6.2: The Crimean War and Social Change

The Crimean War

Conflict and Conditions

From 1853 to 1856, Britain, alongside Turkey and France, fought against Russia in the Crimean War. This conflict was one of the first to be widely covered by the media, with news stories and photographs reaching the public. Conditions during the war were poor, and many soldiers died from illnesses contracted in hospitals rather than from injuries sustained in battle. During this war, Queen Victoria introduced the Victoria Cross, a medal awarded for acts of valour by soldiers, which remains one of the highest military honours in Britain.

[Image of the Victoria Cross medal]

Florence Nightingale (1820–1910)

Florence Nightingale was born in Italy to English parents and trained as a nurse in Germany at the age of 31. In 1854, during the Crimean War, she travelled to Turkey to work in military hospitals, where she and her fellow nurses improved the hospital conditions, significantly reducing the mortality rate among soldiers. In 1860, she established the Nightingale Training School for nurses at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. This was the first school of its kind and remains in existence today. Many of her practices are still used in modern nursing, earning her the reputation as the founder of modern nursing.

Ireland in the 19th Century

The Great Famine and Emigration

Conditions in Ireland during the 19th century were significantly worse than in the rest of the UK. Around two-thirds of the population depended on farming, often on very small plots of land. In the mid-19th century, the potato crop failed, resulting in a famine. Over 1 million people died from disease and starvation, while another 1.5 million left Ireland. Many emigrated to the United States, while others came to England. By 1861, large populations of Irish immigrants had settled in cities such as Liverpool, London, Manchester, and Glasgow.

Irish Nationalism and Home Rule

The Irish Nationalist movement gained significant momentum throughout the 19th century. Some groups, like the Fenians, sought complete independence from Britain, while others, such as Charles Stuart Parnell, advocated for Home Rule, which called for Ireland to remain part of the UK but have its own parliament.

The Right to Vote

The Reform Act of 1832

As the middle classes in wealthy industrial towns gained influence, they began to demand more political power. The Reform Act of 1832 expanded the number of people eligible to vote and abolished the old pocket boroughs and rotten boroughs. This shift redistributed parliamentary seats to reflect the growing importance of towns and cities, transferring political power from the countryside to urban areas. However, voting rights were still tied to property ownership, meaning that many members of the working class were excluded from voting.

The Chartists and Voting Reform

A movement emerged to demand voting rights for the working classes and other people without property. These campaigners, known as the Chartists, presented petitions to Parliament. Although their early efforts seemed unsuccessful, the Reform Act of 1867 created more urban seats in Parliament and lowered the property threshold required to vote. However, the majority of men and all women were still excluded from the electorate.

Women’s Rights in the 19th Century

Women’s Property and Earnings

Like the rest of Europe, 19th-century Britain granted women fewer rights than men. Until 1870, when a woman married, her earnings, property, and money automatically became the property of her husband. However, the Married Women’s Property Acts of 1870 and 1882 gave women the right to retain control over their own earnings and property.

The Suffrage Movement

By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, an increasing number of women began campaigning for greater rights, particularly the right to vote. These campaigners formed the women’s suffrage movement and became known as the suffragettes.

Emmeline Pankhurst (1858–1928)

Emmeline Pankhurst was born in Manchester in 1858. In 1889, she founded the Women’s Franchise League, which aimed to secure voting rights in local elections for married women. Later, in 1903, she co-founded the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU), the first organisation whose members were called suffragettes. The WSPU used civil disobedience to advocate for women’s suffrage, including acts such as chaining themselves to railings, smashing windows, and committing arson. Many members, including Emmeline, were imprisoned and went on hunger strikes as part of their protest.

In 1918, partly in recognition of women’s contributions during the First World War, women over the age of 30 were granted the right to vote and to stand for Parliament. Shortly before Emmeline’s death in 1928, voting rights were extended to women aged 21, making them equal to men in this regard.