The Modern Age The Modern Period 1901 1939

The Modern Age The Modern Period (1901 - 1939) Key periods: 1901 -1910 Edward VII 1910 -1936 George V

EDWARD VII (1901 – 1910) The Edwardian Period lasted from 1901 to 1910, during which the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII (1841 -1910), reigned as King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland of the British Dominions and Emperor of India. King Edward VII

• The influence of King Edward VII dominated this period. His manner of dress, speech, leisure, amusements–and those with whom he chose to be friend, were imitated by those who wished to be accepted as “smart”

• In the Western world, this time period saw a great social change and an increase of the power and luxury of the ruling elite. • Wealth was abundant • The arts (theater, opera, ballet, painting, literature, music) produced genius and modern movements

• Great Britain was the most powerful nation in the world but the pomp of the aristocracy and royalty, coexisted with civil rights and independence movements, Socialism, immigration, and technological advances Women working in a factory Women driving a car

In the USA • Progressive politics shaped the United States. • Guided by the charismatic Theodore Roosevelt, America began to take its place as a world power. Theodore Roosevelt 1858 - 1919

• In America this time period was known as the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. • Its rapid industrialization was encouraged by the concept of “Manifest Destiny”, or the idea that “uncivilized” people could be improved by exposure to the Christian, democratic values of the United States.

Social unrest • On both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, suffrage for both men and women moved increasingly towards violent demonstrations. Emmeline Pankhurst Christabel Pankhurst

• During this period, African-Americans lost many of the civil rights gained during Reconstruction • However, this was also a time of intense racial pride, which resulted in the foundation of various African-American social groups.

Science and Technology Many things were invented: telephones, typewriters, sewing machines, motorcars, aeroplanes.

George V (1910 – 1936) • When Edward VII died, in 1910, his younger son became king George V'. • His reign began amid the constitutional crisis over the House of Lords, which refused to pass a Parliament Bill limiting its powers.

• In 1911 George V and his wife, Queen Mary, toured India as Emperor and Empress of India. • During George V’s reign World War I broke out in July 1914.

• Great Britain was a member of the Triple Entente, together with France and Russia. Its rivals were Germany, Austria and Italy which formed the Triple Alliance. • Trench warfare became the main method of fighting.

The total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I was over 38 million

The Irish Question • The reign of George V saw many changes within the British Empire. Rebellion in Ireland in 1916 resulted in an independent Irish parliament and later a geographic division along religious lines. Dublin, Easter Rising , 1916

Windsor Castle In 1917, in response to deep anti-German sentiment in Britain, the king replaced his Germanic name (Hanover) with the name of Windsor (after the castle of the same name)

The Treaty of Versailles • In 1917 the USA joined the conflict and on November 11, 1918 the war ended. The Peace Treaty was signed in Versailles, France, in 1919 The cessation of fighting along the entire Western Front began on November 11 at precisely 11 AM. The signing of the Treaty of Versailles in the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles in 1919

The Aftermath • By war’s end, the map of Europe began to resemble the one we know today. The German and Austro-Hungarian empires ceased to exist. Much of eastern Europe, in particular, was re-divided along ethno-linguistic lines.

• The aftermath of World War I also marked the practical end of monarchy on the continent and of European colonialism throughout the rest of the world. • The brutality of the conflict and the enormous loss of human life inspired a determination among nations to rely upon diplomacy to resolve conflicts in the future. • This resolve directly inspired the birth of the League of Nations.

The Great Depression • The Great Depression began in the United States as an ordinary recession in the summer of 1929.

• • • Real output and prices fell precipitously Industrial production declined 47 percent The Great Depression caused drastic declines in output, severe unemployment and acute deflation in almost every country of the world Britain did not slip into severe depression, however, until early 1930. Britain's world trade fell by half (1929– 33). Unemployed people in front of a workhouse in London, 1930 In Britain the great depression was called The Great Slump

The decline of the British Empire • The post–World War I period brought change to the empire itself as Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa demanded and received the right of self-governance and formed the Commonwealth of Nations in 1931. India followed, achieving some degree of self-determinism in 1935.