Living in the Industrial Era

The Victorian Era

Queen Victoria (1819–1901)

Victoria ascended to the throne in 1837, at the age of eighteen. She was unmarried at the time. In 1840 she married Prince Albert, who is considered to have had influence over her. They had nine children together. Albert died in 1861, leaving Victoria in deep mourning. It was after Albert’s death that Benjamin Disraeli became prime minister, and eventually became a trusted adviser and ally of the queen. Queen Victoria was politically active, but did not share Disraeli’s interest in social reform. She was more concerned with the strength of the British Empire. Victoria was generally a popular queen, but she was neutral or opposed to many of the political and social currents of the time. She fought for years against the growth of democracy, or “democratic monarchy” in Britain, and she was opposed to proposals for women’s suffrage.

Benjamin Disraeli

Benjamin Disraeli was of Italian and Jewish descent. Before 1858, Jews were barred from serving in Parliament. However, Disraeli’s father had had a disagreement with his synagogue, which led him to have his children convert to Christianity. This move paved the way for Disraeli’s future political career. Disraeli’s early career was marked by failures and financial difficulties. He published several novels and traveled in the Mediterranean and the Middle East. He then returned to Britain and decided to enter politics. He made several unsuccessful bids for office as an independent. Eventually, he ran as a Conservative candidate and was elected to the House of Commons. Disraeli eventually became a fairly powerful member of his party, although he was sometimes a controversial figure. He first became prime minister in 1868, but only served for about a year before the opposition political party, the Liberals, won an election and came to power. Disraeli remained a powerful figure in politics, and again served as prime minister from 1874–1880.

Victorians

Many Victorians defined their age as one of exciting change and progress. Victorian Britain was confident in its economic success, and there was a sense among many (probably mostly the middle and upper classes) that life and society were improving.

The Middle Class

In Britain, the middle class encompassed a fairly wide range of income levels. Some middle-class workers might have earned £100 a year, while others made £1000 a year. There were growing opportunities for men to work as clerks, as the new factories and businesses of the day needed employees to keep track of accounts. Middle-class families typically had domestic servants. Many middle-class families took seaside vacations, traveling away from the city by rail or steamboat.

1 Workhouses

In 1834, Britain replaced poorhouses with workhouses. It could be difficult to be accepted at a workhouse, even if people were starving. One anecdote recounts the story of a seventy-year-old seamstress who was losing her sight, but was rejected from a workhouse on the grounds that she could find work and support herself. Workhouses often sent residents to work at hard manual labor. These workers received miniscule wages and a tiny ration of food. The food provided at workhouses was only enough to prevent starvation. Children were supposed to receive some education, although this requirement was often ignored. Some basic medical care was provided to workhouse residents.

Poor Women

Women worked in sweat shops, producing clothing. It was common for seamstresses to have to buy their own candles to have enough light to work by. Sewing machines appeared in 1856, making seamstresses’ jobs easier. However, some seamstresses had no access to the new machines, and others struggled to learn the new techniques required to use them. Women also worked selling food or small goods in the street. Prostitution was very common. This was the period of “Jack the Ripper,” a murderer (or possibly several murderers) whose victims were all female prostitutes. Some attempts were made to help women get out of prostitution. Charles Dickens tried setting up a home to offer a new life to “fallen women.” Often, these efforts were not successful, because the women were required to give up all personal freedom, which many were not willing to do.

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