The Victorian era

The Victorian period began in the year that Victoria became queen in 1837 and it ended when Queen Victoria died in 1901. A writer and artist of the period described the Victorians as “prudish, hypocritical, stuffy and narrow-minded”, but this perception isn’t universally accurate and it is a large error to jump to this conclusion because the writer and the artist wrote this during the mid to late 19^th century. However this description can apply to the major part of Victorian English Society, particularly amongst middle-class. By 1830, the British empire had, of course, existed for centuries, and had already experienced many obstacles. The most significant blow occurred in the late 18^th century with a successful revolt of its 13 American colonies. This event eventually resulted in the formation of the United States. The British empire expanded its colonial presence in many parts of Africa, in India, in the middle-east and in other parts of Asia. This happened during the 19^th century. This process had a long-term effect – for example, it spread the English language outside of Europe and increased trade between Europe and distant regions.

 

Reference:

The Victorian Period. 2013. The Victorian Period. [ONLINE] Available at: http://faculty.unlv.edu/kirschen/handouts/victorian.html. [Accessed 04 April 2013].