Unseen Prose Context Flashcards
1
Q
1880s society?
A
- Industrial society continued to evolve as Britain became home to many industrial cities.
- Better job prospects for working-classes.
- 1870 Education Act: education becoming more accessible.
- Public Health Act of 1872
- Education for both sexes became compulsory.
- Potential for a change in the social hierarchy as self-made middle-class men challenged the power of the landed aristocracy.
- Industrialisation contributed to social and class tensions.
2
Q
1880s empire?
A
- The British Empire covered 1/5 of the earth’s surface and 1/4 of the population.
- Colonial administrators took on their duties with a fierce determination to do good.
3
Q
1880s economy?
A
- Commerce and overseas trade were key to making Britain the world’s greatest power.
- Britain’s status as the financial capital of the world also secured investment which preserved its immense prosperity.
4
Q
1880s the industrial revolution?
A
- Brought wealth and major social changes: miserable housing conditions, long working hours, infectious disease, premature death.
- Decent sewers were finally being put in place in the larger cities, especially London, where the disease and living conditions for the poor had reached a crisis point.
5
Q
1880 - 90s culture?
A
- Darwin prompted debates about natural selection, religion and science.
- The development of new technology and science brought about religious scepticism.
- Interests included the spirit world and ghosts.
6
Q
1880s women?
A
- The Question of Women: A phenomenon referring to the various debates about women’s place in society during the Victorian era.
- The first wave of feminism was largely led by white, middle-class women and mostly didn’t include women of colour.
7
Q
1882 women?
A
The Married Women’s Property Act was implemented, allowing women to own, buy and sell property in their own right and have a separate legal identity to that of their husband amongst other things.
- Society began moving away from the Victorian notion that a woman’s role was being the “angel of the house”, the home being her only domain.
8
Q
1884 acts?
A
- The Third Reform Act built upon the First and Second Reform Acts by extending the vote to agricultural workers.
- This meant that voters in counties had the same political rights as voters in the boroughs of industrial cities.
- Although this gave more people the vote, 40% of men still didn’t receive that right and neither did any women.
9
Q
1888 murders?
A
- The Whitechapel murders intensified as Jack the Ripper killed 5 women, resulting in people focusing on “the fallen woman” convention that described a woman who had “lost her innocence” and fallen from the grace of God - this was used to refer to the sex workers Jack the Ripper murdered.
- Consequently, this made people start considering the duality of gender identity and women’s place outside of the home.
10
Q
1900s society?
A
- The class system continued but there was an air of change.
- Greater social mobility.
- Growing socialist ideas led to the elevation of workers’ social status: they were treated as humans rather than machines.
- Establishment of trade unions
- The lower classes started to receive benefits from the Government.
- Introduction of a small pension for 70+ year-olds.
- Balfour Education Act 1903: improved access to education
11
Q
1903 women?
A
- The Suffrage movement intensified as Emmeline Pankhurst formed the “Women’s Social and Political Union”, which sought women’s right to vote.
- Women began to move away from the domestic field and became more politically active, resulting in the birth of the ‘New Woman’ - a figure that has departed from the Victorian gender norms and is educated and independent.
- ‘New Women’ also included working-class women.
12
Q
1910?
A
- Edward VII died of several heart attacks
- Suffragette prisoners went on hunger strikes
- The first feature length films began to be developed and released.
- George V ascended to the English throne.
13
Q
What did Marx say about religion?
A
‘religion is the opiate of the masses’
14
Q
What did Marx say about poverty?
A
Das Kapital 1867 - ‘if you have massive wealth you will have massive poverty’
15
Q
What did Darwin say?
A
‘we stop looking for the monsters under our bed when we realise they are inside us’
