The Victorians and the Edwardians are two different eras. The Victorian Era lasted from the 20th of June 1837, until the 22nd of January 1901. While the Edwardian Era lasted from the 22nd of January until the 6th of May 1910. The Victorian Era lasted from 1837 until 1901, due to the reign of Queen Victoria. The Victorian Era is named after Queen Victoria. She was the longest reigning queen of the United Kingdom up until recently, now Queen Elizabeth II is the longest reigning monarch. On the other hand, the Edwardian Era lasted from 1901 until 1910, due to the reign of King Edward VII. The Edwardian Era is named after King Edward VII. He wasn't as long on the throne as Queen Victoria, but his era is significant in history. Why Is The Edwardian Era Significant? The Edwardian Era is significant because it was the era where many social and political changes within the United Kingdom. It was a time of changing social attitudes and reform. One of the most significant events of the Edwardian Era was the changing status of women in society. The Suffrage movement in the United Kingdom can be traced back to the Victorian Era, however, it was the Edwardian Era that oversaw the birth of the woman's suffrage movement. The woman's suffrage movement did begin in the Victorian Era. The woman's suffrage movement began in 1866 at its earliest, by 1888 women gained the right to vote in council elections. Most men by this point had more voting rights than women of the time, this encouraged and intensified the woman's suffrage movement. A minority of male MPs were sympathetic to the women's suffrage movement, including philosopher and MP John Stuart Mill. It was John Stuart Mill who proposed an amendment to parliament advocating that women should have the same voting rights as men. The law didn't pass, being defeated by 194 to 73 MP votes. Although women could vote in many council elections, there didn't seem to be any fruition of women gaining votes on a par with men. The Victorian Era was more fruitful for men attaining suffrage, than women attaining suffrage. But, by the end of the Victorian Era, in 1897, The National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies was found, the NUWS would play a significant role in women gaining the right to vote. It was a movement which gave us the Suffragists, and eventually the Suffragettes in 1903. The Suffragists were mainly made up of women, and a minority of men, who wanted votes for women in a peaceful way. Whereas, the Suffragettes were more militant in their approach to gaining the vote for women. It's the latter which made the Edwardian Era significant - it was an era where women were making their voice heard in a way they had never done so in history before. Why Was The Victorian Era Significant? The Victorian Era was significant partly because it was the beginning of the suffrage movement. The suffrage movement was a movement where ordinary citizens began to become involved in political decision making, having the right to vote in elections and an element of democracy. But, the Victorian Era was much more significant than that. Given that Queen Victoria was a longer serving monarch Edward VI, there was a lot more that happened during the Victorian Era, compared to the Edwardian Era.
The Victorian Era is significant for its impact on society at the time. The era has become notorious for its poverty, destitution and workhouses and the industrial revolution.
It was the industrial revolution which brought many social, economic and political changes to the United Kingdom. There was a large movement of people from rural areas, to urban areas. The industrial revolution brought changes in social and living conditions and new technology. There were new technologies created in the Victorian Era, which reformed the textile industry and the cotton industry. The new technologies created an emerging middle class, in some cases, many people grew wealthier as a result of the industrial revolution. However, it also resulted in many other people becoming poorer. Extreme poverty was a problem in Victorian Britain. Victorian Britain gave rise to two very different classes, those who benefited from the industrial revolution and saw their livelihood and wealth increase and those who suffered as a result of it with poverty, disease, squalor, workhouses, child labour and prostitution all having detrimental effects on the poorest in society. In effect, the Victorian Era was significant for the changes it made to society and the society that people lived in. The wealthy and charities of the era had the attitude of 'deserving poor' and 'undeserving poor'. What Were The Differences Between The Eras? Now that we've looked at some of the reasons why the Victorian Era and the Edwardian Era were significant, we are now going to look at some of the differences between the eras. There are many differences between the two eras, a major difference was the attitude of the eras. The Victorian Era was more conservative and prudish than the Edwardian Era. In the Edwardian Era the attitudes among women significantly changing in the era. No longer were women seeing themselves as subservient to men, they were asserting their own rights and place within society. There was also a difference in attitudes towards those that were poor. The poor in Victorian times were treated as either 'deserving' or 'undeserving', with most of them living in overcrowded accommodation, subject to poverty and horrible conditions in workhouses. Whereas, times were changing in the Edwardian Era. The Edwardian Era witnessed a change in social attitudes towards the poor. This can be witnessed through things such as the Liberal Reforms of 1906 to 1914. The reforms were the foundation for the later Welfare State in the UK, which aimed to reduce poverty and help the poor through things such as national insurance cover. Concluding Thoughts Although in many ways the Victorian Era and the Edwardian Era were very similar, they were also very different. A change in social attitudes is the most obvious difference between the two eras.
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