Queen Victoria's reign spanned nearly sixty-four
years of British history, 1837 to 1901. Those years are remembered
as the Victorian Age, which encompassedtremendous changes for Great
Britain. Change occurred in nearly every aspect of British life—political
institutions and structures, economic and social conditions, trade,
science, and technology.
The international position of Great Britain was strong
upon Victoria's succession, as the defeat of Napoleon in 1815 had
guaranteed Britain a prominent role in the shaping of European
politics. The British Empire, while it had suffered a setback half
a century earlier with the loss of the American colonies, was expanding throughout
the world with great success. By the end of Victoria's reign, Great
Britain was in possession of the Indian sub-content, Australia,
Canada, substantial portions of Africa, parts of the Middle East,
lands in South America, and numerous islands all over the world.
It was a fact that, as late nineteenth century phrase expresses,
"The sun never set on the British Empire." No nation in the history
of the world had ever achieved such global domination.
At home in Britain the proper position of all the parts
of government—the monarchy, Parliament, and especially the common
people—was being debated hotly. After living through the mental
illness of King George III, who died in 1820, and the generally
disliked reigns of his sons King George IV and King William IV,
many British subjects had grown dissatisfied with the monarchy as
an institution. Some even pushed for stripping it of all official
power in favor of making Britain a republic. This feeling was exacerbated
by republican revolutions throughout Europe. As Queen, Victoria
had to contend early on with anti-monarchist public opinion, but
by the end of her reign she had endeared herself to her people
and secured the future of the Crown. She achieved this control
by lessening the direct power of the Crown. Victoria was aware that
new democratic nature of the government required that her position
be more symbolic than directly powerful.
The major democratic movement in Britain during Victoria's reign
was directed toward expanding the voting population for parliamentary
elections. Victoria succeeded to the throne five years after the
passage of the 1832 Reform Bill, which was the first major step
in reducing property requirements for voting and holding office
in Britain. The 1876 and 1884 Reform Bills achieved further democratization
of British politics, and by the end of the nineteenth century universal
male suffrage was nearly, though not fully, a reality. Women were
not granted the vote until well into the twentieth century.
Achieving a greater role in the government of Britain
became a realistic desire for many people after the onset of the
industrial and economic revolutions. In the first half of the nineteenth
century, the middle classes in Britain were gradually expanding
to prominence, primarily as a result of increased activity in manufacturing
and business enterprises. Urbanization was another important aspect
of industrialization, and made the old property requirements for
voting seem archaic and unreasonable. The expansion of the middle classes
held great cultural implications: social position began to rest less
on family and inheritance and more on financial and business success.
The virtues of thrift and professional diligence were elevated
to a central place in the Victorian mind.
The Victorian age is famous for its circumspect conception
of virtue. Honesty, hard work, extreme modesty in dress, and decent public
and private behavior are a few of the virtues that gained cultural
currency in the nineteenth century. The Queen herself believed strongly
in the importance of these virtues, and promoted them by her public
example.
While Queen Victoria's reign was a time of great material
prosperity and economic growth, industrialization and urbanization brought
new social difficulties. Urban poverty and the poor treatment of
many in the working classes were major results of the newly capitalized
and industrialized economy, and political pressures mounted throughout
the nineteenth century to address such problems before they amounted
to a great crisis. The threat of socialist revolution, while not
as imminent in Britain as elsewhere in Europe, was a source of
concern and consternation for the ruling classes. Also, the ever-
miserable condition of poor Roman Catholics in British-ruled Ireland
was a major cause of unrest. One of the worst stories of the Victorian
age was the willful neglect by the British government of millions
of starving Irish during the potato famine of 1845–1846. Violent
revolutionary movements sprouted in Ireland throughout Victoria's
reign, and were the single greatest source of domestic strife in
the Britain at the time.
Steam power, trains, telegraphs, indoor plumbing, electricity, and
countless other advancements changed British life dramatically while
Victoria was Queen. She and her husband, Prince Albert, promoted
such advancements as much as they could. The Great Exhibition of
1851 was a watershed event for the development of technology.
