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
Where was the Exhibition housed at?
at the Crystal Palace, a huge structure of glass and steel designed by Sir Joseph Paxton and erected in Hyde Park
When did the building of the London Underground began?
in 1860 and railways started to transform the landscape and people’s lives
What was England involved in in the mid 19th century?
in the two Opium Wars against China, which was trying to suppress the opium trade
What did England gain access to?
to five Chinese ports and control of Hong Kong
What was the most lucrative british colony?
India
What happened in 1857?
widespread a rebellion known as the Indian Mutiny against British rule; after which the Indian administration was given fewer responsabilities
What did Britain supported too?
some liberal causes like Italian independence from Austrians
What happened in 1853-1856?
when Russia became too powerful, the Crimean war was fought; it was the first conflict reported in newspapers by journalists on the ground
What happened in 1861?
Prince Albert died and Queen Victoria withdrew from society and spent the next years in mourning.
She still remained an important figure even though the political panorama was changing
In what way was the political panorama changing?
with the regrouping of the parties
What included the Liberal Party?
from the 1860s it included the former Whigs, some Radicals and a large minority of businessman
Who was the party led by?
by William Gladstone
How was the Conservative Party?
The Conservative Party which had evolved from Tories in the 1830s reaffirmed its position under leadership of Benjamin Disraeli
What act was passed by Disraeli governments?
What it provided and allowed?
an Artisans’ and Labourers’ Dwelling Act to clear the slums and provided housing for the poor
What Public Health Act provided?
provided sanitation as well as running water
What did the Factory act do?
limited the working hours per week
What did Disraeli encouraged in 1875?
he encouraged the purchase of more shares in Suez Canal Company to protect Britains’s route of tue East
Who was William Gladstone?
He was PM four times starting in 1868
In 1860s what did legislation focus on?
on education
Who were elementary schools organised by?
By the Church
What happened in 1870?
the Education Act started a national system by introducing board schools mainly in the poorer areas of the towns
What happened by 1880?
The elementary education became compulsory
What act was passed in 1872?
the Trade Union Act; it included the legalization of trade unions
What act was passed in 1972?
the Ballot Act; introduced the secret ballot at elections
what act was passed in 1884?
The Third Reform Act; it extended voting ti all male householders? including miners? mill workers and farm laborers
What demanded the Irish Parliamentary Party?
sitting as a group in Westminster and led by Charles Stewart Parnell? demanded self government for Ireland; the so called Home Rule
What did Gladstone believed about Home Rule?
he believed that Home Rule was the way to brung peace to Ireland and tried to het Parliament to pass a bull three times
When was granted an Irish government?
only after World War I
what happened in Africa by the 1870s?
the British controlled two colonies: Cape Colony and Natal, while the Dutch settlers, the Boers, had the two republics of the Transvaal and the Orange Free State
What happened when Britain took over Transvaal in 1877?
the Boers rebelled and war brine out; the Bier Ears ended in 1902 with British victory
What happened in 1877?
Queen Victoria was given a new title, Empress of India
What happened in the last decades of the 19th century?
the British Empire occupied an area of 4 million square miles and more than 400 million people were ruled iver by the British
what happened to the Empire in the last years of 19th century?
the Empire was becoming more
difficult to control; there was a growing sense if white man’s burden, a difficult combination of the duty to spread Christian civilization, encouraging toleration and open communication and at the same time promoting commercial interests
Why was India important?
India was important economically as a market for British goods and strategically necessary to British control of Asia from the Persian Gulf ti Shanghai
What happened by 1850
the East India Company directly ruled most of northern, central and south eastern India
When did the Victorian age came to an end?
in 1901 with the death of Queen Victoria
What did Queen Victoria embodied for almost a century?
decorum, stability and continuity
What happened for the Golden and Diamond Jubilees?
Her Golden and Diamond Jubilees for 50 and 60 years in the throne had been celebrated with huge public parades, and for her funeral London streets were packed with mourners
Where was Queen Victoria buried?
besides her beloved husband in the Frogmore mausoleum at Windsor Castle
