5.1 The Victorian Age

Notes

The Victorian era (1837 to 1901) takes its name from Queen Victoria. Britain became an industrial and imperial power, but with great inequality.

• Factories, railways and cities grew quickly. Many workers, including children, lived in poverty.
• Social reform grew, such as factory laws and the expansion of schooling.
• Darwin's On the Origin of Species (1859) and new science challenged traditional religious faith, causing doubt.
• Ideals of respectability and "separate spheres" limited women's roles.
• The novel, often published in monthly installments (serialization), became the leading form.