CM: Civi UK, the Long XIXe century

WEEK 1 (13/09/2022)
Chapter I: General Introduction

19th c is a meaningful telling timespan for the UK and British hist’ whereas in
the case of FR nothing happened neither on its opening nor ending. It began
with the Act of Union (Scot’ Ir’ and Eng’) passed on Aug 1 1800, effective on
Jan’ 1, 1801. Queen Vic’ died on Jan 22.
Britain in that time can be divided into 2 parts: - 1801-37, the Regency (key
figure Brummel); - 37-1901: the Victorian Era.
The Reg’ started between 1789-1810: instability of King George III; then 11-
20 the Regency proper, 20-30; the prince Regent became George IV and up to
37, reign of his brother King William IV.
The Vic’ Era started between 37-1901, can be separated in 3 parts: - Early 37-
51. In 1851, Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations in Crystal
Palace; - Mid 51-73: Springs of the PPL, End of Irish Famine, Great progress in
steam engine textile industry. – Late 73-1901 is the starting point of the Great
Depression.
In terms of literature, 2 parts: - ‘Early’ Regency with Jane Austen; - ‘Late’ R
with poets such as William Blake, Wordsworth, Keats. As for the V era, Charles
Dickens; - Mid-V era: George Eliot; - Late: Thomas Hardy.
WEEK 2 (20/09/2022)
FR Revo and WW1 are major turning pts in EU hist’. From 1789-1914 is called
‘The Long 19th c’. Age of Revo’ up to 1848 from Eric Hobsbawm: had to fight
FR Revo, Irish rebellions, and the Spring of the Peoples with social discontent
and uprisings at home;
Age of Capital: 60% of world’s wealth in British hands; feeling of superiority.
Age of Empire from 75-1914: BE had 384m ppl, FR had 50m ppl. B diplomacy
is colonial.
The word ‘Victorian’ is misleading. Victorianism neither began in 1837 nor
ended in 1901. The V age owed many of its chiefly-remembered charac’ to dev
which took place between 1780-37.
British history: William the C landed in Hastings in 1066. Henry II put an end
to anarchy and set the Plantagenet as the new dynasty in 1154. Changes to the
legal system in 1259. 1349 Black Death. 1454: Hundred Year’s War and of the
Roses. 1558; Elizabeth I became Queen of Eng’. Execution of Charles I
ending the CW in 1649. 1776, declaration of Inde’ of USA. Last catastrophe, the
inde’ of India and Pakistan in 1947.
The 1st half century started with the tragic revolt of Ame’ colonies. Britain
enjoyed Scot’ Enlight’, Indus’ Revo, a remarkable colonial and commercial
expansion. Great Depression saw a much less brilliant era. The combination of
those strongly altered the Br’ domination and the ind’ of the Indies and the Suez
Crisis didn’t help at all. After the loss of the 13th colonies, they had to start
anew, with the Indu’ Revo’.
Chapter II: Industrial Revolution
James Watt, an engineer whose improvements to the steam engine were
fundamental to the changes. He produced an engine in 1784, 5 times efficient as
the 1st steam engine. It improved mining product’, which increased the
availability of coal and iron. Pig-iron prod’ rose. Most famous steam engines
were those that powered railways: the steam engine locomotives. Transfo’ of
Eng’ into an indus’ soc’ would have been possible without the dev of an
improved communications system.
WEEK 3 (27/09)
Started 1st in late 18th c Scot’ with the Scot’ Enlight’. Shift from religion into
reason. It was all caused by philosophy. They thought, discovered, exp’ and
questioned everything from the world. “Today it is from Scot’ that we get rules
of taste in all the arts.” Voltaire. Quotes from David Hume and Adam Smith.
Along the Scot’ Enlight’, they believed that their political ways were the best,
with raw materials, harbours and waterways, political stability, in addition of
education, and engineers invented many machines in Britain. There were
improvements in medical care, sanitation and water supply, decrease in infant
mortality, transport and com’ improved.
WEEK 4 (04/10)
Early Times (1770-1830): times when steam engines multiplied power for
factories and minefields. Coach fares were very small, even the poorest ppl
could travel for the 1st time within their shires and beyond. ‘Turnpike’ roads
were built by local ‘trust’ created and funded at the scale of parishes. Each trust
came to run about half-a-dozen miles around its village. They were soon to play
a major role in the ruling of the Poor Law and the management of the Condition
of Eng’ Question. (poor ppl)
Digging canals needed much more money as well as the approbation of the
landowners. ²The ‘landed gentry’ played a major role in the extension of the
network, they were able to choose the paths and to keep most of the income, to
say nothing of the improvement of their estates.²: à modifier/suppr.
Money needed for construction works were provided by rich merchants. Canals
were convenient for the transportation of goods. Along, canal cruising on
gorgeous boats, where ppl being invited to such water parties became the
fashion of the age. Expansion of both canals and coaches shared a key feature:
bettering nature. Coal, iron and factories were a diff’ world.
Eng’ divided into 2 parts: Black/Green Eng’.
Victorian Times: known as the ‘Age of railways.’ The Rocket (1830), 40km/h.
1848 marked the complete line from London to Edinburgh. 44 acts passed on
railways from 1825-35. Gauge, no way to interconnect. Had to regulate.
Clearing houses are an agency or separate corp’ of an exchange resp’ for settling
trading accounts, clearing trades, collecting and maintaining margin monies,
regulating delivery of the bought/sold instrument, and reporting trading datz.
The CH act as 3rd parties to all futures and options contracts, as buyers to every
C member. 1847 was the year railways concentrated no less than 60% of all
domestic investments. RAILWAYS COMPANIES ensured a capitalistic
concentration of wealth up to a size till the unheard of. The richest railway
businessman of the time was Thomas Brassey who was born in a lower middle
class family. Profits were so high that the gov compelled the companies to
standardise their gauges at their own
Between 1849-70, traffic expanded; 1st and 2nd class passengers increased four-
fold while that of 3rd class passengers came to be x by 6. Yet improving the
comfort of passengers also came to be important. Next trains were to be
interconnected with steamers towards Ireland, EU, USA (as of 1838) and the
Empire (Suez Canal 1869).
Coal became available to most ppl, whereas in the countryside no less than 2.5
hectares were needed to feed a single horse.
WEEK 5 (11/10)
Milk and beer were easier to be conveyed to the markets, better price for the
consumers. Some coastal towns turned into excursion sites. > Brighton, most
pop ‘cause it became possible to reach in the morning and be back in London in
the evening. 1871 marked an act for new bank holidays on Mondays,
disconnected with the religion. New cities created after being connecting
stations such as Crewe, Middleborough. Most famous Victoria Station. 1st
underground line opened in 1863. Suburban traffic increased because an Act of
Parlia’ decided to check prices for journeys. At least one train per weekday
whose tickets couldn’t exceed one penny per mile for adults. Thomas Cook
brought railways to the masses. Followed by the telegraph, built in 1837. A
cable was laid under the Channel, another after in the Atlantic Ocean, then 3
cables with one underwater connected Eng’ and the Indies. Railways brought
daily papers throughout corners of the kingdom. Amplified the idea of progress.
Faith in progress meant an overall optimism, a linear chronological concept of
time, logical connections in a linear way, moralism with the importance of
knowing what’s wrong/right and giving a moral judgement. It paved the way for
the quick dechristianization of Eng’ from the 1850s. Obsession with morality,
‘hypocrisy’ of the Vic’. Yet at railways’ time such progress came along multiple
flaws, whereas canals and turnpike roads had proved the sole ‘betterment’.
Nature was no longer to be bettered, but conquered. They moved commu’ out of
their ways. Gap between ‘Black/Green Eng’, leading to massive influx of Eng’
ppl into South Wales.
Railways reinforced the social order and paved the way for a massive
expatriation of undesirable people, be them poor, convicts, rebels, Irish..
Rail companies were organised along military lines, with strict discipline and
uniformed staff, and trade union was allowed before 1874.
Tory Landlords indulged themselves in the protection of poor factory workers,
thus easily targeting their political opponents, while whig entrepreneurs
lambasted the landed gentry for its lack of concern toward rural misery.
A point of note is that the gap between such glorification of progress, for all its
major flaws, and such imperviousness to another’s suffering was already being
discussed at the time.
“ The truth is that Mr hudson is neither better nor worse than the morality of
1845. He rose to wealth and importance at an immoral period, he was a creature
of an immoral system; he was wafted into fortune upon the wave of a popular
mania; ..” The Illustrator.
There was thus some genuine awareness of the railway craze, yet it long failed
to balance the ever raising faith in progress

The light Bulb:

Combustion motor engine: German Engineer Karl Benz, 1866.
Camera: U.s Citizen George Eastman, 1888
Wireless: Italian Gulielmo Marconi, 1896
Telephone: German inventor Joham Philip Reis, 1860 - Italian Antonio Merucci,
1871 - Scot Graham Bell, 1876
Mostly because the General post office ( GPO ) did not want to lose the
monopoly it had long enjoyed, thanks to the telegraph.
This comes in sharp contrast to its invention of the stamp 1840
The vast majorities of successful entrepreneurs wasted their new wealth in
trying to follow the lifestyle of the higher classes, thus failing to modernize their
factories.
At the same time loww wages meant poor productivity for the workers.
Last but not least technical education was appalling poor.
1861: Machine gun: U.s inventor
Automatic Machine Gun: 1880 U.s citizen Hiram Maxim
1861: The war btw the states
1866: Austro-German War
1870: Franco-German war
1904-1905: Japanese-Russian War

The U.K wasn’t developed in terms of defence machines.

The Crimean war ( 1853-1856) had happened right before these massive
changes in warfare

Day one, July 1916

In total 19240 british soldiers lost their lives. It was the bloodiest day in the
history of the British Army
In spite of heavy British Losses
Overall the industrial revolution was:
first a key pattern in itself for the long 19th century.
As well as: