In 1834 a new Poor Law was introduced. Some people welcomed it     because they believed it would: 

·        reduce the cost of looking after the poor 

·        take beggars off the streets 

·        encourage poor people to work hard to support themselves .

The new Poor Law ensured that the poor were housed in workhouses, clothed and fed. Children who entered the workhouse would receive some schooling. In return for this care, all workhouse paupers would have to work for several hours each day.   However, not all Victorians shared this point of view. Some people, such as Richard Oastler, spoke out against the new Poor Law, calling the workhouses ‘Prisons for the Poor’. The poor themselves hated and feared the threat of the workhouse so much that there were riots in northern towns. 

·         _{"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkess, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair".}                                                                           Charles Dickens 

The Victorian Age is considered to have begun in 1832 with a great social achievement, the First Reform Act. The nation was identified with the Queen: her exemplary way of life, her strict code of behaviour, generally known as "Victorianism", made her beloved especially by the middle classes, who shared her moral and religious views. In 1851, Prince Albert organized the Great Exhibition in London to show the world the Great Britain's superiority in technology and industry. The industrial progress meant that some people became very rich. But there was also great poverty.