What Is The Cult Of Progress In The Victorian Era

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The Mid-Victorian Period of Britain contained many social and cultural movements, however there is one that stands above the rest and truly defined the time period. One word, “progress,” sums up the entire time period. Reforms were abundant and covered a wide variety of issues. All social classes, ranks, and occupations were affected by the cult of progress and it’s dedication to improving the kingdom. Wilson made this clear when he stated, “Progress was the watchword of the age: advance, improvement, struggle, and climb” (Wilson, The Victorians, pp. 94). When a cult of progress exists, like the one in this period, all facets of life are effected socially and culturally. The Cult of progress exemplifies the Mid-Victorian British era as …show more content…

When describing women during this time period Wilson says, “They were non-people, being the same legal status as American slaves, regardless of social class” (Wilson, The Victorians, pp. 306). One extreme double standard could be seen within British prostitution. Wilson said that it was “taken for granted” that British soldiers and sailors would need prostitutes. Yet, no matter how many men indulged in these acts only the women were seen as diseased and sources of contamination that needed regulated (Wilson, The Victorians, pp. 308. Women began to take notice, and they were not having it and they began to take action. The women of the upper middle class started the nineteenth century women’s movement. These women would go on to forever alter the lives of their sisters and daughters by advocating for equal educational rights, equal parental rights, and for political suffrage (Wilson, The Victorians, pp. 312). Not only did they advocate for these rights, their campaigning invoked change to begin. Wilson says, “The Women’s Suffrage Movement could be seen as the final confirmation of the haute bourgeoisie, not the first blast on the trumpet of revolution” (Wilson, The Victorians, pp. 313). Throughout the period Women gained more and more rights and they eventually would have created a great deal of change in the lives for every women who was to come …show more content…

The Reform Bill of 1867 forever changed politics and voting in Britain, as the number of enfranchised men increased drastically. By the end of 1868, all male heads of households were given the ability to vote in general elections (Arnstein, Queen Victoria, pp. 129-131). However, the desire for change was sweeping the nation and for man Britons a few more votes was not enough. They wanted more progress and more reform, they wanted a voice. The Reform Bill lead to a great, widespread republican movement as the desire for democracy was sweeping throughout England. A majority of the wealthy upper class citizens were very against the idea of democracy because it took away privileges they had over the poor and, as Robert Lowe stated, valued the number of voters over the quality of knowledgeable and intellectual voter of (Lowe, The Case Against Democracy, pp. 234). John Bright, however, was on the side of the revolutionists in Britain. He called out those against democracy and said they were illegitimately and no for no reason, afraid of the people. Bright and many Britons valued democracy because it would take away rights that only the rich had and give them to everyone (Bright, The Case For Democracy, pp. 231). Ultimately the republican movement failed, but it was a prime example of how a little progressive thinking the British were at the time. The Reform Bill came in and simply

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