heterotopia

The Victorians

Great Britain is the birthplace of  industrialism. The fact that they got industrialized first propelled them into a position of economic and industrial strength. Their position as the dominant world power, during the 19th century, was aided by their long standing dominance on the high seas.

Britain had for centuries been a major naval power but was undisputed in this capacity for over a hundred years (roughly from the Napoleonic wars up until the end of the Second World War [World War II, US English]).

Industrialism changed British society. It led to a class system with an affluent (or in some cases opulent) upper class and a quite poor working class. The wealth of Great Britain was also based on their colonies, colonies that in most cases were acquired by conquest or other similar means.

The 19th century is called The Victorian Era since the monarch of that time was Queen Victoria. She reigned almost throughout this century. The Victorians were industrious and hard-working. They also had strong opinions on morality, propriety and decorum. The stereotype of the somewhat stiff English gentleman can easily be said to have originated out of the Victorians.

Industrialism made some rich but was also very hard on many. Some parts of the country was so polluted with through massive use of coal in foundries and other industries that the country turned literally black from soot.

The division between workers and the upper classes is established in Victorian times. Dickens writes about it and the social injustice that it created in many of his novels (e.g. A Tale of Two Cities). This class system still, in some ways,  influence British society. Also the Victorian Era saw the birth of a new ideal for women, the Angel in the House. An ideal that stands in stark contrast to the large number of prostitues at this time (In 1857 Police reports state that there were 8,600 prostitutes in London alone). This apparent conflict of ideals has led to charges that the Victorians had a double standard of morality, in regard to women.

The Great War and the Second World War

Great Britain came into conflict with Germany and Austria-Hungary in the Great War, where Britain was allied with the French and the Americans. The Great War had many reasons – chief among them were of course trade and influence on the world stage. The war was the last “chivalrous” war – where armies were pitted against each other on a battlefield with small civilian losses; for instance, armistices were kept during Christmas so that soldiers on both sides of the trenches could join in singing “Oh Holy Night”.

Ultimately Britain came out of that war victorious, insofar that Germany declared defeat, but 885,000 British soldiers and 100,000 civilians had died as a result of the conflict, making it the most costly of all Britain’s victories in history.

Second World War and beyond

The Empire remained but came under strong pressure during the Second World War. After 1945 it became clear that the power of the British Empire was broken. The Empire was, however, loosely stitched together again in the Commonwealth, but it was no longer an empire in the sense that the colonies obeyed the British Crown.

The era after the war is characterized by tremendous change. Although the UK was one of the winners, war had cost it dearly, and there would be many years before the economy was restored. In many ways the economical situation never returned to pre-war state, where British trade (alone) had accounted for roughly 40% of the world’s total trade (in shipping tonnes).

Most important among the many nations to form out of former British colonies were India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  In 1949, these countries were the first in a long line of nations to claim their independence. Sometimes, this was a peaceful  affair, at other times, the struggle for independence was much more violent, see the Malayan and the Rhodesian Wars.  Either way, the UK became less of a world-spanning empire each year, and despite the fact that many of these newly formed countries remained within the new British Commonwealth the great economical gains that had been made from the colonies dissipated, dried up, or ceased completely.

In the last 65 years, Great Britain went from the most powerful country on earth, the only true Empire, to a modest economy among others within a European framework. This change had very far-reaching effects on all levels of society: the further loss of influence of the Royal family, the partial break-up of the very stiff class system, the rapid development of education, the gradual disbanding of a huge navy, air force and army needed to control and defend colonies.

Great Britain also made a difficult transition from the world’s industrial hub to a more of a service-oriented economy (although banks and other financial institutions remain to this day a strong part of the British economy – a testament to the strength of some of the institutions founded by the Victorians). Finally, Britain was also strongly influenced by the influx of large numbers of nationals from former British colonies thoughout the 60s and 70s up until this day.

To think about and discuss

• Why are empires created? Why are wars waged?
• Are there certain conditions under which empires are built? If so, what are they?
• Are there empires today? If so, is there something wrong with that? Why?