The years of power and danger

Britain in the nineteenth century was at its most powerful and self-confident. After the industrial revolution, nineteenth-century Britain was the "workshop" of the world. Until the last quarter of the century British factories were producing more than any other country in the world.

With the development of large-scale industry the conditions of the artisans were appalling. They had to work 16-18 hours a day and received almost nothing for their work.

Since 1824 workers had been allowed to join together in unions.

Working together for the first time, unions, workers and radicals put forward a People's Charter in 1838. The Charter demanded rights that are now accepted by everyone: the vote for all adults; the right for a man without property of his own to be an MP; voting in secret (so that people could not be forced to vote for their landlord or his party); payment for MPs, and an election every year.

The "Chartists" were not united for long. They were divided between those ready to use violence and those who believed in change by lawful means only. The improved economic conditions in the 1840s weakened the Chartist movement, which slowly died.

But the government was forced to carry out several important reforms: electoral rights were extended, the secret ballot was introduced.

In the eighteenth century Britain had been a political model now it became a model of industrial success and of free constitutional government. For much of the nineteenth century Britain was the envy of the world.

THE EMPIRE

In 1837 Victoria was crowned as the British Queen. She and her husband, Albert, came to symbolise many virtues: a close-knit family life, a sense of public duty, integrity, and respectability. These beliefs and attitudes are often known as “Victorian”.

Britain's empire had first been built on trade and the need to defend this against rival European countries. Britain watched the oceans carefully to make sure its trade routes were safe, and fought wars in order to protect its "areas of interest". In 1839 it attacked China and forced it to allow the profitable British trade in opium from India to China. The "Opium Wars" were one of the more shameful events in British colonial history. Colonial wars were in all parts of the world. For example, the war in Afghanistan (1839-42), in Pakistan, India (1857).

Britain joined the Turks against Russia in Crimea in 1854. Britain succeeded in taking over large areas of Africa. The colonisation of Australia, especially after the gold rush of 1848, and of New Zealand, was intensified. In South Africa Britain defeated the Boers only with great difficulty. In 1882, Britain invaded Egypt "to protect international shipping", and it did not leave until forced to do so in I954.

By the end of the nineteenth century Britain controlled the oceans and much of the land areas of the world.

But other countries, Germany particularly, had greater natural wealth, including coal and iron, and wheat producing lands. Besides, British workers produced less than those in other countries, and Britain was behind other countries in science and technology, as well as in management skills, and did little to change this. Britain found that Germany, France and the USA were increasingly competing with her.

Suddenly Britain realised that it no longer ruled the seas quite so assuredly, and that others had more powerful armies and more powerful industries.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14