Britain in the reign of Queen Victoria until World War I

The aim here is to survey the development of modern Britain under its most iconic monarch and her immediate successors Edward VII and George V. The course will examine social and political developments in the years 1837-1914. Issues of imperialism, poverty, growing industrialization, feminism and the rights of women will be scrutinized. The development of Britain as a "Great Power", and its involvement in conflicts such as the Crimean War and the Boer Wars will also be examined. Workers struggles, the developments in education, tensions over Ireland, the growth of secularization in British society, intellectual and literary developments will all find a place in this narrative history.