Victorianism

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Victorianism is the name given to the attitudes, art and culture of the later two-thirds of the 19th century. This usage is strong within social history and literature, less so in philosophy. Many disciplines do not use the term, but instead prefer Victorian Era, or simply "Late 19th century". Victorianism as a word is often specifically directed at Victorian morality.

Brief History

The succession of William IV of the United Kingdom by his niece Victoria of the United Kingdom on 20 June 1837 provides a convenient marker in the History of Britain for the rise of an industrialized society with a newly urbanized middle class, the interconnection of the globe with telegraph and railway, the expansion of trade, the establishment of the gold standard and other programs meant to make orderly and regular the path of commerce, manufacturing and economic growth. As a movement, the term is often synonymous with changes made to society directed at dealing with the effects of trade, industrialism, urbanization, while maintaining a strongly stratified social and political order.

Victorianists are the men and women who study victorianism.