Nineteenth-century England is so inseparable from its Queen Victoria that the whole era got her name. The Queen ruled her country for more than 60 years. During her reign, England rose to become the world's leading economic power.
Emperor of an Epoch
When Victoria was crowned Queen of Great Britain and Ireland on June 20, 1837, no one could have guessed that her name would one day be representative of the entire century - the Victorian era.
Under her reign, the monarchy largely loses its power and turns into a representative authority. In the 19th century, the fortunes of the country were no longer shaped by the crown and nobility, but by industrialists, trading companies and ambitious politicians.
Nevertheless, Victoria embodies both Britain's transformation into a modern superpower and its adherence to bourgeois traditions and conventions. During her reign, the first female fighters for women's rights spoke up, but the Queen considered their goals superfluous and immoral.
Queen Victoria
Economic power England
England's development into the leading economic power of the 19th century began very early on with the industrial revolution. Nowhere else in Europe is the change from manual production to industrial production taking place more quickly and thoroughly than in England.
Already existing democratic institutions such as parties, parliament and freedom of the press as well as skilful electoral law reforms prevent revolutionary developments like in other European countries. Despite many obvious grievances, even the workers believe they can assert their interests within the existing social system.
The population of Great Britain (including Ireland) almost doubled from 1830 to 1901, from 24 to 41.5 million, despite the large number of emigrants. Exports of industrial goods and imports of food and raw materials meet the enormously increasing food requirements for so many people. Accordingly, the idea of free trade and thus the reduction of protective tariffs for the English economy and politics is vital.
England was industrialized very early
Social development
Although Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels developed their socialist ideas on the example of English industrial workers, this had little influence on the English labor movement of the Victorian era.
The social upheavals caused by industrialization, urbanization and railway construction affect every single citizen. They are often pushed through against bitter resistance, because entire traditional branches of industry are being destroyed by the new developments. The impoverishment of large sections of the population in the ghettos of the industrial cities is obvious.
At the same time, there is an unshakable belief in progress and the enormous economic boom between 1845 and 1865 reconciles many Britons with this change, as things are noticeably better for a growing middle class in particular. It becomes the state-supporting class whose values characterize the epoch. Basic education for all classes - including women - is becoming a socially recognized task.
In the workers' settlements there was often great need
The dark side
Due to its early dependence on world trade, England is correspondingly vulnerable to crises arising in its foreign markets. The potato blight, imported from South America, led to a terrible famine in Ireland for several years from 1845, killing 1.5 million people.
The government in London is idly watching the catastrophe. By 1855, more than 2.1 million people left the island, mostly for the United States.
In England itself, too, attempts are increasingly being made to solve social problems by encouraging the emigration of affected groups rather than by eliminating the causes. Between 1815 and 1875, in addition to the Irish already mentioned, another five million people left England for permanent settlement in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa.
In the 19th century, many Britons left their homeland
Imperialism
Until the middle of the 19th century the English Empire grew rather randomly, depending on which areas were developed by commercial companies. Strategic naval considerations are often more decisive for the naval power of England than the desire to turn countries into colonies. Some areas only fall to the crown due to changing power structures in Europe (e.g. after the Napoleonic Wars against France).
From 1850 onwards this began to change fundamentally. Industry needs more and more raw materials. Above all, Germany and the United States are increasingly developing into competitors who want to open up similar markets. Last but not least, the puritanical Victorians developed a strong missionary zeal.
With the use of the military, countries are therefore increasingly being turned into colonies whose raw materials and markets are to be completely controlled. This is intended to secure existing trade relations (e.g. India and Hong Kong) or to satisfy growing demand for raw materials (Africa).
In the long term, such developments contradict the original idea of free trade. But the idea of imperialism is so accepted among the leading nations of the world of the time that no one doubts its legitimacy. The fact that English is still the number one world language today is a late consequence of English imperialism.
The British established their colonies all over the world