Queen_Victoria_Essay

Queen Victoria entered a dynamic and insecure world at eighteen years old with little faith in her from her people that she could handle the problems that were to be thrust upon her. In these early years, Victoria gained power and saw the birth of the modern world. Britain pioneered the age of steam and this new industrial production made Britain a major world super power. Through the years Victoria met people who would greatly influence Britain’s power, even further. Her husband, Prince Albert, changed Britain’s social life and pushed industrialisation to higher levels and with the help of Isambard Kingdom Brunel, they created a communication revolution. The potato famine and 1848, the year of revolutions, soon came, and forced the government to change its ways too. The industrial revolution included the production of steam power which allowed Britain to expand their growing empire. From steam power, railways and steamships were created and the first steam locomotives heralded revolution over trade and obtained Britain a stable economic and trading system. The industrialisation of Britain was a great change, when Victoria had been born, life and technology in Britain was closer to that of the Greeks and Romans. The discovery of steam and newer technology from the West gave Britain a boost into the modern world and the superpower it grows to be. Once railways were introduced, they quickly became popular and soon enough, millions were using them every year. Steamships also helped Britain to secure stronger trading relationships with overseas countries. Queen Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert, who influenced Britain’s social life, industry and economy. Prince Albert was foreign and poor and so there was a lack of popular enthusiasm for the marriage. Many of the British did not like Albert and he soon realised that ahead of him was a hard fight to win the hearts of the people. He did not have any work as Victoria took care of the country’s affairs and so when she got pregnant, Albert stepped in. She gave more jobs to Albert, and became in effect, the associate sovereign. He completed all the duties and picked up English quickly. This was his entrance into the British growth in power and introduced Victoria to the new technology and developments of the modern world. Albert believed that free trade would help Britain and its people and the type of life they led. Albert’s and Victoria’s aim and belief was that world trade would secure world peace. Albert’s idea of an exhibition that would showcase Britain’s industrialisation was not popular amongst the people and they were against foreigners entering with disease and simply opposed the idea. With this idea soon to collapse Joseph Paxton helped them and created the Crystal Palace. The Great Exhibition of 1851 won the hearts of the nation and had a tremendous impact on Britain. Other countries soon saw the benefits of industrialisation and Britain was seen as the most progressive nation of the world. Albert not only changed Britain in this way, he believed their family should be brought up normally. He wanted his daughters to go to school, just like his sons, and introduced the Christmas tree into their home and the homes of the British. The man who created the new railroads in Britain, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, also created the first British Steamship. Brunel personified the limitless ambition that was present in Prince Albert and so Albert encouraged ideas Brunel presented to him. In 1837, inventors created the electric telegraph but it hadn’t been connected overseas yet. Brunel told Albert his steamships could link overseas nations with the electric telegraph. With this development, came a communication revolution. Brunel put up telegraph lines across the Atlantic Ocean connecting Britain with the United States. In 1845, Britain was accepted as a world superpower in its high technology, although, Britain did have to sell and buy cheaply and could not provide enough food for its people which led to a major famine in Ireland. The crisis that had appeared in Ireland was that most of the potato crop had been ruined and was quickly running out. There was growing anguish and despair as the rations of food lessened more and more and left the people without any food. First surviving on only nettles, they started to starve and become skeleton like. It was seen as the worst famine in history and when the government provided aid in work and food, it shocked Victoria at how landlords were using the poor for work to improve their own properties. Soon, the starved were buried in mass graves or survived the voyage to New York, Glasgow or Liverpool. As one of the greatest human disasters unravelled, the British parliament split and Britain risked a revolution. The famine forced the government to change and represent average people and because of land ownership, more people were able to get their say. In 1848 though, the state of politics in Europe was critical and the year of revolution began. In South Italy, revolution had started and spread across Europe, arousing fears in other countries, like Britain, that it would reach them too. Victoria’s throne was soon at risk as someone tried to shoot her, a serious attempt and not the only one. The fearful government smuggled the royal family to their sea side refuge for safety. The million men that had been bent on a bloody revolution did not seem to show up and on the first day were outnumbered by police and troops. Albert saw that even though the crisis of a revolution had been averted, the threat of it still remained and he believed the only way to preserve the monarchy was to help the poor. This ‘year of revolution’ became a catalyst for change in the government and allowed Albert to convince people that free trade would give them and Britain a better life, which led to the creation of the Great Exhibition. The ‘engines of change’ that operated in the early years of Victoria’s reign were the changes that influenced Britain and its future the most. The industrial revolution changed the nature of industry and built up British prestige with the opening of the Great Exhibition in the Crystal Palace, presenting Britain’s inventions and developments to the world, six million people visiting it in just the first week. With Prince Albert’s push, he showed both Britain and the world that industrialisation was good and with the trust he gained from the people in this, he encouraged his own personal family ways to be shared. Victoria’s reign also saw the beginning of a couple of revolutions, communication being one and the Irish famine and European politics being the source of another. Both, though, had an impact on the change in government to suit the needs of Britain’s people and improve their way of life.