if u wanna make a quick $60, get at me..
- Thread starter TheWestBaySav
- Start date
honestly im hella good at writing papers, i could have bullshitted my way through it in about 2 hours, all i need was wikipedia and i would have made him do the works cited list. My internet at home is down, i would have tooken the offer, but i need at least 100. Papers in college make the difference between whole grades, so if i gotta pull something outta my ass in 10 hours, he should have to pull out an extra 40.
nextime.
nextime.
yeah the paper sort of did turn out like shit, but its cuz it was so rushed..i have alot better work, believe that..i dont even really care that much, i have an A in the class and got 94 and 93 on the other essays, all we got left is the final which is short answer and thats nothing..
@shea..glad to see you didnt lose any sleep homie..
oh well here it is..
British Imperialism of Africa
In the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, Britain was at the height of their world
domination. Despite losing America in 1776, Britain was still the most advanced and
superior country in the world thanks to their abundance of inventors, rich resources,
powerful ruler(s), and colonized countries under their control. As Britain continued
developing India as a power and having economic turmoil of it’s own, it needed to continue
colonizing areas with potentially high returns. One of the continents that felt the rule of the
British the most, and continue to do so, is Africa. While under control of the British, they
underwent social, cultural, and lifestyle changes, some of which were new to them. This
essay will examine the far-ranging effects of what these changes had on African citizens,
and how they are still impacted to this very day.
Towards the end of the 19th century, several European countries, including Britain,
France, and Germany, began what would later become known as the “Scramble for
Africa.” While Africa had always been subject to military intimidation and financial
influence, also known as ‘informal imperialism,” these countries now wanted a more
hands-on approach and to directly rule the territories they were claiming. However,
Britain had arguably the biggest stake in claiming Africa for themselves; one of the biggest
reasons was that Cape Town was located in the South, and by claiming and protecting that
area, travel to India was a lot easier, safer, and cheaper for the British to trade and ship to.
Since India was a British colony, this would be a win-win for them as they would control a
crucial shipping point, and have direct access to both of their territories. Additionally, gold
and diamonds were found in South Africa, and since they obviously had so much value,
they became a powerful tool and bargaining chip for the British in which to conduct
business and trading. After Britain annexed the area, they claimed that Cape Town would
now be safer because "various white men set themselves seriously to work in searching the
banks of the Vaal (Goodenough).”This essentially meant that because so many British
would be mining for the valuables, the area was less open to attack and therefore safer
because of the available manpower.
The beginning of the British colonization of Africa could arguably be traced to 1869,
when the Suez Canal opened. Located in Egypt, it flowed directly to Asia which meant that
any ship passing through it would not have to sail all the way around the Southern part of
Africa. Originally, the French controlled the Canal and the British were worried that this
could eventually lead to France taking India away from them because access to India was
much more quick and direct when taking the canal. Economically, it was also better to
control it as well since shipping costs would be shorter due to a shorter trip. Soon after,
Britain would buy a controlling majority of the canal, allowing them to have say over who
could use it, and fares charged. While being able to control the canal was more strategic
than wanting to own it, it gave the British an undeniable competitive advantage, allowing
them to expand their economy by buying/selling/trading goods with India and the rest of
Asia, and at much better prices. By this time, Britain had already gone through a
depression of their own, as their capacity to produce goods had gone above and beyond
what people were able to consume, and needed to find other countries and territories in
which they could sell their goods. India would play an important role in this, as they would
become one of the largest importers of British goods, although not all of it was by their
choosing.
Unfortunately for native Africans, the imperialism being imposed upon them was
not pleasant. Among the most devastating instances to occur was when Africa was officially
carved up and divided among the seven country’s who claimed it, with Britain having the
largest amount. By drawing up new countries and changing borders, this caused tribes
and ethnic groups to fight each other, causing strife that still occurs to the present day.
These new territories essentially caused tribes and people with religious differences who
normally would either be fighting one another or not associating with one another to live
amongst each other in close settings. Despite being completely independent, Africa still
sees many wars, fighting, corruption, and ongoing genocides that can be traced back to the
original divisions by the countries, and has never re-drawn the borders.
On the other side of the coin, the colonization brought about several benefits,
including infrastructure, the most advanced medicines, and better techniques for mining
and agriculture. Since the British needed roads in which to transport raw materials and
goods, roads were cleared and paved. Also, since the British were used to “civilized” living,
which meant having bathrooms, sewers, and a healthy water supply, all of these were soon
implemented, not to serve the needs of the African citizens, but for the needs of the British,
since infrastructure would boost productivity. Africa would eventually be the recipient of
modern medicine, partly because of the awful diseases that the British brought with them
when they came and settled there. In reverse fashion, West Africa came to be known as the
“White Man’s Grave” because Westerners could only live there for a few months or years
at a time due to Malaria, and cow-dung diseases that were rampant in the area. As a cause
of all this, African colonies became the recipients of the best medicine possible so that
everyone would be healthy and the disease rate would go down. This obviously helps
everyone in the end. Finally, the colonies learned better mining and agricultural tactics
from the British. In South Africa, there was a ton of gold to be found, and soon enough
gold accounted for nearly 50% of all exports! Before this, however, South Africa wasn’t
really too important on the entire scale other than that it was protected because of the Suez
Canal, and it was mostly agricultural harvesting.
Economically, the colonization of African countries paid off very well. Britain was
able to continually put Africa in trade deficits by capitalizing on the cheap labor and
abundant resources, and then selling them back for a lot more than what they paid. Britain
did this to a number of their colonies across the Eastern part of the world, but the colonies
they presided over in Africa would turn out to be among their greatest cash cows. This also
helped the British in that the country/continent would never become a threat to them
because when a country finally got their freedom, the people were so weakened and
uneducated that they had no skills to allow for them to have a better life except for
farming, which would allow them just to survive. Countries were left underdeveloped,
unprepared, and not capable of withstanding the rest of the world on an economic and
quality of life scale.
When the countries were divided up and Britain took control of Sierra Leone, Gold
Coast, Nigeria, East Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Egypt, among others, they were faced
with how to rule the territories. During that time, there were typically, four ways in which
to rule: by creating an economic company, direct rule, indirect rule, or settler rule. Britain
chose to rule some of their colonies by implementing the economic company rule, which
they would name the British East Africa Company, and the British South Africa company,
which maintained the gold-mining and agriculture, and also colonized Kenya, ruling them
until 1893. For the remaining colonies, they would rule indirectly; this required choosing
someone of that country to rule, and they would be under orders by the British. This was
not the most efficient way to rule because it gave power to only a few people, who would
then have people trying to kill them for power. It also caused more ethnic tensions and
fighting for power and control as well.
It is apparent that the colonization of Africa was absolutely devastating to
the present and future landscape of the continent. While Britain was not an overly
aggressive or brutal force, they managed to gain a large share of colonies by their brute
strength and know-how. They were the most feared and advanced nation at the time, and
that allowed them to continue their grip of power. Their participation in dividing Africa
still has major implications today, as tribes and ethnic groups still continue fighting, even
on some of the same issues that were a source of conflict even over 100 years ago. And
what’s most ironic is that the colonization of Africa was because of Britain needing to
maintain their hold on India.
@shea..glad to see you didnt lose any sleep homie..
oh well here it is..
British Imperialism of Africa
In the Eighteenth and Nineteenth centuries, Britain was at the height of their world
domination. Despite losing America in 1776, Britain was still the most advanced and
superior country in the world thanks to their abundance of inventors, rich resources,
powerful ruler(s), and colonized countries under their control. As Britain continued
developing India as a power and having economic turmoil of it’s own, it needed to continue
colonizing areas with potentially high returns. One of the continents that felt the rule of the
British the most, and continue to do so, is Africa. While under control of the British, they
underwent social, cultural, and lifestyle changes, some of which were new to them. This
essay will examine the far-ranging effects of what these changes had on African citizens,
and how they are still impacted to this very day.
Towards the end of the 19th century, several European countries, including Britain,
France, and Germany, began what would later become known as the “Scramble for
Africa.” While Africa had always been subject to military intimidation and financial
influence, also known as ‘informal imperialism,” these countries now wanted a more
hands-on approach and to directly rule the territories they were claiming. However,
Britain had arguably the biggest stake in claiming Africa for themselves; one of the biggest
reasons was that Cape Town was located in the South, and by claiming and protecting that
area, travel to India was a lot easier, safer, and cheaper for the British to trade and ship to.
Since India was a British colony, this would be a win-win for them as they would control a
crucial shipping point, and have direct access to both of their territories. Additionally, gold
and diamonds were found in South Africa, and since they obviously had so much value,
they became a powerful tool and bargaining chip for the British in which to conduct
business and trading. After Britain annexed the area, they claimed that Cape Town would
now be safer because "various white men set themselves seriously to work in searching the
banks of the Vaal (Goodenough).”This essentially meant that because so many British
would be mining for the valuables, the area was less open to attack and therefore safer
because of the available manpower.
The beginning of the British colonization of Africa could arguably be traced to 1869,
when the Suez Canal opened. Located in Egypt, it flowed directly to Asia which meant that
any ship passing through it would not have to sail all the way around the Southern part of
Africa. Originally, the French controlled the Canal and the British were worried that this
could eventually lead to France taking India away from them because access to India was
much more quick and direct when taking the canal. Economically, it was also better to
control it as well since shipping costs would be shorter due to a shorter trip. Soon after,
Britain would buy a controlling majority of the canal, allowing them to have say over who
could use it, and fares charged. While being able to control the canal was more strategic
than wanting to own it, it gave the British an undeniable competitive advantage, allowing
them to expand their economy by buying/selling/trading goods with India and the rest of
Asia, and at much better prices. By this time, Britain had already gone through a
depression of their own, as their capacity to produce goods had gone above and beyond
what people were able to consume, and needed to find other countries and territories in
which they could sell their goods. India would play an important role in this, as they would
become one of the largest importers of British goods, although not all of it was by their
choosing.
Unfortunately for native Africans, the imperialism being imposed upon them was
not pleasant. Among the most devastating instances to occur was when Africa was officially
carved up and divided among the seven country’s who claimed it, with Britain having the
largest amount. By drawing up new countries and changing borders, this caused tribes
and ethnic groups to fight each other, causing strife that still occurs to the present day.
These new territories essentially caused tribes and people with religious differences who
normally would either be fighting one another or not associating with one another to live
amongst each other in close settings. Despite being completely independent, Africa still
sees many wars, fighting, corruption, and ongoing genocides that can be traced back to the
original divisions by the countries, and has never re-drawn the borders.
On the other side of the coin, the colonization brought about several benefits,
including infrastructure, the most advanced medicines, and better techniques for mining
and agriculture. Since the British needed roads in which to transport raw materials and
goods, roads were cleared and paved. Also, since the British were used to “civilized” living,
which meant having bathrooms, sewers, and a healthy water supply, all of these were soon
implemented, not to serve the needs of the African citizens, but for the needs of the British,
since infrastructure would boost productivity. Africa would eventually be the recipient of
modern medicine, partly because of the awful diseases that the British brought with them
when they came and settled there. In reverse fashion, West Africa came to be known as the
“White Man’s Grave” because Westerners could only live there for a few months or years
at a time due to Malaria, and cow-dung diseases that were rampant in the area. As a cause
of all this, African colonies became the recipients of the best medicine possible so that
everyone would be healthy and the disease rate would go down. This obviously helps
everyone in the end. Finally, the colonies learned better mining and agricultural tactics
from the British. In South Africa, there was a ton of gold to be found, and soon enough
gold accounted for nearly 50% of all exports! Before this, however, South Africa wasn’t
really too important on the entire scale other than that it was protected because of the Suez
Canal, and it was mostly agricultural harvesting.
Economically, the colonization of African countries paid off very well. Britain was
able to continually put Africa in trade deficits by capitalizing on the cheap labor and
abundant resources, and then selling them back for a lot more than what they paid. Britain
did this to a number of their colonies across the Eastern part of the world, but the colonies
they presided over in Africa would turn out to be among their greatest cash cows. This also
helped the British in that the country/continent would never become a threat to them
because when a country finally got their freedom, the people were so weakened and
uneducated that they had no skills to allow for them to have a better life except for
farming, which would allow them just to survive. Countries were left underdeveloped,
unprepared, and not capable of withstanding the rest of the world on an economic and
quality of life scale.
When the countries were divided up and Britain took control of Sierra Leone, Gold
Coast, Nigeria, East Africa, Sudan, Uganda, and Egypt, among others, they were faced
with how to rule the territories. During that time, there were typically, four ways in which
to rule: by creating an economic company, direct rule, indirect rule, or settler rule. Britain
chose to rule some of their colonies by implementing the economic company rule, which
they would name the British East Africa Company, and the British South Africa company,
which maintained the gold-mining and agriculture, and also colonized Kenya, ruling them
until 1893. For the remaining colonies, they would rule indirectly; this required choosing
someone of that country to rule, and they would be under orders by the British. This was
not the most efficient way to rule because it gave power to only a few people, who would
then have people trying to kill them for power. It also caused more ethnic tensions and
fighting for power and control as well.
It is apparent that the colonization of Africa was absolutely devastating to
the present and future landscape of the continent. While Britain was not an overly
aggressive or brutal force, they managed to gain a large share of colonies by their brute
strength and know-how. They were the most feared and advanced nation at the time, and
that allowed them to continue their grip of power. Their participation in dividing Africa
still has major implications today, as tribes and ethnic groups still continue fighting, even
on some of the same issues that were a source of conflict even over 100 years ago. And
what’s most ironic is that the colonization of Africa was because of Britain needing to
maintain their hold on India.
yeah i know it wasnt 7 pages, only about 6..i didnt really give a fuck, its the last college paper ill ever have to write and i didnt have much to lose, so its whatever..
senioritis is a bitch lol, 2 months and 20 days..
heres a paper i did on queen victoria, in case any of you scumbags need one for her..i got a 94 on it..im not gonna format it for here, you can do that if u want it bad enough..
Queen Victoria
Alexandrina Victoria was born May 24, 1819 in London, England. Behind her 3
older brothers and her father, Prince Edward, she was fifth in-line to assume power to the
throne. Shortly thereafter, her father and grandfather (King George III) both died within
nine months of her birth and her uncle (who would assume power as King George IV)
ascended to the throne. However, William IV (the third son of George III) had 10 children
but since none of them were legitimate, Victoria was therefore deemed heiress to the
throne. By the time she was 3 years old, Victoria was taught English and French (her first
language was German) and knew the Italian and Greek languages by the time she reached
8. These were just some of the many privileges she was accustomed to as she grew up; she
was raised very carefully and was very much over-protected. As a young child, she was
taught how to save and spend her money very wisely and received a “hands-on” lesson to
that in her weekly allowance; in fact, local shopkeepers were told not to extend her any
lines of credit; if she didn’t have enough money to purchase a toy or piece of candy, she
would simply have to wait until she received her next allowance to pay for it.
Since Victoria was not allowed a lot of outside contact with other children (for fear
that she could be corrupted or exposed to things that her family didn’t want her to see),
she spent most of her time at home, playing with her many wooden dolls and dollhouses.
This would actually continue until she was about 14-15 years old, when she realized that a
girl her age shouldn’t be playing with things that were meant for someone half her age. (On
a side note, 132 of her dolls are still around today, preserved from being packed up and put
in storage when she was done with them) About two years later in 1835, just barely after
turning 16 years old, Victoria would be confirmed in the Chapel Royal, which is linked to
the Church of England through the Ecclesiastical Household.
On June 20, 1837, Victoria would take power as the Queen of the United Kingdom
following the death of King William IV. Slightly over a year later on June 28, 1838, in front
of over 300,000 people, she was officially coronated (British version of Inauguration),
becoming the first woman to ever lead the UK. In another milestone, she became the first
Monarch to ever live in Buckingham Palace, which George III had bought in 1861 and
made additions to over the years. Following her coronation, Victoria made one of the
largest speeches in royal history, stating:
“I ascend the throne with a deep sense of the responsibility which is imposed upon
me; but I am supported by the consciousness of my own right intentions, and by my dependence upon the protection of almighty God. It will be my care to strengthen our institutions, civil and ecclesiastical, by discreet improvement wherever improvement is required, and to do all in my power to compose and allay animosity and discord. Acting upon these principles, I shall upon all occasions look with confidence to the wisdom of parliament and the affections of my people, which form the true support of the
dignity of the crown, and ensure the stability of the constitution.” (Anonymous)
This speech would prove to win over the hearts of the British citizens, as no King
before them had ever given such an impassioned and “connecting” speech such as hers. It
also gave them the confidence that despite being just 18 years old, she knew what her new
job would entail and would be fully committed to doing whatever it took to accomplish her
tasks. She also brought about many changes; for example, when she was presented a death
warrant to sign, she asked the presenter “Have you nothing to say in behalf of this man?”
(Anonymous) When he replied that the soldier had gone AWOL three times from active
service, but at the same time had a good reputation as a nice person, she refused to sign it
and pardoned the soldier. Rulers before her would have condemned him without a second
thought, but this was a new era.
On February 10, 1840, Victoria would marry her Prime Minister, as well as first
cousin, Prince Albert. They had only known each other for four years, but she was so much
in love with him that she was the one who proposed. They would end up being married for
21 years and have nine children together. Being so distraught, Victoria would wear black
for the rest of her life as a tribute and show of mourning for her late husband and would
never re-marry.
Over the course of her life, Victoria was subject to several assassination attempts,
including an unsuccessful attempted bombing, and unruly employees. The assassination
attempts would cause Parliament to pass the Treason Act of 1842 in which, for the first
time, a person would NOT receive the death penalty for using a deadly weapon to commit
harm to the ruler; they would receive 7 years in prison and flogging instead. In 1851,
Victoria would finally be able to rid herself of her Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston.
From the moment she named him to that position to the time he was removed from office,
Palmerston drew her ire by making critical foreign policy decisions without so much as
consulting her or the Prime Minister. In addition, he would also send correspondences to
foreign leaders without her knowledge, leading to awkward communication sometimes.
However, the last straw came in 1851 when he gave “British Government approval” to
Napoleon Bonaparte’s coup in France without consulting anyone.
Throughout the 1850’s through the early 1870’s Victoria would help save Ireland
from the famine and poverty it was in. She would become very popular there, and
eventually “cut them off” in the 1880’s when they didn’t congratulate her son on his
wedding and first-born child. She would finish out her life by being named the Empress of
India in 1876, and would enjoy that title up until her death on January 22, 1901 at 81 years
old.
When Victoria came to power in 1837-38, the Liberal “Whig” party had barely just
begun to come back into power after nearly a 30-year Conservative Tory rule. However,
she had many friends in the Whig party and began to support their cause, which eventually
cemented their power in place. While Britain up to this point had primarily been very
conservative in their values and beliefs, Victoria sought to change things around. The
Whigs believed in many things that earlier had been formed in America; free speech and
press, free-trade, the right to vote, little government intervention in economics, and the
belief that people should be free to practice their own religion if they didn’t belong to the
Church of England. But this battle was much more up-hill and tougher than even she could
have imagined; as conservatives, the goals of the Tories were keeping intact the social
institutions of the country and all the traditions/beliefs that came with them. And in stark
contrast to the Whigs, they didn’t favor freedom of religion; it was more of a “you’re with
us or against us” mentality and if you weren’t a member of the Church of England, you
were essentially blackballed. The power of the Tories would be on display in the early
1830’s when in 1832, the Whigs successfully passed the first known abolition to slavery,
and also passed the Reform Act, (which demanded social & government reform) but
neither move did much to establish their power. When Victoria began showing her
allegiance, the Whig party came back to being a dominant major power, despite the Tories
winning the majority in the lower Parliament in an 1841 election. From 1833-56, the Whigs
would reign in Britain thanks to the influence of the Queen, and those intangibles are still
felt today in that there is still freedom of speech and press, people have the right to their
religion, and the right to vote for whom they choose.
One of Queen Victoria’s most subtle “contributions” to society was her inherited
Hemophilia disorder. Hemophilia is a gene problem where one can literally bleed to death
from something such as a cut because the blood takes longer to clot and typically need an
injection for it to stop. While it is believed that her father, Edward, was the carrier, it has
never been proven. However, three of Victoria’s nine children inherited this problem and
subsequently spread them around as they married and had children who became carriers
as well. In fact, this would be so widespread that it would have an effect on the ruling
party in Spain. Her youngest daughter (and final child), Beatrice, would go on to have
several children of her own, including a daughter named Victoria Eugenie, who would
eventually marry King Alfonso XIII. Despite his advisors telling him that marrying a
Protestant would cause conflicts of interest in terms of medical practices, he brushed them
off and married her anyway, not realizing what lay ahead. After several years of marriage,
they had five boys, and two girls. Of the 5 boys, only one was deemed fit to succeed Alfonso
because Spanish law dictated that any sort of medical defect in a son automatically banned
him from succeeding his father. Many people were outraged that this marriage caused so
many medical issues and possibly changed the course of history; there were also many
protests and anti-British sentiment, including several assassination attempts, and at one
point nearly causing a Britain-Spain war. This would lead to strained relations between the
countries for several years before ties were normalized in the 1910’s.
When one thinks of the annual “World’s Fair” and how amazing it is year in and
year out, not many realize that Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, with the help of
several other individuals were actually the founders of it. While it is well documented that
Albert was the lead creative force behind the creation and planning, it was Victoria’s love
of the arts that became the major inspiration for this event. Nearly six million people from
all over the world showed up to view the various types and works of art, science, and
technology, including the Crystal Palace building, which was built in just nine months in
order to house all the artwork for the show, as well as in order to show off cutting-edge
Victorian architecture. The highlight of this event, however, was the displaying of the first
camera. The financial success from this show would greatly allow Victoria to invest back
into Britain by allowing the building of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Science
Museum, and the Imperial Institute. In addition, there some money left over and that was
then put into a special trust fund that provides for industrial research, and amazingly that
trust is still up and running, providing grants to qualified individuals and companies
currently. Finally, the exterior design of the Crystal Palace would serve as a shining
example of the Victorian Era—bright, cutting edge, and a basic design for current and
future architecture.
Queen Victoria’s personal relationships and hatred of war allowed her reign to
proceed relatively peacefully and without many setbacks. According to Brittania.com, “The
success in avoiding European entanglements was, in large part, due to the marriage of
Victoria's children: either directly or by marriage, she was related to the royal houses of
Germany, Russia, Greece, Rumania, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Belgium. Nicholas II
of Russia was married to Victoria's granddaughter Alexandra, earning him the nickname
"dear Nicky", and the dreaded Emperor of Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II, was her
grandson "Willy". Having these relationships was crucial to the success of her reign
because Britain ruled over so much of the world at the time, and it helped prevent many
conflicts that easily could have arose. Victoria was very strict and domineering with her
children, and this included when they were adults as well. Aside from the 1848 Irish
uprising, the 1853-56 Crimean war against Russia, and the 1857 Indian Rebellion, her
reign was, for the most part, peaceful and stable, and she prided herself and country on
that. She believed that peace was the best way to remain powerful, and operated in that
manner, setting a standard for others to follow.
Prior to Queen Victoria’s ascension to the throne in 1837, the previous Hanover
monarchy had “been associated with old age, infirmity, corruption, and greed, and the
young queen Victoria….consequently appeared as a breath of fresh air, revitalizing the
public image of a moribund institution.” (Bell, p.7) This couldn’t have been more true of
the period in which Victoria reigned; in the period following her coronation, the public fell
in love with her as a person, and as a ruler because of what she represented; it was under
her that the middle class began to prosper for the first time through her using investing
heavily in the industrial industry, and pouring profits from Britain’s global ventures into
infrastructure. Most importantly, the people felt a connection to her unlike any ruler
before, and this went for those who lived in the British colonies, including Canada, Ireland,
South Africa, and many others. Her name carried much clout wherever it was heard or
spoken, and for that, wasn’t just known as an era or an age, but a time of huge growth and
major reform for the UK. She also knew that she was always at a possible disadvantage
being a female ruler, and not always being taken seriously. But she knew that the key to
her success would be in “representing as exemplifying all the moral and leadership
qualities that the patriot king was supposed to possess.” (Bell) Queen Victoria had a major
influence on the lives of not just ordinary Europeans, but across the world as well; by
choosing Ottawa as the Canadian capitol in 1857, she provided them a city in which they
could defend themselves from a U.S. attack; she gave assistance to Ireland (which was
under British rule) when they were at a point of declining population and major poverty;
and she eventually became the Empress of India when Britain officially incorporated their
possessions into their empire.
During her reign as Queen and even following her death, Victoria was a model of
loyalty, dedication, and reform to her people. Her impacts on the UK have been long-
lasting, and have helped set the model for how those citizens live today.
senioritis is a bitch lol, 2 months and 20 days..
heres a paper i did on queen victoria, in case any of you scumbags need one for her..i got a 94 on it..im not gonna format it for here, you can do that if u want it bad enough..
Queen Victoria
Alexandrina Victoria was born May 24, 1819 in London, England. Behind her 3
older brothers and her father, Prince Edward, she was fifth in-line to assume power to the
throne. Shortly thereafter, her father and grandfather (King George III) both died within
nine months of her birth and her uncle (who would assume power as King George IV)
ascended to the throne. However, William IV (the third son of George III) had 10 children
but since none of them were legitimate, Victoria was therefore deemed heiress to the
throne. By the time she was 3 years old, Victoria was taught English and French (her first
language was German) and knew the Italian and Greek languages by the time she reached
8. These were just some of the many privileges she was accustomed to as she grew up; she
was raised very carefully and was very much over-protected. As a young child, she was
taught how to save and spend her money very wisely and received a “hands-on” lesson to
that in her weekly allowance; in fact, local shopkeepers were told not to extend her any
lines of credit; if she didn’t have enough money to purchase a toy or piece of candy, she
would simply have to wait until she received her next allowance to pay for it.
Since Victoria was not allowed a lot of outside contact with other children (for fear
that she could be corrupted or exposed to things that her family didn’t want her to see),
she spent most of her time at home, playing with her many wooden dolls and dollhouses.
This would actually continue until she was about 14-15 years old, when she realized that a
girl her age shouldn’t be playing with things that were meant for someone half her age. (On
a side note, 132 of her dolls are still around today, preserved from being packed up and put
in storage when she was done with them) About two years later in 1835, just barely after
turning 16 years old, Victoria would be confirmed in the Chapel Royal, which is linked to
the Church of England through the Ecclesiastical Household.
On June 20, 1837, Victoria would take power as the Queen of the United Kingdom
following the death of King William IV. Slightly over a year later on June 28, 1838, in front
of over 300,000 people, she was officially coronated (British version of Inauguration),
becoming the first woman to ever lead the UK. In another milestone, she became the first
Monarch to ever live in Buckingham Palace, which George III had bought in 1861 and
made additions to over the years. Following her coronation, Victoria made one of the
largest speeches in royal history, stating:
“I ascend the throne with a deep sense of the responsibility which is imposed upon
me; but I am supported by the consciousness of my own right intentions, and by my dependence upon the protection of almighty God. It will be my care to strengthen our institutions, civil and ecclesiastical, by discreet improvement wherever improvement is required, and to do all in my power to compose and allay animosity and discord. Acting upon these principles, I shall upon all occasions look with confidence to the wisdom of parliament and the affections of my people, which form the true support of the
dignity of the crown, and ensure the stability of the constitution.” (Anonymous)
This speech would prove to win over the hearts of the British citizens, as no King
before them had ever given such an impassioned and “connecting” speech such as hers. It
also gave them the confidence that despite being just 18 years old, she knew what her new
job would entail and would be fully committed to doing whatever it took to accomplish her
tasks. She also brought about many changes; for example, when she was presented a death
warrant to sign, she asked the presenter “Have you nothing to say in behalf of this man?”
(Anonymous) When he replied that the soldier had gone AWOL three times from active
service, but at the same time had a good reputation as a nice person, she refused to sign it
and pardoned the soldier. Rulers before her would have condemned him without a second
thought, but this was a new era.
On February 10, 1840, Victoria would marry her Prime Minister, as well as first
cousin, Prince Albert. They had only known each other for four years, but she was so much
in love with him that she was the one who proposed. They would end up being married for
21 years and have nine children together. Being so distraught, Victoria would wear black
for the rest of her life as a tribute and show of mourning for her late husband and would
never re-marry.
Over the course of her life, Victoria was subject to several assassination attempts,
including an unsuccessful attempted bombing, and unruly employees. The assassination
attempts would cause Parliament to pass the Treason Act of 1842 in which, for the first
time, a person would NOT receive the death penalty for using a deadly weapon to commit
harm to the ruler; they would receive 7 years in prison and flogging instead. In 1851,
Victoria would finally be able to rid herself of her Foreign Secretary, Lord Palmerston.
From the moment she named him to that position to the time he was removed from office,
Palmerston drew her ire by making critical foreign policy decisions without so much as
consulting her or the Prime Minister. In addition, he would also send correspondences to
foreign leaders without her knowledge, leading to awkward communication sometimes.
However, the last straw came in 1851 when he gave “British Government approval” to
Napoleon Bonaparte’s coup in France without consulting anyone.
Throughout the 1850’s through the early 1870’s Victoria would help save Ireland
from the famine and poverty it was in. She would become very popular there, and
eventually “cut them off” in the 1880’s when they didn’t congratulate her son on his
wedding and first-born child. She would finish out her life by being named the Empress of
India in 1876, and would enjoy that title up until her death on January 22, 1901 at 81 years
old.
When Victoria came to power in 1837-38, the Liberal “Whig” party had barely just
begun to come back into power after nearly a 30-year Conservative Tory rule. However,
she had many friends in the Whig party and began to support their cause, which eventually
cemented their power in place. While Britain up to this point had primarily been very
conservative in their values and beliefs, Victoria sought to change things around. The
Whigs believed in many things that earlier had been formed in America; free speech and
press, free-trade, the right to vote, little government intervention in economics, and the
belief that people should be free to practice their own religion if they didn’t belong to the
Church of England. But this battle was much more up-hill and tougher than even she could
have imagined; as conservatives, the goals of the Tories were keeping intact the social
institutions of the country and all the traditions/beliefs that came with them. And in stark
contrast to the Whigs, they didn’t favor freedom of religion; it was more of a “you’re with
us or against us” mentality and if you weren’t a member of the Church of England, you
were essentially blackballed. The power of the Tories would be on display in the early
1830’s when in 1832, the Whigs successfully passed the first known abolition to slavery,
and also passed the Reform Act, (which demanded social & government reform) but
neither move did much to establish their power. When Victoria began showing her
allegiance, the Whig party came back to being a dominant major power, despite the Tories
winning the majority in the lower Parliament in an 1841 election. From 1833-56, the Whigs
would reign in Britain thanks to the influence of the Queen, and those intangibles are still
felt today in that there is still freedom of speech and press, people have the right to their
religion, and the right to vote for whom they choose.
One of Queen Victoria’s most subtle “contributions” to society was her inherited
Hemophilia disorder. Hemophilia is a gene problem where one can literally bleed to death
from something such as a cut because the blood takes longer to clot and typically need an
injection for it to stop. While it is believed that her father, Edward, was the carrier, it has
never been proven. However, three of Victoria’s nine children inherited this problem and
subsequently spread them around as they married and had children who became carriers
as well. In fact, this would be so widespread that it would have an effect on the ruling
party in Spain. Her youngest daughter (and final child), Beatrice, would go on to have
several children of her own, including a daughter named Victoria Eugenie, who would
eventually marry King Alfonso XIII. Despite his advisors telling him that marrying a
Protestant would cause conflicts of interest in terms of medical practices, he brushed them
off and married her anyway, not realizing what lay ahead. After several years of marriage,
they had five boys, and two girls. Of the 5 boys, only one was deemed fit to succeed Alfonso
because Spanish law dictated that any sort of medical defect in a son automatically banned
him from succeeding his father. Many people were outraged that this marriage caused so
many medical issues and possibly changed the course of history; there were also many
protests and anti-British sentiment, including several assassination attempts, and at one
point nearly causing a Britain-Spain war. This would lead to strained relations between the
countries for several years before ties were normalized in the 1910’s.
When one thinks of the annual “World’s Fair” and how amazing it is year in and
year out, not many realize that Queen Victoria and her husband, Albert, with the help of
several other individuals were actually the founders of it. While it is well documented that
Albert was the lead creative force behind the creation and planning, it was Victoria’s love
of the arts that became the major inspiration for this event. Nearly six million people from
all over the world showed up to view the various types and works of art, science, and
technology, including the Crystal Palace building, which was built in just nine months in
order to house all the artwork for the show, as well as in order to show off cutting-edge
Victorian architecture. The highlight of this event, however, was the displaying of the first
camera. The financial success from this show would greatly allow Victoria to invest back
into Britain by allowing the building of the Victoria & Albert Museum, the Science
Museum, and the Imperial Institute. In addition, there some money left over and that was
then put into a special trust fund that provides for industrial research, and amazingly that
trust is still up and running, providing grants to qualified individuals and companies
currently. Finally, the exterior design of the Crystal Palace would serve as a shining
example of the Victorian Era—bright, cutting edge, and a basic design for current and
future architecture.
Queen Victoria’s personal relationships and hatred of war allowed her reign to
proceed relatively peacefully and without many setbacks. According to Brittania.com, “The
success in avoiding European entanglements was, in large part, due to the marriage of
Victoria's children: either directly or by marriage, she was related to the royal houses of
Germany, Russia, Greece, Rumania, Sweden, Denmark, Norway and Belgium. Nicholas II
of Russia was married to Victoria's granddaughter Alexandra, earning him the nickname
"dear Nicky", and the dreaded Emperor of Germany, Kaiser Wilhelm II, was her
grandson "Willy". Having these relationships was crucial to the success of her reign
because Britain ruled over so much of the world at the time, and it helped prevent many
conflicts that easily could have arose. Victoria was very strict and domineering with her
children, and this included when they were adults as well. Aside from the 1848 Irish
uprising, the 1853-56 Crimean war against Russia, and the 1857 Indian Rebellion, her
reign was, for the most part, peaceful and stable, and she prided herself and country on
that. She believed that peace was the best way to remain powerful, and operated in that
manner, setting a standard for others to follow.
Prior to Queen Victoria’s ascension to the throne in 1837, the previous Hanover
monarchy had “been associated with old age, infirmity, corruption, and greed, and the
young queen Victoria….consequently appeared as a breath of fresh air, revitalizing the
public image of a moribund institution.” (Bell, p.7) This couldn’t have been more true of
the period in which Victoria reigned; in the period following her coronation, the public fell
in love with her as a person, and as a ruler because of what she represented; it was under
her that the middle class began to prosper for the first time through her using investing
heavily in the industrial industry, and pouring profits from Britain’s global ventures into
infrastructure. Most importantly, the people felt a connection to her unlike any ruler
before, and this went for those who lived in the British colonies, including Canada, Ireland,
South Africa, and many others. Her name carried much clout wherever it was heard or
spoken, and for that, wasn’t just known as an era or an age, but a time of huge growth and
major reform for the UK. She also knew that she was always at a possible disadvantage
being a female ruler, and not always being taken seriously. But she knew that the key to
her success would be in “representing as exemplifying all the moral and leadership
qualities that the patriot king was supposed to possess.” (Bell) Queen Victoria had a major
influence on the lives of not just ordinary Europeans, but across the world as well; by
choosing Ottawa as the Canadian capitol in 1857, she provided them a city in which they
could defend themselves from a U.S. attack; she gave assistance to Ireland (which was
under British rule) when they were at a point of declining population and major poverty;
and she eventually became the Empress of India when Britain officially incorporated their
possessions into their empire.
During her reign as Queen and even following her death, Victoria was a model of
loyalty, dedication, and reform to her people. Her impacts on the UK have been long-
lasting, and have helped set the model for how those citizens live today.
