1. Economic crisis and political change
Late Victorianism
Economic crisis and political change

2. Outline
I/ Economic crisis
II/ Social unrest
III/Political change

3. Economic crisis

4. A waning industry D. Thompson, England in the 19th Century, p. 194-195
Germany  Bismarck’s protectionist policy
USA = protectionism after 1890
+ developing local industries
 British exports fell

5. Agricultural crisis Bad harvests after 1870 Cheap imports
America  wheat
Australia and New Zealand  meat

6. Social unrest

7. Changing role of the gentry
« Their income came from stocks and shares. Often they did not live in the country to make money, but only visited it to spend money. » (D. Thompson, England in the 19th century, p. 195)
!! Great losers of the agricultural crisis!!
Compulsory primary education  less workforce
Taxes paid by the farmers were spent on the towns.

8. Trade unions and class conflicts
Strikes (particularly after 1875)
« Great depression » of 1879
Trade Unions
 « By the 1870s, considerable progress had been made in securing Trade Union recognition and rights of collective bargaining in the cotton trade and also in some areas of the building industry. » (Civilisation britannique au XIXe siècle, p. 128)

9. 1890S  major confrontations between employers and trade unions.
Foreign competition  companies tried to limit their cost of production (machinery, redundancy, wage cuts, etc.)
1890: the Dock, Wharf, Riverside and General Labourers’ Union reached a membership of 40,000.

10. Political change

11. Queen Victoria 1861-1871 = growing unpopularity

12. …but… 1871: illness 1877: Empress of India (+ Silver Jubilee)
1887: Golden Jubilee
1897: Diamond Jubilee
« Grandmother of Europe »

13. Reform Acts 1867: Second Reform Act  1/3 of adult males had the vote
[boroughs] Enfranchised all householders, whether owners or not, as long as they had been residents for 1 year and paid their own rates (= tax)
[counties] Enfranchised £10 householders
 1/3 of adult males had the vote

14. 1884: Third Reform Act
Householders in the counties were granted the same franchise as those in the boroughs
 Electorate doubled (5 million = 60% of the male population could vote)

15. William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898)
« The people’s William »
Was initially a Tory, but became a Liberal because he supported free trade.
Unlike most Liberals, he was anti-imperialist.

16. « Throughout his career, his obsession was to reduce taxes (in the hope of abolishing them totally) and to suppress duties on manufactured goods » (Civilisation britannique au XIXe siècle)

17. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) Jewish family
« He was a dandy, an eccentric, and already famous in the 1830s as a writer. » (Civilisation britannique au XIXe siècle, p. 52).
Tory.
Led the rebellion against Robert Peel after the Repeal of the Corn Laws.

18. Birth of the Labour Party
1884
Foundation of the Social Democratic Federation (Marxist + supported violent revolution)
Foundation of the Fabian Society (believed in reform rather than revolution)

19. 1892: James Keir Hardie = independent MP for South West Ham.
The following year (1893), he founded the Independent Labour Party = first mass working-class party
1895 election: 28 ILP candidates, all defeated

20. 1900 = foundation of the Labour Representation Committee.
2 MPs (including Keir Hardie) in the October 1900 election
1906: the LRC became the Labour Party and won 29 seats.

21. Conclusion British economic superiority in question
A new role for the aristocracy (from landlords to professional farmers)
A better political representation of the working class (right of vote + party representing their interests).
Queen Victoria: reclusion after the death of Prince Albert VS huge popularity after 1877.