Discuss the Theme of Utopianism in 1870s Literature

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Discuss the theme of utopianism in 1870s Literature: The OED defines a ‘utopia’ as a ‘place, state, or condition ideal perfect in respect of politics, laws, customs, and conditions’ , that is to say, that for the Victorians, it presents an emblem of economic sufficiency, societal balance and justice. Yet, portrayals of the pursuit of utopia in the literature of the 1870s draw upon its nowhere-ness and it becomes a screen onto which the concerns and tensions of dystopian Victorian life are projected. The decade of the 1870s marks the beginning of ‘New Imperialism’, an active social movement which promoted a growing interest in the gaining and holding imperial territories; the energies of New Imperialism peaked in 1876 when Queen Victorian was named Empress of India. Imperialism is motivated by a desire to acquire or become a balanced and just nation, and in this drive to generate a sense of empire, we observe a movement towards an even more globalized, and globally significant Britain. In fact, the political balance of power in the 1870s between Gladstone and Disraeli shows how vital foreign policy is to the British electorate. In 1874, Disraeli would go on to win a huge majority and take power from Gladstone, a victory almost exclusively achieved through his attention to Imperial issues. Disraeli described the Liberals as a party that were ‘continental’ and ‘cosmopolitan’ in ideas, but declared that it was the Conservatives who were the truly ‘national’ patriotic party; such sentiments appealed to the working classes. Disraeli's speech in the Free Trade Hall, Manchester in April 1872 marks his support for the Empire, an amelioration of the lives of the working classes, and his own struggle for survival and success. ‘…it is not merely our fleets and armies, our powerful artillery, our accumulated capital, and our unlimited credit on which I so much
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