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1、VICTORIAN BRITAINWhenwedescribe GreatBritaininthe Victorianperiod,wordslike stability,progress,prosperity,reform,and Imperialismcome to mind.The Britishhad groundsforsome satisfactionbecause evidence ofgreateconomic growthand technicalprogressseemed to
2、abound.Despite the continued existenceofwidespread poverty,teeming,miserable slumsand poorworking conditionsinmanyindustries,the Britishcould takesome realpride inthe obviousfactthat the vastmajorityofBritishsubjectswere better fed, betterhoused, and e
3、njoyed more oflife'samenitiesthanever before.Politically,GreatBritainenjoyed remarkable stability.Fromthe momentofher accession,Queen Victoria (r.18371901)showed the qualitiesthatwere to remainwithher throughout her reign: a strong sense ofduty,a convi
4、ctionofmoralrighteousness,and a deep feeling forher country,“since it haspleased Providenceto placeme in this station,”she wrotein her diary,“Ishall domyutmost tofulfillmy dutytowardsmycountry; Iam very young,and perhapsin many,thoughnotin allthings,in
5、experienced,but Iamsure,that very fewhavemore good willand more real desire to do what isfitand right than Ihave.”Queen Victoria’smarriageto the earnestyoung Germanprince,AlbertofSaxeCoburgGotha, helped to establishthe modernrole ofthe Britishmonarchy.
6、Victoria and Albertquickly grasped the significanceofthe monarchy'snew functions,whichcombined a small amountofpoliticalmanipulationwithanunlimitedresponsibilityasthe emotionaland ceremonialfocusofa people insocialturmoil.ItwasAlbertwhose growing domin
7、ation over hiswife forced Victoria to takeaninterest inmatters that had previouslybored her,suchasscienceand literature and evenindustrialprogress.The Crystal Palace:1851In1849,Alberthituponthe ideaofthe GreatExhibition,“togive usa true testand a livin
8、g picture ofthe pointofdevelopmentatwhich the wholeofmankind hasarrived in thisgreattask ofappliedscienceanda new starting pointfromwhichallnations,willbeable to directtheirfurther exertions.” Theprince'sideawasapproved bythe RoyalSocie
