Queen Victoria's reign Flashcards
When did Queen Victoria come to the throne? and how old was she?
in 1837 when she was 18
For how long did she rule?
for almost 64 years and gave her name to an age of economic and scientific progress and social reform
What made her the ideal head of monarchy?
her sense of duty; she remained apart from politics and yet provided stability
To who and when did she get married?
In 1840 to Prince Albert Saxe Coburg Gotha
What did their family life provided to the reign?
a model of respectability
Who did Victoria relay on?
Prince Alberto, who was a clever man
What did Victoria do in 1857?
she gave Prince Albert the title of Prince Consort in recognition of his importance to the country
What happened in 1830s?
the begging of an “age of reform”
What happened with the First Reform Act/ Great Reform Act?
voting privileges were transferred from small boroughs to large industrial towns like Birmingham and Manchester
What happened with The Factory Act?
The Factoriy Act prevented children aged 9 to 13 from being employed more than 48 hours a week and no person between 13 and 18 could work more than 72h a week
What happened with The Poor Law Amendament Act?
The Poor Law Amendament Act reformed the old Poor Laws dating from Elizabeth I
How was life in the workhouses?
Life in workhouses was appalling on account of their sustem of regimentation, hard work and monotonous diet.
The poor had to wear uniforms and their families were split.
What was due this apparent hard line in workhouses?
It was due in parte to an optimistic faith in progress and Puritan Virtues
What were the Puritan virtues?
Faith in progress, hard work, frugality and duty
What was the idea behind workhouses?
Was that the awareness of such dreadful life would inspire the poor to try to improve their own conditions
Who were the workhouses run by?
by the Church
What happened in 1838?
What People’s Charter demanded?
In 1838 a group of working-class radicals drew up a People’s Charter demanding universal manhood suffrage, a secret ballot and other reforms of the electoral system No one in power was ready for such democracy and the Charist movement failed
What happened with the Second Reform Act in 1867?
the reform enfranchised part of the urban male working class in England and Wales for the first time?
What was introduced in 1872?
the secret ballot was introduced with the Ballot Act
What happened in 1845?
Bad weather and an unknown plant disease from America caused the destruction of potato crops
What happened in Ireland in 1840s?
Ireland whose agriculture depended on potatoes experienced a terrible famine
What happened during the famine in Ireland?
a lot of people died and many emigrated in search for a better life
What did the Irish crisis forced the PM to do?
to abolish the Corn Laws in 1846
these laws imposed tariffs on imported corn keeping the price of bread high to protect the landed interests
What did England experience in the mid-years of the 19th century?
a second wave of industrialization, which brought economic, cultural and architectural change
What happened in European monarchies that did not happen in England in 1848?
England avoided a revolutionary wave
What happened in 1851 and what it showed?
a Great Exhibition that showed the world Britain’s industrial and economic power