Socio-Political and Religious Background of

Victorian Age

Fozia Chandio
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of
times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of
foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the
epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light,
it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring
of hope, it was the winter of despair, we had
everything before us, we had nothing before us,
we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all
going direct the other way”.
Age of Doubt/

Age of Optimism/

Age of Conflicts
The Victorian era
The 19th century was one of rapid development and change, far
swifter than in previous centuries. During this period England changed
from a rural, agricultural country to an urban, industrialised one. This
involved massive dislocation and radically altered the nature of
society. It took many years for both government and people to adjust
to the new conditions.

Strictly speaking, the Victorian era began in 1837 and ended with
Queen Victoria's death in 1901, but the period can be stretched to
include the years both before and after these dates, roughly from the
Napoleonic Wars until the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
As seen in Victorian literature, from the 1830s to the 1870s, Britain underwent changes
that transformed the lives of its people:

 British manufacturing became dominant in the world and trade and the financial
sector also grew significantly
 The rail network, begun in the 1830s, was largely completed by the 1870s and had a
great effect not only on the accessibility of travel and speed of movement but also on
the appearance of the countryside
 British power and influence overseas expanded and seemed to be permanent
 The population grew enormously, from around 12 million in 1812 to 25 million by
1870
 This period also saw a significant shift of population from the countryside to the
towns and the consequent growth of large cities.
An age of optimism
The Victorian age was a turbulent period which, in many ways, saw itself as a time of confident progress.
Many people believed that Britain was leading the world into a new and better age:

More enlightened laws

The benefits of wealth created through industrial development

Greater political stability than in the rest of Europe.

Other important beliefs included:

Deference to class and authority

Respect for the law

The conviction that work is a duty which is good for the soul.
Social Concern
However, these changes were not always positive. The daily needs and problems of
ordinary people included: poverty, poor housing, ill health, a horrifying level of child
mortality, hunger, long hours of grinding labour.

The rapid changes of the time benefited some people long before others. The social
focus of many Victorian novels posed key moral and social questions about issues
such as:

The need for schooling and the care of orphans and other deprived children
Cruelty to children and the corruption of children by criminals
The problems created by emphasis on social class and newly acquired wealth
The problems created by rapid industrialization and urbanization and the conflict
between employers and workers.
The Industrial Revolution
This was made up of technological, scientific and industrial innovations (e.g. mass production,
steam engines, railways, sewing machines, gas and electric light, the telegraph) that led to an
enormous expansion of production, particularly through the factory system. There were huge
social costs: the dehumanisation of work, child labour, pollution, and the growth of cities
where poverty, filth and disease flourished. Child labour and poverty were also a feature of
rural life, where farm work involved long hours, very low pay and exposure to all weathers.

Population growth and migration

Between 1801 and 1871 alone the population of the UK doubled. Migration in both directions
was a feature of Victorian life. Many Britons left the UK for North America or the colonies in
search of a better life. The Irish poor formed a large number of these migrants, especially
after the Irish potato famine in 1845: the Irish moved in large numbers to England and
Scotland, as well as abroad. Within the UK as a whole, people moved from the countryside
into the new industrial cities to find work. Migrants from across the world also settled in
Britain, notably Jews from Europe and Russia.
The rise of the middle classes
Society was hierarchical, yet there was much social and geographical mobility. Self-made entrepreneurs used
their new wealth to rise in society, building large houses, educating their children and employing domestic
servants (by the 1880s 1.25 million people were employed in domestic service – more than in any other work
category).

The growth of democracy

The franchise was gradually extended to the working classes, until by 1918 there was universal suffrage for
men. The fight for votes for women was in full swing, but it was not until 1930 that women achieved the
same voting rights as men.

Expansion of Empire
Before the start of the 19th century Britain had already lost her American Empire, and was acquiring another
in India. Her accumulation of additional territory across the globe continued steadily. The Great Exhibition of
1851 displayed the wonders of both industry and Empire. Tied up with the Empire were Britain's trading
dominance, naval and military strength, and competition for territory against other European nations. By the
end of Victoria's reign imperialists could boast that the sun never set upon the British Empire.
Political reform

As a result of early campaigns by people such as Michael Sadler and the Earl of Shaftesbury, and
reports by parliamentary commissions, legislation protecting child and adult workers began to be
enacted. Important reforms included legislation on child labour, safety in mines and factories, public
health, the end of slavery in the British Empire, and education (by 1880 education was compulsory for
all children up to the age of 10). There was also prison reform and the establishment of the police.
The desire for change was reflected by the activity of Parliament in the second quarter of the 19th Century:

The Catholic Emancipation Act of 1829 removed most of the legal disadvantages suffered by Roman Catholics

The 1832 Reform Act enabled more men to vote but electors still had to possess a minimum amount of property before they
could exercise this right

There were several Factory Acts that - among other things - limited the hours children were allowed to work

In 1834, the new Poor Law set up the notorious workhouses, where the poor were sent to work for their board and lodging

In 1846, the Corn Laws, which kept the price of wheat artificially high, were repealed, and the price of bread fell.
Religious Background
Darwinism and Victorian values: opportunity or threat????

Charles Darwin vs God: did the ‘Origin of Species’ cause a clash between church and
science?????

On the morning of November 24, 1859, Darwin's On the Origin of Species made its first
appearance and the world changed forever. An age of faith was plunged into profound
religious doubt, and believers of every kind rose to pronounce anathema on Darwin's godless
tract. sparking a fresh battle in the long-running battle between science and religion.

Popular understanding of the “Darwinian Revolution” is dominated by the metaphor of a war

between Science and Religion. People were told that Darwin’s theory was a threat to the
religious values that most Victorians accepted as the moral foundations of their society.
The claim that we had evolved from the apes undermined the existing assumptions that
moral and spiritual values had always held.
Key themes and developments????