- Alfred Dreyus, an innocent Jewish man who was a Captain in the army , was accused of treason in France in 1898
- He was accused of passing treasonous notes to the Germans
- This juicy incident has a lot to do with it's time. it was the time of YELLOW JOURNALISM, which means that newspapers exaggerate stories to sell (this is why it reminds us of modern times)
- So the Church had MAJOR influence over society and this altercation was not surprising because Dreyus was Jewish and the tensions among the Church and all else had been building up for many years
What's happening in Britain?
- there's a battle and tension between the Conservatives and Liberals in Parliament. at the time it was two party system but this changed to a multi-party system that is used today and in many other countries
- the multi-party system makes the parties work together and cross party lines to form majority government. this process also gives people more of a voice in the government
- it could not have happened if the reform bills were not passed
- People were getting the right to vote !!!
- (the people)
- the politicians were letting this happen bc they wanted some more support for their ideas
- the First Reform Bill in 1832 increased the number of people allowed to vote from 8% to 12%
- as a reaction John Stuart Mill, a Benthamite, wrote On Liberty
- a Benthamite follows the ideas of Jeremy Bentham, the founder of utilitarianism ---> the greatest good for the greatest number of people
- (Jeremy Bentham)
- his goal was to safeguard individuals' differences and unpopular opinions
- he was all in favor of more people voting but he thought that it was important to protect the voice of the opposing, minority views so that one opinion does not "steamroll" the other
- why would this protection be needed at this time?
- so there's a new urban class bc of the Industrial Rev. and they're being mistreated and simply bc the minority voice was not being heard
- the Second Reform Bill in 1867
- Disraeli (Prime Minister) and the Conservatives extended the vote to all middle-class males and the best-paid workers when they passed this
- Disraeli was willing to "take a leap in the dark," meaning that he was willing to listen to the people (not than the aristocrats, the middle class people) in hopes that he would gain popularity and votes. it was a "leap in the dark" because there was a 50/50 chance that "the people" would take to his politics
- the Third Reform Bill of 1884
- gave a vote to ALMOST every adult male
- by this time the Chartists' (from last chapter) wants were mostly fulfilled
- the People's Budget
- it was a bill for social welfare for the people
- promoted less aristocracy and more democracy
- increased people's mass loyalty to Great Britain
What's up in Ireland?
- it was all controlled by Great Britain
- Gladstone (Prime Minister) wanted to "Pacify Ireland" by setting up a government where the people could rule themselves but still but under the giant umbrella of British lands
- sorta like Canada
- but some people (Protestants in the North) wanted to stay under the British control bc:
- they were tied to GB through their religion (the Church of England)
- they wanted to be part of the greatest empire in the world (at the time)
- the people in the north were descants of the British colonists (so they weren't really Irish)
- opposing them were the people (Catholics in the South) who wanted nothing to do with Britain and wanted their freedom from the suppressor
- the Catholics had been persecuted by the Brits (especially during Cromwell's reign) and wanted out
(the Irish Catholics to the British)
- nothing happened though bc World War I came around and Britain dropped the altercate with the Irish to fight the Axis powers
Marxism?
- back yet again, know that you need to know the Manifesto for the test and that it is a COMPLETE upheaval of society so people are hesitant to believe in it
No comments:
Post a Comment