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Victorian Era Britain
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Victorian Era Britain
Victorian Era Britain
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1
Question
How did Britain achieve its highest point of development in the 19th century?
Answer
By shifting from a land-based way of life to a modern urban economy based on trade and manufacturing, accompanied by the arrival of modern technologies such as steam-powered machinery, wired communications, photography, and modern medicine.
2
Question
What significance did London hold compared to Paris during Britain's development?
Answer
London replaced Paris as the capital of Western Civilization, symbolizing Britain's emerging global prominence.
3
Question
What were some psychological consequences of Britain's rapid material expansion during industrialization?
Answer
While there was pride and satisfaction in Britain's industrial and political preeminence, there was also a bitter sense of loss and displacement due to unregulated industrialization, exploitation of workers, and aggressive imperial expansion.
4
Question
What does the shift from 'English letters' to 'British literature' encompass?
Answer
It includes not just English but Scottish, Welsh, and Irish writers; literature from the British Empire's territories worldwide; and literary works influenced by British traditions, reflecting awareness of Britain's global reach.
5
Question
How did Victorian literary study relate to the British Empire?
Answer
Victorian literary study aimed to export the English literary curriculum to the colonies to cultivate natives to be 'English in tastes, opinions, morals, and intellect,' despite their different ethnic backgrounds.
6
Question
What are the key Victorian temperaments or sensibilities expressed in society during this period?
Answer
Earnestness (valuing serious thought over romanticism), moral responsibility focused on practical life, domestic propriety modeled by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and superabundant energy, sometimes critiqued by later writers.
7
Question
What characterized the Early Victorian Period (1830–48) politically and economically?
Answer
It was marked by technological progress (railway mania), political reform (extension of voting rights to some lower middle-class males and reforming parliamentary representation), the rise of middle-class economic interests, and social troubles like high unemployment and poverty.
8
Question
What was the 'Hungry Forties' and its social impact?
Answer
A period of severe poverty, unemployment, and social unrest, provoking movements like Chartism and fear of revolution.
9
Question
What important economic change happened with the repeal of the Corn Law?
Answer
The tariffs on imported grains were abolished, allowing freer access to imported food and affecting Britain's economy and society.
10
Question
What is the significance of the "Condition-of-England" novels of the 1840s?
Answer
They exposed the social and economic divisions in industrial Britain, such as Elizabeth Gaskell’s "North and South" which contrasted London and Manchester, and Benjamin Disraeli’s "The Two Nations," highlighting the divide between rich and poor classes.
11
Question
What characterized the Mid- or High Victorian Period (1848-1870) in Britain in terms of social atmosphere and economy?
Answer
The period was marked by tolerance, equanimity, satisfaction, complacency, stability, and optimism, especially among the middle and upper classes, alongside economic prosperity.
12
Question
What were the 'Factory Acts' during the Mid-Victorian period and what impact did they have?
Answer
The Factory Acts restricted child labor and limited working hours, representing social improvements and government intervention in labor conditions.
13
Question
What was the significance of The Crystal Palace in 1851?
Answer
The Crystal Palace was erected for the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park to showcase modern industrial and scientific achievements, symbolizing the material progress of the era.
14
Question
How did the British Empire expand during the Mid-Victorian period?
Answer
Expansion was fueled by massive immigration (e.g., to Australia), the establishment of new dominions like Canada, transfer of control in India to the British government, and spread of British education and administration, driven by advancements in communication and transportation.
15
Question
What role did Queen Victoria hold in the British Empire after 1857?
Answer
She was named Empress of India after the British government took control from the East India Company following the suppression of the Indian Revolt of 1857.
16
Question
What was meant by the phrase 'the White Man’s Burden' in the context of British imperialism?
Answer
It referred to the perceived moral obligation of the British to govern and civilize other parts of the world, often promoted through missionary activities in Asia and Africa.
17
Question
What were some of the external threats and internal challenges faced by Britain during the Victorian era?
Answer
External threats included the rise of unified Germany under Bismarck and the post-Civil War US reconstruction; internally, the growing political and economic power of laboring classes, and the rise of socialist ideologies such as Tory socialism and Marxism.
18
Question
How was the Late Victorian Period (1870-1901) different from the Mid-Victorian Period?
Answer
While the affluent continued to enjoy stability and consumerism, signs of imperial strain appeared, including colonial rebellions, rising labor movements, political challenges, and cultural critiques of Victorian values.
19
Question
What were some major colonial rebellions during the second half of the 19th century threatening British rule?
Answer
The Indian Mutiny (1857), Jamaican Rebellion (1865), the Sudan massacre of General Gordon (1885), and the Anglo-Boer Wars were significant colonial uprisings that challenged British control.
20
Question
Describe the cultural atmosphere of the 1890s (Fin-de-siècle) in Britain.
Answer
It was marked by contrast between vigorous Victorian ethics and decadent metropolitan life, with widespread melancholy, aestheticism, and panicked moralism reflecting a sense of fin de siècle decline and anticipation of modernism.
21
Question
What is aestheticism as seen in the 1890s British cultural context?
Answer
Aestheticism emphasized beauty, art for art’s sake, and languor, often rejecting Victorian moralism, represented through works like Oscar Wilde’s 'The Importance of Being Earnest' and periodicals like The Yellow Book.
22
Question
What were the main internal religious divisions in the English Church during the Mid-Victorian era?
Answer
They included Low Evangelicals focusing on spiritual fervor and moral rigor, High Church followers associated with the Oxford Movement emphasizing tradition and ritual, and Broad Church proponents promoting inclusivity and avoiding doctrinal conflicts.
23
Question
How did the Low Evangelicals differ from the High Church members in Victorian England?
Answer
Low Evangelicals stressed individual conversion and moral Christian living with influences close to Non-conformists; High Church members emphasized ritual, authority, and were more aligned with Catholic traditions, sometimes converting to Roman Catholicism.
24
Question
What was the role and viewpoint of the Broad Church faction within Mid-Victorian religious controversy?
Answer
The Broad Church emphasized a broadly inclusive Christianity that avoided sharp doctrinal and ecclesiastical disputes between the Low Evangelicals and High Church followers.
25
Question
What core moral principle did Utilitarianism (Benthamism) promote, and why was it criticized by religious believers?
Answer
Utilitarianism promoted maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain for the greatest number of people. It was criticized by religious believers because it ignored the psychological benefits of religious feelings.
26
Question
How did Charles Darwin's theory of evolution challenge the religious cosmology of the Victorian era?
Answer
Darwin's theory, along with geological and astronomical studies, overthrew the biblical cosmology by reducing the stature of the human species in time, challenging the traditional creation views supported by the Bible.
27
Question
What is the key idea behind German Higher Criticism regarding the Bible?
Answer
German Higher Criticism applied a scientific approach to studying the Bible, treating it as a historical document rather than infallible words of God.
28
Question
What was the main focus of the Victorian 'Woman Question'?
Answer
It was a debate among middle classes about the role and rights of middle-class women, including discussions on legal reforms, education, employment, and the conceptual understanding of 'woman’s nature.'
29
Question
What legal reforms during the Victorian era sought to improve women's rights?
Answer
Reforms included the Custody Act of 1839, the Divorce and Matrimonial Causes Act of 1857, the Married Women's Property Acts (1870-1908), and the Qualification of Women Act of 1918.
30
Question
How did educational and employment opportunities for Victorian women evolve?
Answer
Educational opportunities expanded up to college level, initially as finishing schools; employment increased mainly in roles like governesses and nurses, motivated by middle-class women’s calls for meaningful work and concerns over surplus women.