Victorian Britain and Industrial Revolution

Modern History assessment task 1 – Charlotte Goodman
Explain the impact of the growth of the middle class on the development of democracy in Victorian Britain.
During the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837-1901 Great Britain pioneered Democracy in the industrialised world. The growing middle class demanded their rights, leading the nation into a rapid growth in Democracy. Industrialisation and urbanization fuelled the growth employment, education and literacy which improved the public’s awareness of political and social ideas in succession of reforms which began to meet the shifts in economic roles within society. Britain felt pressure to adjust to the economic and social changes of the industrial revolution, and the new trends in thinking that ran alongside it, and many reforms were introduced as a measure to insure that the political system met the demands of the powerful, ever growing middle class.
Industrialisation fundamentally changed the way businesses operated and the relationship between workers and employers. Prior to industrialisation the majority of the British population belonged to a rural or urban working class, their role was to provide labour to the minority upper class which had control over the nation’s resources. The growing middle class in Victorian Britain was composed of those involved in development and control of industries and commercial ventures, as well as those in professions such as medicine and law. The rise of enterprise meant the rise of the ‘self-made man’; individuals who accumulated wealth through work, rather than being born into wealth like much of the upper class and aristocracy. There was a great upheaval of the old hierarchical order. However there was also the abuse of entrepreneurship and capitalism; the division of society into rich and poor took a new significance during the Industrial revolution and worker’s rights were lacking. Robert Owen a model factory owner in New Landmark noted that too often “the employer regards the employed as mere instruments of gain.” Few industrialists showed any concern for the safety of those they employed, wages were kept low and factory hours were often long.
The industrial revolution did not create democracy, this had existed for centuries, and instead it encouraged the idea of a true democracy in which power was distributed throughout the classes. In this era the middle class were afforded more rights and representation in parliament as they gained the social status and wealth to demand change. The working class began trade unions which put continual pressure on their employers to keep up the price of labour and to keep down the hours of their labour. In 1838 the people’s charter brought about several political changes including the introduction of the one man, one vote policy, equal electoral districts, payment of members of parliament, elections by secret ballot, removal of property qualifications for MPs, and parliaments elected every year. Franchise was universal and constituencies shared more or less equally across the country meaning that it was possible for the middle class to gain wealth through business. It also meant that the integrity of the voting system was protected and the opportunity for corruption reduced.

As Franklin Roosevelt said “Education is the safeguard to democracy” This quote is representative of the shift in attitude and the impact education had on the rise of the working and middle classes. The industrial revolution coincided with a rise in literacy and education rates which gave rise to a middle class that was educated and gained wealth, and subsequently demanded power. Education prior to industrialisation in Victorian Britain was a privilege restricted only to the rich males, however here was dramatic expansion of education in the 19th century. By 1834, Public Schools enrolled 16 per cent of the 5-14 year old cohort in England and Wales; this proportion rose to 39 per cent in 1858. By 1891, the public schools were universally subject to government inspection, they enrolled 73 per cent of the same cohort. By the late 19th century virtually every child seems to have spent at least a few years in public school. Literacy had enormous value in opening up new leisure possibilities and in underwriting a new, domesticated working-class culture. This expanding middle class had access to political information via newspapers and media, and were becoming more aware of the changing world around them. This led to the middle class pushing for social reforms to justly reward the work and contribution they made to the wealth of Britain.
Changes within the social and political structure in Victorian Britain were instilled through various legislative acts created by the British Parliament, in reaction to increasing pressure for change from the growing middle class. At the time of industrialisation, the British Government was run mostly by the upper class, Governors and ministers of parliament were elected by a small male minority. However the rapid expansion of industry meant growing businesses and trade classes felt that the effort and work they were doing were contributing to the growing wealth of Britain, yet they were underrepresented in parliament. Social changes lead to a widely shared view among the middle classes that upper classes should not have all the political power. By 1860 the literacy rates in Britain were growing steadily and politicians realised that working classes wore becoming increasingly educated and literate and should be included in the political process.
Reform was seen as the appropriate step to take to avoid a revolution. Society saw it step towards change and politicians believed that meeting the social pressure to satisfy skilled workers and represent the growing working class in Parliament would help avoid social unrest and avoid those dissatisfied with the government adopting extreme beliefs such as Anarchism or Marxism. As expansion of industrial areas pressured political change in 1866 the demand for reform lead to marches, demonstration and even rioting in Hyde Park in London. In 1866 many liberal leaders including John Russel and William Gladstone favoured political reform. In 1866 Gladstone secured reform when the Government introduced the Representation of the People Act (Third Reform Act), an act that granted equal voting rights to a wider range of males in the working and upper classes, and an act that allowed more working class males to be included in the political system to reduce the appeal of new radical revolutionary doctrines such as socialism.
Post industrialisation, the working class found that they were able to reap the success of hard work in a free market. They felt they deserved more power and say in the choices of the nation. As a result of this pressure the government created reforms to meet the changing demands of the people. These reforms gave the people more power in political decisions, and the right to vote. This changed the long standing class structure of the power being in the hand of the few within the aristocratic upper class to a system that considered a broader range of needs within society. In the Victorian age the middle class became more educated and capitalised on free market economies, the size and wealth of the middle class grew as a result of population increases and urbanisation. There were more opportunities for entrepreneurialism, taking advantage of Britain’s increasing wealth as a frontrunner in industrialisation. As a result the middle class were responsible for the growth of democracy, as their demand for equality and a say in the political system; through protests, trade unions, demonstrations etc. led to reforms that paved the way for future democracy in Britain and helped modernise Britain’s political system as a constitutional monarchy in which the “everyday man” had his say and began over a decade of political reforms and changes that led to the rights and freedoms that Britain enjoys today.

Bibliography

The 1832 Reform Act, History Learning Site, viewed 3rd March 2013, http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/1832_Reform_Act.htm
Democracy, History Learning Site, viewed 2nd March 2013, http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/democracy.htm
THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: CHANGE AND OPPORTUNITY IN ECONOMY AND SOCIETY, c1750-c1830 2011, EHS, viewed 10th March 2013, http://www.ehs.org.uk/industrialrevolution/PH_index.htm
Why the Industrial Revolution happened in Britain 2013, BBC, viewed 1st March 2013, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/20979973
Hudson, PP 2011, The Workshop of the World, BBC, viewed 1st March 2013, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/workshop_of_the_world_01.shtml
Koot, PGM 2012, Aspects of the Industrial Revolution, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, viewed 3rd March 2013, http://www1.umassd.edu/ir/
Book: The Young Historian Book: Industrial revolution, by Patrick Rooke published 1971

Bibliography: The 1832 Reform Act, History Learning Site, viewed 3rd March 2013, http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/1832_Reform_Act.htm Democracy, History Learning Site, viewed 2nd March 2013, http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/democracy.htm THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION: CHANGE AND OPPORTUNITY IN ECONOMY AND SOCIETY, c1750-c1830 2011, EHS, viewed 10th March 2013, http://www.ehs.org.uk/industrialrevolution/PH_index.htm Why the Industrial Revolution happened in Britain 2013, BBC, viewed 1st March 2013, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/0/20979973 Hudson, PP 2011, The Workshop of the World, BBC, viewed 1st March 2013, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/workshop_of_the_world_01.shtml Koot, PGM 2012, Aspects of the Industrial Revolution, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, viewed 3rd March 2013, http://www1.umassd.edu/ir/ Book: The Young Historian Book: Industrial revolution, by Patrick Rooke published 1971