Great Britain (1800–1870)

In the mid-19th century Britain was called the “workshop of the world”: it produced a large share of the world’s industrial goods and its navy had no equal. In 1825 the world’s first public railway opened, and over the next decades rails covered the country. Industrial towns grew, and workers and businessmen began to demand political rights; the reform of 1832 gave seats in parliament to new towns, and in 1867 the right to vote was widened again. Workers started the Chartist movement — in the People’s Charter they demanded the vote for all men, although these demands were not met at the time. The Factory Act of 1833 limited child labour. In 1851 the first world industrial exhibition was held in London, and in 1867 Canada became a self-governing dominion.