Customer Reviews

Victoria's Empire [VHS]

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In the history of the world, there has never been an empire larger, in terms of area, than the British Empire at the time of Queen Victoria's death. Only the recently deceased Soviet Empire had a larger population. However, what is more astounding is that at one time the British Empire controlled three-fourths of the world's international trade, which by 1900, was substantial. As empires go, British rule was largely benevolent, which is why such a small nation was able to effectively rule over so much territory and people. When they arrived, the British brought a code of laws, government and programs of public works that generally improved the lives of those brought under their colonial rule. This tape is a chronicle of how they were able to do that, and it is very well done.
Until I watched this tape, I knew very little about Prince Albert, Queen Victoria's husband. A German Prince, his marriage to Queen Victoria was not popular among many of the British ruling class. However, he was her true love, and he did as much to assist in the expansion of the empire as anyone else. He was without question a man far ahead of his time. A social liberal, he was one of the earliest and strongest champions of furthering the empire by using trade rather than armed might. Albert was also deeply concerned about the plight of the British poor, doing as much as he could to improve their conditions. Unlike so many of his fellow rulers, he was well aware of the simmering resentment of the working class. Albert was a most impressive man, and had he lived as long as Victoria, his influence would have made the empire much more stable.
There is no doubt that the high point of the tape is one that I had never heard of before, but is difficult to dispute. The point is that while the opening of the Suez canal led to the faster transfer of goods between India and the British Isles, it also led to changes in the relations between the British in India and the Indians. Before the opening of the canal, the length of time for a ship to travel between Britain and India was so great, few British women immigrated to India. Therefore, the British men who ruled the country lived among the Indians, married Indian women, learned the languages, the customs and largely treated the Indians as equals. Once the canal was opened and the travel time drastically reduced, many British women began to move to India. However, when the British women arrived, being generally of the upper crust, they brought British society with them, refusing to give it up. This led to the creation of the foreign enclaves, the establishment of foreign privilege, and greater resentment among the Indians. A fascinating point of history, I wonder if this occurred in other empires.
Another major point of great interest is how sometimes the actions of a very few men led to the expansion of the empire. Adventurers like Livingstone, Gordon and Rhodes sometimes pushed the ruling classes to do things that they did not want to do. In the case of Rhodes, his actions led to a war in southern Africa between the British army and white settlers. If there is one fundamental historical point that is made it is that sometimes the actions of one person lead to nations doing things that otherwise would not happen.
The final major point that I found of great interest is the running political battle between Gladstone and Disraeli, who were Prime Ministers of Britain during the time of expansion and whose positions were on the opposite extremes. Disraeli favored the expansion of the empire while Gladstone did not, although there were times when he was forced to accept the acquisition of new territory. There is no question that if Prince Albert had lived, he would have been strongly allied with the Gladstone position.
While making historical predictions is a fool's task, it would be a very good one to say that there will never again be another empire to rival that of the British. This is a story of how limited power was widely used to build an empire, only secondarily does it deal with Queen Victoria. While she was the ruler, Victoria was often controlled by events, which are chronicled in detail and placed in their proper historical context. It is a great tape that should be required viewing in all classes dealing with the history of the nineteenth century.

If you're looking for a good basic understanding of the British Empire under Queen Victoria, I couldn't think of a better place to get it.

Narrated by Donald Sutherland, what I found so fascinating about this entire video were the ties you could make after watching it between Victorian times and today. The disputes over globalization (although the sides have flip-flopped somewhat), the leftover problems in Africa and India that we're still dealing with and the parliamentary debates of Victoria's time all reflect problems we're still wrestling with.

Well worth the watch...!

Queen Victoria's Empire takes you on a journey of one of the world's most vast empires under a single sovereign.

The series comprises of four hours - each focusing on a different aspect of the Victorian empire. The first hour looks at how the nation rocketed to industrial status with the invention of the steam engine while her people suffered under the adverse effects of the Industrial Revolution.

The second hour is primarily based on the conquest of India, first under the East India Company and then the transfer of India to the British Crown after the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857.

Exploration of Africa by Livingstone and a tussle of power between Disraeli and Gladstone form the main subject of the third part. The last hour further focuses on expansion into Africa by Rhodes.

Throughout the first two hours, there is considerable attention given to Queen Victoria's husband - an idealist and a supporter of new technology - and how he was a guide and mentor to her. One sees how Queen Victoria's persona changes after she loses her husband.

The other part covered through most of the four hours is the animosity between Disraeli and Gladstone. Disraeli's goals for the empire centered on increased imperial conquests and it was he and his ideals that were in favor with the Queen.

The narration in the entire series is excellent which is typical of PBS documentaries. It is also full of narration from Queen Victoria's own diary which gives an insight into her actual thoughts instead of interpretations by biographers.

Nevertheless, with a four hour running time, the series is needlessly stretched. It covers small events which might not have been necessary. Due to this, it becomes hard to maintain the viewer's interest for the entire 4 hours unless one is really interested in the subject.

For the British Queen Victoria is an icon in British history, but for the natives of British colonies, Her Majesty is the queen of mean for the rest of world.

In order to colonize chosen areas the British killed and enslaved the natives who dared to resist. The laws were only imposed upon the natives and not valid to the British. The British by any mean shipped the best of anything from the colonies to England; some given to the Queen or her family members; some remained in the British Museum; some granted to those who wre knighted.

Foe example Greek government has been requesting the British for returning statutes.

Queen Victoria's Empire provides a good overview of problems faced by Her Majesty's government in aquiring and managing the British Empire. The switch in approach toward empire following the death of Albert is also highlighted though I feel that the historian Weintraub overstates the role that Albert played in Victoria's government. The dramatization of events interlaced with historical commentary by noted experts provides the context in which to view the period. My students enjoy watching it as they gain a greater insight by viewing the people, places, and events after they have read their textbook.

Note the title is Queen Victoria's EMPIRE, this is a documentary about the British Empire during the 19th century not a biography of Victoria...who just happened to be the queen then. What did I learn about her life? She wrote letters every now and then. The filmmaker found Prince Albert more interesting than Victoria! I saw the first 2 hours, got so bored I didn't watch the last two.