Great Britain. The end of the Victorian era as the period of the country's greatest prosperity

Queen Victoria’s sunset is characterized by stability and solvency - qualities that were especially valued in a country like the United Kingdom.

The end of the Victorian era. Summary

The political and social life in England in the second half of the 19th century is called the Victorian era. By the end of the century, Britain had become a major player in the political arena of the world. This time is characterized by the strengthening of the country's position, the maintenance of the status of the imperial monarchy and the increasing financial influence that Great Britain exerted on other states.

The end of the Victorian era

The table below shows the general rise of the country's economy among other world powers.

The pace of development of the UK economy towards the end of the XIX century somewhat decreased. This is primarily due to the fact that the process of concentration of banks has ended. The capital of the world became the UK. The end of the Victorian era was marked by the formation of the "big five" of London banks. The powers of the head of the entire banking system of the country passed to the London Bank. Pound sterling became the main settlement currency at the conclusion of international transactions.

On the world map there is not a single civilized city in which there would be no branch of a British bank. In total, English lending institutions by 1913 totaled more than 2280 branches around the world. In addition, leading British entrepreneurs began to pay attention to other countries: steel plants in Russia and Belgium, manufactories in France and Spain, oil refineries in the Netherlands. But the greatest benefit was brought by the export of funds to non-European countries. South America and the British colonies have become the priority areas of investment available to the UK.

The end of the Victorian era did not stop economic growth, but only slowed it down. The active withdrawal of funds caused a decrease in the capitalization of enterprises located in the country itself. Nevertheless, the answer to the question of which European state and at what period of time had the highest rates of economic development is as follows: Great Britain, the end of the Victorian era.

The 8th grade of a comprehensive school already has an idea of ​​political parties as forces that influence the country's domestic politics.

Political structure

In Great Britain, two political parties (liberals and conservatives) formed domestic politics at the end of the 19th century. Conservatives expressed the interests of large landowners, their leader was B. Disraeli. The liberals expressed the interests of the middle class, which was represented by V. Gladstone.

Both parties insisted on a series of reforms and a change in the electoral system in the state. In the late 60s. Disraeli carried out parliamentary reform, significantly increasing the number of possible voters, the country of which was Great Britain. The end of the Victorian era in the party life of the country is characterized by Gladstone, who passed a series of social laws designed to improve the life of the poorest segments of the population. So, strikes and strikes of workers were allowed, the work of children under 10 was canceled, the activities of cooperatives and trade unions were allowed, and the working day was limited.

Irish Question

At the end of the 19th century, the "Irish question" escalated. Over 400 years of British rule have not broken the Irish desire for independence. The mass movement of the Irish for the adoption of land reform and the establishment of self-government (Gomrul) was led by C. Parnell. He tried all possible methods to draw attention to the problems of Ireland. In parliament, the law on homrul did not pass, but the Irish continued to assert their rights, and the English, in the end, had to give up.

Foreign policy

“Brilliant isolation” is a term that the United Kingdom first coined. The end of the Victorian era in this country is characterized by imperial sentiments. Huge colonies and political ambitions led the country to "Brilliant isolation", in which it had no allies, and was guided only by its own interests. Colonial expansion reached its greatest extent, the total area of ​​the empire exceeded 33 million square meters. km

The interests of Great Britain in the development of new diamond deposits and the development of gold mines led to the Boer War, which ended in 1901 with the defeat of the Boers and the creation of dominions - pseudo-independent states within the British Empire.