Transcript 19th Century Reforms

19th Century Reforms
edited by Tp from WB Phillips
Theory of Evolution
• Naturalist Charles Darwin
wrote On the Origin of Species
(1859) and The Descent of Man
(1871)
• Argued that all forms of life,
including humans, had evolved
from previous life forms
• Proposed that evolution comes
about due to “natural
selection” or “survival of the
fittest” – those best suited to
survive live long enough to
reproduce and pass on their
traits to offspring, while the
Response to Darwin
• Darwin was strongly
opposed by Christian
groups because his theory
meant that man had
evolved over millions of
years rather than be
created by God in a single
day
• The evolution debate would
open a new rift between
science and religion that
•
Social Darwinism
Some people adapted Darwin’s idea
of natural selection to fit their beliefs
about society
– strong nations were the “fittest”
and had a natural right to make
war on weaker nations
• led to many bloody wars and
to imperialism
– Large corporations were the
“fittest” and had a natural right
to run smaller, weaker
companies out of business
• led to dangerous
monopolies
– White European culture was the
“fittest” and was naturally
Social Changes
• The Industrial Revolution ended
the age of “nobles and
peasants” in the West
• The new upper class was now
made up of wealthy
industrialists and businessmen
• Growing middle-class was
composed of doctors, lawyers,
teachers, and “white collar”
office workers
• The lower class was primarily
British Democracy
• In 1815: less than 5% of
British citizens could
vote – had to be a white
adult Anglican male
who owned land
• Additionally, the House
of Lords (the nobility)
could veto any bill
passed by the House of
Voting Reforms
• 1820s: Catholics and nonAnglican Protestants
were extended the vote
• The Great Reform Act of
1832:
– allowed any man who
owned property to vote
– redistributed seats in the
House of Commons to
more populated areas
(away from rural villages
Further Voting Reforms
• 1860s: Two new political
parties emerged –
Conservatives (led by Benjamin
Disraeli) and Liberals (led by
William Gladstone)
• 1867: Reform bill pushed
through by Disraeli extended
the vote to many factory
workers
• 1880s: Gladstone pushed
through voting rights for farm
workers
• 1911: House of Commons
removed House of Lords right
The Victorian Age
• Queen Victoria (1837-1901)
• Longest reigning monarch in
British history
• Her reign was marked by a
strict morality:
– People were driven by a
sense of duty, thrift, honesty,
& hard-work
– Good manners and
respectability were
extremely important
– Many began to believe in
social reform as being the
Middle Class Values
• Parents very strict in raising
their children – the “seen and
not heard” philosophy
• Marriages were no longer
arranged, but one was
expected to choose a socially
acceptable mate, subject to
parental approval (and no
“dating” took place without an
adult chaperone present)
• Wives were expected to stay at
home and manage the
household, raise the children,
and obey their husbands
Ending Slavery
• Many Christian groups
had pushed for the
abolition of slavery
throughout the British
Empire
• In 1833, thanks largely to
the efforts of William
Wilberforce, who had
campaigned for abolition
for nearly half a century,
Parliament finally banned
slavery in all British
Limiting Capital Punishment
• In the early 1800s, over 200
crimes were punishable by
death, including petty theft
• By 1850, Parliament had
reduced that number to four:
murder, piracy, treason, and
arson
• Instead of death, many
criminals were punished by
being banished to penal
colonies in Australia and New
Zealand (newly discovered by
Capt. James Cook in 1770)
• In 1868, Parliament ended
Labor Reforms
• Improvements in working
conditions
– laws against child labor
– laws set minimum wage,
maximum hours
– more safety requirements
in factories and mines
• Unions came into
existence (but strikes
were still illegal)
• Improvements in housing,
Women as Activists
• Women began to fight
for suffrage, legalized
divorce, and economic
freedom for themselves
• Many campaigned for
temperance (a ban on
alcohol)
• Many had worked to
Women’s Suffrage
• Women tried for years to
win the right to vote
through protesting and
public demonstrations
• When this failed, they
turned to violence,
hunger strikes, and other
high-risk behaviors
• In 1918, Parliament finally
allowed women over 30