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Power, Peace and Prosperity - 1815 to 1914

Nelson's victory at sea in 1805 and Wellington's on land at Waterloo in 1815, marked the end of major wars for a century. Britain was the dominant power, and the defeat of Napoleon removed French aspirations (strong wish) to rule the world

The death of George IV was not regretted by the nation - the Times wrote "there was never an individual less regretted by his fellow creatures than this deceased king". It was an age of poets - Keats, Shelly and Byron. Of Science - Faraday and Davy in electricity, Stephenson with his steam train , artists like Constable and Turner. It was against this background that Victoria came to the throne in 1837, to commence (start) a reign that spanned (lasted) 64 years

Victoria was 18 when she became queen. She became a symbol of her age. It was an age of steam and iron, men like Brunel came to prominence (became important), He surveyed the Great Western railway to Bristol, he built bridges and tunnels that still exist today, he built the Great Eastern, the largest ship afloat.

The Great Exhibition of 1851 in Hyde Park was a showcase for British achievements. Authors like Dickens and the Bronte sisters wrote novels. A new parliament building was constructed at Westminster after the old building burnt down. 1854 brought British involvement in the Crimean War in Russia, and one of those heroic defeats when the Light brigade charged massed Russian guns. One outcome of this defeat was that in future the British army would be better officered, with wealth no longer being the sole key to promotion.

Charles Darwin completed his voyage in the Beagle in 1837 and produced his theories of evolution. Africa was explored by men like David Livingstone

Slavery was abolished throughout the Empire, and Britain used her naval power to blockade the West African coast and arrest slavers (ships carrying slaves). The British Empire, like all empires, was acquired by force of arms. By 1900 Britain had the largest navy in the world, and used it to control an Empire "on which the sun never set".

However by Victoria's death in 1901, Britain was being challenged militarily by Germany. European countries rushed to arm themselves and protect themselves with a series of alliances.

The result of these warlike happenings was that , when an Austrian Archduke was assassinated (murdered) in Bosnia in 1914, the alliances led to virtually every nation in Europe becoming involved, with the Central Powers fighting the Allies - 10 million men were to die before peace was declared in 1918

Britain post 1914 -

Britain loses an Empire and seeks a new role in the world

The twentieth century has seen Britain fight two world wars at considerable human and crippling (critical) economic cost. It has seen also the largely peaceful dismantling (destruction) of the British Empire. The result has been that Britain has struggled to come to terms with its new place in the world order. It has been, and still is, unclear as to whether her role would be in a united Europe, or as a separate state on the periphery of Europe.



On the social front votes came to women in the late 1920s and to all people over 18 in the 1980s. Like many countries we played with socialism - nationalized railways, coal mines, telephones, health, etc. And have now led the way in dismantling state control, though we still do have a National Health Service (just)

The First World War 1914 -1918 A war fought on an epic (extremely large) scale for no good reasons. A whole generation died, and social attitudes changed

Between the wars 1918 - 1939 The loss of Ireland, the General Strike, Votes for Women - a period of social adjustment

The Second World War 1939 -1945 The war against Hitler - surely one of the just wars of history, but economically it crippled (hurt very much) the country

Britain since 1945 Britain gives up Empire, joins Europe, is this the end of the nation state?

 


Date: 2016-01-14; view: 654


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