VICTORIAN AGE: social context

VICTORIAN AGE: social context

During the Victorian age the English society changed a lot. First of all, the population increased and so did the phenomenon of urbanisation. Victorian cities were characterized by large industrial areas and an incredible density of population. In spite of the interest of the administration and its engagement, the cities continued to be over crowed, dirty and insane.

On the economic ground, the development of industries and the international trade brought many benefits- and wealth- only to a little part of the population, that was the upper class.

We notice that the numbers of millionaires increased, but on the other hands the huge problem of exploitation and the lack of work's protection still exist; the poor class was still poor and lived on the border of subsistence, even if the salaries were put up and the food cost less. Rich people could spend their free time in pubs, while the lower calls had a really hard life.

The social class which changed more its way of living, was the middle one.they could live quite comfortable thanks to the new forms of economic activity.

The middle of the century saw the birth of important radical movements as the Chartism, the trade- unions and the socialism at the end of it.

At that time there were the tendency to segregated poor people in some areas, characterized by terrible hygienic condition, overcrowding, lack of water, any sewerage and no light( both natural or artificial). Of course in this situation the death rate was very high, for this reason a campaign against national ill health began: first of all they tried to clean up the cities- especially after the epidemics of cholera and TB-. Consequentially there were a development in medicine, nursing and pharmacy. Modern hospital were build and the old workhouses became mental hospitals.

Other services were introduced such as public transport, water, gas, lighting, schools and place of entertainment.

Police station were put near the slums in order to maintain the order, but their action was often repressive and violent, as Dickens denounced in his novels. Moreover the corporal punishments- also in the schools- and the public executions weren't abolished.