9781422283615

LONDON FROM THE 1700S

In 1714 George I came to the throne and the Georgian

era began. London quickly grew in size and in 1801 the population reached about one million. Merchants and bankers grew rich, and many lived in the new West End . Other people suffered terrible poverty. Thousands lived in filthy East End slums, where disease, crime, and drunkenness were common. Victorian London Queen Victoria came to the throne in 1837. During her reign, Britain became a mighty industrial power, the British Empire grew, and there was a building boom in the capital. The railway arrived, suburbs developed, and the population soared. When Victoria died in 1901, over six million people lived in London.

⌂ Hanover Square was built in the early 18th century. It is typical of the many large, elegant squares built in this era.

The First World War The First World War began in 1914. The first air raid hit London in 1915, and during the war over 835 people were killed in air attacks. While the men were away, women did their jobs. Before the war, suffragettes had been campaigning for votes for women. In 1918, the year the war ended, women over thirty were allowed to vote for the first time.

⌂ In 1851 an event called the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of all Nations was held in London. It took place in a huge glass building called the Crystal Palace.

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Major World Cities