HISTORY

UNIT 1
FORMATIVE
ASSESSMENT
By

Mohammad Aatif Afnan

Cambridge – Grade VII

TIMELINE FROM 1901
TO THE PRESENT DAY
The world in 1901
 Britain was the first country in the world to have an industrial revolution. By this time, it was the world’s richest
country.
 USA, Japan, and Germany put Britain’s status under threat as they kept increasing their armies and navies.
Britain might not be able to hold on to its title of richest and most powerful. This rivalry might lead to conflict…
Queen Victoria died on 22 January 1901. She had ruled Britain for 63 years. Her son Edward VII succeeded her
by becoming king of Britain.
 Britain’s population was about 40 million (a joke in front of India’s population at the time – 300 million), and
80% of it lived in towns and cities.
 Britain’s population could be divided based on wealth – 3% of the population were very wealthy and didn’t need
to work (upper class), 25% were wealthy enough to live a comfortable life (middle class) and the rest were poor
(working class).
 Many people of the working class made enough just to get by, by
working in factories, mills, etc
 For others this was not the case – they made nowhere near
enough for feeding their families. They had to pay for their own
medical supplies – they had no benefits. They had to live in filthy,
dirty disease-ridden slums.
 TECHNOLOGICAL AND SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS
TRANSPORT
Railway:- A vast railway
system linked Britain’s
major towns and cities
Cars:- In 1885, Karl Benz
made the first successful
petrol-driven motor car
Henry Ford made one of
the best-selling cars ever –
the Ford Model T in 1908
Airways:- On 17
December 1903 Orville
Wright made the first
manned powered flight.
COMMUNICATION CONSUMER GOODS ENTERTAINMENT
Other new inventions Sports such as
The telephone, that saved people’s football, rugby,
invented in 1876, and time and made their
tennis, and golf
continued to attract
the radio became life easier were many spectators and
increasingly popular vacuum cleaners, participants. Going to
electric irons, the pub was also
after the 20th century wristwatches, popular too! The start
started. By the ‘20s, phonographs, cameras of this century also
saw the growth of
they became the most etc.
cinemas and movie
popular household stars
items.
FORD MODEL-T
ASSEMBLY LINE
 THE WRIGHT
BROTHERS’ ‘BABY
GRAND’ PLANE
Liberal Reforms and their importance
The changes the newly elected Liberal government introduced were collectively called the
Liberal Reforms. The Liberal Party brought justice to many of the people of Britain.
These are the benefits people got because of the liberal reforms
• Free school meals made it easier for poorer families and improved the child’s health. The
nation also benefited from this as now they would have healthy, strong young men for the
army.
• Cruelty towards children is made illegal with The Children’s Charter.
• Unemployment benefits, sickness benefits, and pensions for the elderly were introduced.
• Job centers were opened, so fewer people would have to live in horrible, filthy, dirty, disease-
ridden slums. In 1930, a huge slum clearance program began.
MARKS RECEIVED OUT OF
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