Why was the Victorian period a time of cultural change? essay sample

Victorian era is generally considered to be the time of industrial and moral upheaval in Britain. For more than 60 years of her reign, Queen Victoria gained an immense popularity of the British people.   By the moment Victoria took the throne, people were already disappointed in the monarchy. The little queen did not intrude into the government directly, but her prime ministers did a great job in expanding the British influence and pushing forwards the industrial progress.

 

Besides advancements in social and economic spheres, Victorian era became famous for its moral standards. With the Queen maintaining high family values herself, reputation and propriety came into focus for everybody. After the reign of King William IV who had many children with women he never married, righteous Victoria revived public faith in the crown. The etiquette was strict. Middle- and upper-class society wore modest clothing. Women could not be left alone in a company of men, and romantic interest could only end up with a marriage.

 

Entertainment and culture of the Victorian period became just as prominent as its industrial progress. The newly-erected Crystal Palace housed the Great Exhibition of 1851. Here people first saw photography – the invention that revolutionized Victorian art. Writers such as Charles Dickens, Arthur Conan Doyle, and William Thackeray created most important and fascinating literary works of the 19th century. Well-off people often attended drama and opera theaters, which the Queen herself always enjoyed. The upper-and middle-class people were in a position to afford basic entertainment every now and then.