Class in Victorian Society

- What was the general economic condition in the Victorian era? How did the industrial revolution effect socio-economic classes?

Definition of Class:
A group of people who share the same economic or social status/rank.
A social hierarchy based on honour and prestige
Class is closely related to etiquette and morality


• people having the same social, economic, or educational status; "the working class"; "an emerging professional class"

Where did this idea come from?
We dont know. Class has existed forever? even animals have class, such as leaders and servants.
How was class determined in Victorian society? How were the classes demarcated?
The concept of class in Victorian society is similar to that of modern day. Class was determined by power, which in turn may be judged by occupation and wealth. Children inherited the current social class of their parents, or immediate family. A blacksmith, such as Joe, fits in the lower classes since he has no money and does not command respect. Someone such as Miss Havisham can win the respect of others with her wealth; therefore she is of a high class.

What were the markers of class in Victorian society?
Manners and etiquette were very important. Wealthy classes dressed nicely and had time to follow all the conventions of the day. Poor people could not afford nice clothes or jewelry. In England, your accent would also be affected by your class. The people within each class usually kept to themselves; in Victorian England interclass interaction was discouraged, comparable to the white-black separation of 18th century America. A more physical boundary would be the division of neighborhoods, where people of different classes converged.

What was the general economic condition in the Victorian era? How did the industrial revolution effect socio-economic classes?
In the Victorian era, the general economic condition was greatly divided between the small upper class, who controlled almost all of the wealth, and the vast amount of people living on the edge of starvation. There were three main classes. The upper class, or aristocracy, who were extremely rich because of inheritance and investments and spent their time showing off their wealth with lavish parties; the middle class, such as doctors or teachers; and the lower class, such as soldiers or servants. At the very bottome of the lower class were "the poor." These people lived in terrible poverty, but they were often ignored by the rest of society, who felt they "deserved what they got."