The Victorian Era
The Victorian Era is agreed to have stretched over the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 - 1901). It was a very exciting period with many artistic styles, literary schools as well as political and social movements. Furthermore the era was characterized by rapid change and developments in nearly every sphere, from advances in medical, scientific and technological knowledge to changes in population growth and location. It was a time of prosperity, broad imperial expansion and great political reform. The Victorian Era is today seen as an era of many contradictions. Social movements concerned with improving public morals existed next to a class system that imposed harsh living conditions on many people. Dignity and restraint were contrasted to prostitution and child labor. This rapid transformation had a huge impact on the country's mood. The age began with confidence and optimism, which lead to an economic boom including growing prosperity. At some point the prosperity gave way to uncertainty and doubt regarding Britain's place in the world.
The term "Victorian" owns a wide range of connotations, most specifically the high and strict moral standards. Nowadays the Victorian time is usually associated with 'prudishness' and 'repression'.
The following topics were chosen to give an inside view into some parts of the Victorian Era:
Victorian Morality
The term represents the moral of the people living in the Victorian time. It especially refers to the moral climate in general in Great Britain during the 19th century. Victorian morality can be described as a set of values that supported sexual repression, low tolerance of crime, and a strong social ethic. Due to the enormous impact and importance of the British Empire, many of these values were spread across the world.
History of Victorian Morality and the Royal Family
Two hundred years before Victoria took the throne, the Puritan Republican Movement had temporarily overthrown the British monarchy....