very notable change of the Victorian people was their belief in the religious faith; it was the time of great religious anarchism. The invention of Darwin’s evolutionary theory became a sudden shock for Victorian faith and optimism. The Victorians experienced a great age of doubt and spiritual hollowness. It was a great age doubt and this doubtful mentality is also has been expressed in the literature of that time. The writers of that time tried to unite Romantic emphasis upon self, emotion, the neoclassical concept of imagination and were eloquent about the responsibility of the artist to the art and the public. It was a period of innovations and surprising changes. These changes would be easily noticeable regarding ideology, politics, and society. It has also been paved the way for many movements like democracy, feminism, socialism, Marxism, etc. the great scholars of the Victorian era-Darwin, Marx and Freud so on had attempted to find the proper solution for the modern problems.
Comparing Victorian age one can see the glimpses of imperialism in economics, politics, culture, and social life. Victorian culture and lifestyle became the striking model of the 19th-century world. Victorian England was never ready to come out of its Hippocratic aristocracy while the arrival of the industrial revolution influences every aspect of the social and the political life of Britain. Victorians were skeptical about the religion but in the 19th century the Christianity regained its lost prestige and the Anglican Church became the main church of that time. Catholicism and Protestantism also had regained their power and fixed their dominance in various parts of England.
Many events had occurred in the Victorian era and these events have been brought tremendous changes in the future life of the British Empire. It was at the time of Queen Victoria (1842) that the law to prohibit women and children was approved. It was also the time of the cholera epidemic that caused the lives of more than 2000 people in1848. Another great event of this age was the Great Exhibition held in 1851, in The Crystal Palace that acquired great success and great mass attention. The most important thing which had a tremendous influence on the social, as well as the religious life of the British people, was the publication of the most controversial book ‘The Origin of Species ‘by Charles Darwin in 1859. The book led to great religious doubt and insecurity among the people and they even questioned the principles of Christianity. The death of Prince Albert in 1861 had a deep impact on Queen Victoria and led her from keeping away from the public for many years and she wore a widow’s bonnet instead of the crown. The mutilation of five or more prostitutes by the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper caused worldwide press coverage and it led to the attack of the public against the police and politicians of that time. It had also led to the resignation of Sir Charles Warrens and a great focus on the suffering of unemployment. The age is particularly known for the free education given to the children in1891.
England’s war with the revolutionary and Napoleonic France had a remarkable effect on English Social and cultural life. The war broke out in 1803 with Russia, Sweden, Australia, and England-called the ‘third coalition’ on one side – with France on the other. France under Napoleon defeated Russia in 1805 and Prussia in 1806. After this successful invasion against Russia, he turned against Great Britain but was defeated in 1805 at Trafalgar.
Changes could be visible towards the concluding part of the Victorian era in the social and cultural life of Britain. Class divisions were common in those days but its allegations remained unrealized. The epidemics and the luxurious life of the Victorians had pressed them very badly and it caused economic inequality. The words of Roberts make it clear when he rightly comments about the close of the century that “In our community, as in every other of its kind, each street had the usual social rating; one side of one end of that street might be classed higher than another…Class divisions were of the greatest consequence though their implications remained unrealized: the many looked upon social and economic inequality as the law of nature…On the whole…most families were well aware of their position within the community, and that without any explicit analyses.” (Roberts). People were divided socially, culturally, and economically. The social life was, to an extent, peaceful excluding the war with France. The political state of Britain was worse with the inefficiency of the politicians and the police who could not assure the safety of the public. They have been severely criticized and often attacked by the public. The great classification existed at the economic level but the people were aware of their status and position in the society. Though there had existed these shortcomings in the Victorian era, one can see that the age has been deeply influenced by present-day England and even now they follow some of the principles and theories followed by the Victorians. So one can undoubtedly remark that the Victorian era was one of the outstanding ages of the history of England.
Works Cited
Roberts. The Classic Slum. (provided by the customer)