The Victorian Era Between Tradition And Revolution

The economic decline in the late19th century of Britain has always aroused interest ofinvestigators in multiple fields. At the beginning, attention was concentrated on economicand political reasons, but the cultural reasons were ignored. Yet with further research,cultural reasons gradually showed their significances in economic decline. By analyzingthe economic situation in the late Victorian era, and the social influence of aristocraticvalue, this thesis tries to illustrate the significance of cultural reasons behind thepessimistic economic situation of the late Victorian period.Aristocratic spirit had once been immersed and neglected in industrial society.However, the industrial value and the aristocracy had never stopped to accommodate andcompromise with each other. This can be reflected by the promotion of "gentleman", andindustrialist’s acceptance of it. Although the Victorian era was the crest of industrialization,the aristocratic education had never inclined to the practical applied education. Theclassical education and the traditional education were still the preferable to the public andthey were proud to receive such education. Therefore, as it came to the offspring ofindustrialists and businessmen, their choices on career and education were greatly affectedby the influence of aristocratic education. The tradition of looking up to the rank andfashion of the upper society has never ceased and was not replaced by the spirit ofindustrial revolution. The pursuit of industrialists had always been the life of noble manand this dream came true after they gained fortune. This phenomenon undoubtedly playeda negative role in Britain’s economic situation.This thesis begins with the analysis of the economy of the late Victorian era, and thendemonstrates some social facts which reflected the British aristocratic value. It finallyillustrates the pursuit of noble life of the middle class. Consequently, this thesis comes tothe conclusion that even though the aristocratic value may have once disappeared inVictorian era, it has never been denied or neglected by the Britons. Thus, the impact ofaristocratic values lead to the definite loss of industrial spirit and the loss turned out to beone of the cultural factors which resulted in the economic decline in the late Victorian era.