English history and culture of the UK part V + UK Education + UK Media
The Edwardian Age
• 1901: queen Victoria died
o Her son became king: king Edward VII
• The House of Hannover changed to the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
o The husband of queen Victoria was prince, not king
• Mixture of tradition and modernity
• Suffragette movement (see part IV)
• Rise of the Labour Party
o Opposing the Conservative Party
• 1911: social reforms
o Pensions
o National insurance
• New inventions
o Telephones
o The London Underground
o Motorcars
o Trams
o Buses
o Cinema
o Etc.
new inventions caused a sense of optimism in society
• Bloomsbury Group Modernism
o = a group of literary figures meeting in the Bloomsbury area
o Central figures: Virginia Woolf + her husband Leonard
o (new literary movement ‘modernism’)
1
, English history and culture of the UK part V + UK Education + UK Media
First World War
• Put an abrupt hold on the optimism of the Edwardian Era
• 4.08.1914 – 11.11.1918
• Also called ‘the war to end all wars’
o People thought that the war would be over by Christmas
o People thought they were fighting for a good cause
o People thought that this would be the final war
o Changed at the battle of Gallipoli in Turkey
• 1915: battle of Gallipoli
o Was a brutal war, many people died
o A lot of historians say that the perception of the war was very much changed
o Also associated with a loss of innocence + a loss of the concept of heroism in
war
• 1916: Somme offensive
o A number of battles in the valley of the Somme (France)
o More than 19.000 British soldiers were killed in one day
• Trench warfare
• Submarine attacks
o British ships were under attack and people were afraid they would not have
enough supplies
• First voluntary service
o 1916 obligatory (many soldiers died and they needed more men)
• Zeppelin bombing raids on London
• Armistice remembrance and “Buddy Poppies”
o On November the 11th
o People sell “Buddy Poppies” on this day
o About 1/3 of all men born between 1890 and 1895 were killed in war
• Aftermath
o Election reforms
o Spanish flu (killed more people than the war had, in Europe 250.000 people)
2
, English history and culture of the UK part V + UK Education + UK Media
John, McCrae, May 1915
• Great example of optimism people had
• Poem is written at the very beginning of the war and people still believed they were
fighting for a good cause
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith
with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Interbellum
• = period between the First World War and the Second World War
• Period of depression, social unrest and union strikes
o 1924: first Labour government
Because of social unrest and people were unhappy with the
Conservative government
o 1926: general strike
Workers all over the UK
Initiated by coal miners (in conflict with the owners of the pits)
Lasted for about 6 months
Rich owners and pit owners won by starving the strikers
o 1929: London Crash
General economic crash all over the world as well
3
The Edwardian Age
• 1901: queen Victoria died
o Her son became king: king Edward VII
• The House of Hannover changed to the House of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
o The husband of queen Victoria was prince, not king
• Mixture of tradition and modernity
• Suffragette movement (see part IV)
• Rise of the Labour Party
o Opposing the Conservative Party
• 1911: social reforms
o Pensions
o National insurance
• New inventions
o Telephones
o The London Underground
o Motorcars
o Trams
o Buses
o Cinema
o Etc.
new inventions caused a sense of optimism in society
• Bloomsbury Group Modernism
o = a group of literary figures meeting in the Bloomsbury area
o Central figures: Virginia Woolf + her husband Leonard
o (new literary movement ‘modernism’)
1
, English history and culture of the UK part V + UK Education + UK Media
First World War
• Put an abrupt hold on the optimism of the Edwardian Era
• 4.08.1914 – 11.11.1918
• Also called ‘the war to end all wars’
o People thought that the war would be over by Christmas
o People thought they were fighting for a good cause
o People thought that this would be the final war
o Changed at the battle of Gallipoli in Turkey
• 1915: battle of Gallipoli
o Was a brutal war, many people died
o A lot of historians say that the perception of the war was very much changed
o Also associated with a loss of innocence + a loss of the concept of heroism in
war
• 1916: Somme offensive
o A number of battles in the valley of the Somme (France)
o More than 19.000 British soldiers were killed in one day
• Trench warfare
• Submarine attacks
o British ships were under attack and people were afraid they would not have
enough supplies
• First voluntary service
o 1916 obligatory (many soldiers died and they needed more men)
• Zeppelin bombing raids on London
• Armistice remembrance and “Buddy Poppies”
o On November the 11th
o People sell “Buddy Poppies” on this day
o About 1/3 of all men born between 1890 and 1895 were killed in war
• Aftermath
o Election reforms
o Spanish flu (killed more people than the war had, in Europe 250.000 people)
2
, English history and culture of the UK part V + UK Education + UK Media
John, McCrae, May 1915
• Great example of optimism people had
• Poem is written at the very beginning of the war and people still believed they were
fighting for a good cause
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith
with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
Interbellum
• = period between the First World War and the Second World War
• Period of depression, social unrest and union strikes
o 1924: first Labour government
Because of social unrest and people were unhappy with the
Conservative government
o 1926: general strike
Workers all over the UK
Initiated by coal miners (in conflict with the owners of the pits)
Lasted for about 6 months
Rich owners and pit owners won by starving the strikers
o 1929: London Crash
General economic crash all over the world as well
3
