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Background Information to the Romantic Period
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Historical Background of the Romantic Movement in England
Romanticism is a response to neo-Classicism (or the Age of Reason) and in England it lasted from 1789 to 1832. Historians often see the rise of Romanticism connected with the Industrial Revolution, or with the American War of Independence and the French Revolution.
The Industrial Revolution:
The term ‘Industrial Revolution’ was first popularised by Arnold Toynbee (1852-83) to describe England’s economic development from 1760 to 1840, but it is not possible to fix this period of time exactly. The term generally means the development of improved spinning and weaving machines, James Watt’s steam engine, the railway locomotive and the factory system. But there was a long series of fundamental, technological, economic, social and cultural changes which, taken together, constitute the Industrial Revolution. It must be seen more as a process than as a period of time (not revolution, but evolution).
The Industrial Revolution brought two kinds of changes, technological- and socio-economic-cultural changes. The technological changes included the use of new raw materials (iron, steel), new energy sources coal, the steam engine, electricity, petroleum and the internal combustion engine), the invention of new machines (spinning jenny, power loom), new organisation of work (factory system), important developments in transportation and communication (steam locomotive, steamship, automobile, airplane, telegraph, radio)."These technological changes made possible a tremendously increased use of natural resources and the mass production of manufactured goods’’.
The non-industrial changes included agricultural improvements, economic changes (wider distribution of wealth), political changes (new polical innovations corresponding to the needs of an industrialized society), sweeping social changes (growth of cities, development of working-class movements, the emergence of new patterns of authority, cultural transformations of a broad range.
=>The worker aquired new skills, his relationship to his work changed. He became a machine operator, subject to factory discipline.. Finally there was a psychological change: man’s confidence in his ability to use resources and to master nature was heightened.
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English Factory in the 19th century aus: http://islam.org/Science/QuranAndScience/evolution/GeneratedFiles/ImaginaryMechanismsOfEvolution.htm |
The French Revolution:
‘French Revolution’ means the movement in France, between 1787 and 1799, which reached its first climax in 1789 (Revolution of 1789). The events in France gave new hope to other revolutionaries in Europe. All who wanted changes in other countries too, viewed the Revolution with sympathy. Revolutionary clubs were founded and there were demonstrations in the streets in many European countries. The killing of Robbespierre was a very important date for the other European movements.
English political philosophers were deeply influenced by the French Revolution, Thomas Paine for example. In 1787 Thomas Paine (1737-1809) left for England, but after the outbreak of the French Revolution he became deeply involved in it. Paine supported the French Revolution and defended it against the attacks by Edmund Burke. Because of a book that opposed the monarchy in England he was to be arrested, but after having been elected to the National Convention, he was already on his way to France. But 1793 under Robespierre he was arrested, because he had voted against the execution of the dethroned king Louis XVI. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) first viewed the revolution with sympathy too, but later under Robespierre and his reign of terror he was more and more disgusted with it and its violent excesses.
Battle Against the Austrians in the Napoleonic Wars aus: http://britishhistory.about.com/aboutuk/britishhistory/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http% 3A%2F%2Fwww.pagesz.net%2F%7Estevek%2Fintellect%2Flecture11a.html |
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The Napoleonic Wars: The Napoleonic Wars were another big event at that time. Those were the wars led by Napoleon Bonaparte against Europe from the end of the 18th century until the year of 1815. The wars ended in 1815 when Napoleon lost the battle of Waterloo. After the victory over France England became one of the strongest, richest and most powerful countries in the world.
Bildquelle: http://corbis.altavista.com/referrals/av_image_details.asp?linkid=2623&imageid=10210756
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Literatur
1. Encyklopaedia Britannica,William Benton, 1971, U.S.A., Chicago
3. http://britishhistory.about.com
4. http://bartelby.com/221/0504.html
Verfasser: Stefan Ruppert