The Age of Progress, Optimism, and Skepticism Victorian Life The Age of Progress, Optimism, and Skepticism

Trends Life marked by extreme optimism and extreme uncertainty Great faith in science due to its role in industrialism and in medical advances New inventions had transformed life for the better Victorian Era = the age of Progress and Optimism; “The flowering of the Enlightenment”

Challenges Victorians were challenged by new ideas Evolution—Darwin and Wallace Social Darwinism—Spencer Genetics—Mendel Psychology—Freud and Pavlov Chemistry and Physics—Curies et. al.

Religion Traditional religious beliefs were challenged Many found this quite unsettling Challenges included agnosticism, Darwinism, and skepticism

Agnosticism Spencer and Haeckel “anything unproveable by science must remain unknowable forever.” Applied this theory to the existence of God and decided that one couldn’t prove or disprove his reality.

Darwinism Challenged traditional religious beliefs about the origins of life and man’s place in the world. “Origin of the Species” “The Descent of Man”

Skepticism Biblical validity questioned Tried to find scientific proof of Old and New Testament events Couldn’t scientifically explain miracles Decided that miracles didn’t really happen and that the Bible was wrong. Friedrich Strauss—1864 “The Life of Jesus”

Churches Fought Back Protestant churches encouraged fundamentalism and revival and denounced people like Darwin Catholic popes wrote essays defending church beliefs Pope Pius IX: “Syllabus of Errors” 1864: science can be in error and faith is needed to explain the Bible.

Churches, cont. Pope Leo XIII: 1891—”Rarum Novarum” Denounced Social Darwinism, Marxism and materialism and upheld right to private property Criticized capitalism for a willingness to allow poverty, insecurity and suffering of the working class ***Called for social relief***

Demographic Trends Population growth in Europe 1850 = 266 million 1900 = 447 million Population growth rate falling by 1900 due to: Birth control—economic security did not require a big family; kids were expensive; middle class and lower middle class bought consumer goods instead of spending $$$ on kids Emigration Death rate fell due to better medical care and living conditions

More Trends Urbanization continued—by 1900, 50% of Europeans lived in cities Emigration stabilized the population 50 million people left Europe between 1850 and 1932 Most went to the USA

Characteristics of the 2nd Industrial Revolution 1870-1900 Centered in the chemical, medical, and consumer fields Centered on oil and on electrical power and new inventions Railroads grew Cheaper shipping of goods  more exports, esp. of consumer items

More Characteristics Tariff reductions: many nations cooperated to reduce tariffs This helped all of them Creation of Stock Markets England—1856 France—1863 Prussia—1870

More Trends Consolidation of German currency—1872 Growth of large banks/growth of credit Department stores and mail order businesses emerged in Paris and London.

New Industrial Products Steel (Bessemer process) Chemicals Oil Electricity Consumer Goods Many useful inventions that made life easier for the average middle-class citizen (radio, toaster, electric stove)

Electricity 1881: 1st electric power plant built in England By 1890: Widespread use of electric lights in England 1900: Large cities all over Europe began to install electric street lamps, including Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and St. Petersburg.

Great Exhibition of 1851 A world’s fair held to show off the wonders of England’s industrial accomplishments Symbolized by its main structure, the Crystal Palace.

Double Standards Men went to college, voted, were professionals, and had the freedom to do anything they wanted in society. Women went to etiquette school, did not vote, were secretaries, factory workers, nurses, and teachers (couldn’t marry). High expectations existed for women’s behavior (prostitution shunned, etc.)

Double Standards Although there was much drinking and prostitution in society, there was a distinction between the upper and working classes Gin was evil because it was consumed by the working class, but beer was ok because it was an upper class drink. Tablecloths and piano skirts were used to cover the legs of the furniture……

Reading Public By 1875, most W. European nations offered free elementary education. Created a market for books, magazines, papers, etc. Illustrated London News 1842; Punch 1851; Daily Mail 1854 Intellectual Writing reflected on societal problems Brownings, M. Arnold, Dickens, Tennyson, etc.