Victorianism
Encyclopedia
Victorianism is the name given to the attitude
s, art
, and culture
of the later two-thirds of the 19th century. This usage is strong within social history
and the study of literature
, less so in philosophy
. Many disciplines do not use the term, but instead prefer Victorian Era
, or simply "Late 19th century". Victorianism as a word is often specifically directed at Victorian morality
. Victorianists refers to scholars who study Victorianism.
by his niece Victoria of the United Kingdom
on 20 June, 1837 provides a convenient marker in the History of Britain
for the rise of an industrialized society
with a newly urbanized
middle class
, the interconnection of the globe with telegraph and railway, the expansion of trade
, the establishment of the gold standard
and other programs meant to make orderly and regular the path of commerce
, manufacturing
and economic growth
. As a movement, the term is often synonymous with changes made to society directed at dealing with the effects of trade
, industrialism
, and urbanization
, while maintaining a strongly stratified social and political order. Queen Victoria's reign ended with her death in 1901, signifying the end of the era.
Attitude
-Science and engineering:* Attitude as orientation of a geometric figure, such as a line, plane or rigid body* Attitude as strike or dip of a layer of rock in geology* Attitude of a wing or aircraft relative to airflow...
s, art
Art
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
, and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
of the later two-thirds of the 19th century. This usage is strong within social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
and the study of literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, less so in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
. Many disciplines do not use the term, but instead prefer Victorian Era
Victorian era
The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...
, or simply "Late 19th century". Victorianism as a word is often specifically directed at Victorian morality
Victorian morality
Victorian morality is a distillation of the moral views of people living at the time of Queen Victoria's reign and of the moral climate of the United Kingdom throughout the 19th century in general, which contrasted greatly with the morality of the previous Georgian period...
. Victorianists refers to scholars who study Victorianism.
Brief history
The succession of William IV of the United KingdomWilliam IV of the United Kingdom
William IV was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of Hanover from 26 June 1830 until his death...
by his niece Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
on 20 June, 1837 provides a convenient marker in the History of Britain
History of Britain
History of Britain may refer to:*History of the British Isles includes the history of Great Britain and its components**History of the United Kingdom .*History of Britain , a prose work by the English poet John Milton....
for the rise of an industrialized society
Industrial society
In sociology, industrial society refers to a society driven by the use of technology to enable mass production, supporting a large population with a high capacity for division of labour. Such a structure developed in the west in the period of time following the Industrial Revolution, and replaced...
with a newly urbanized
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
, the interconnection of the globe with telegraph and railway, the expansion of trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
, the establishment of the gold standard
Gold standard
The gold standard is a monetary system in which the standard economic unit of account is a fixed mass of gold. There are distinct kinds of gold standard...
and other programs meant to make orderly and regular the path of commerce
Commerce
While business refers to the value-creating activities of an organization for profit, commerce means the whole system of an economy that constitutes an environment for business. The system includes legal, economic, political, social, cultural, and technological systems that are in operation in any...
, manufacturing
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
and economic growth
Economic growth
In economics, economic growth is defined as the increasing capacity of the economy to satisfy the wants of goods and services of the members of society. Economic growth is enabled by increases in productivity, which lowers the inputs for a given amount of output. Lowered costs increase demand...
. As a movement, the term is often synonymous with changes made to society directed at dealing with the effects of trade
Trade
Trade is the transfer of ownership of goods and services from one person or entity to another. Trade is sometimes loosely called commerce or financial transaction or barter. A network that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter, the direct exchange of goods and...
, industrialism
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
, and urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....
, while maintaining a strongly stratified social and political order. Queen Victoria's reign ended with her death in 1901, signifying the end of the era.