The Aims and Consequences of the Great Exhibition

During the summer of 1851, the Great Exhibition served as a stage to showcase British prowess in a variety of fields. This greatness contrasted with the dark shadow of anarchy and the gutted remains of old regimes on the continent. While strife consumed the rest of Europe, the UK continued to thrive as the “top dog” in world politics and economics. This most clearly manifested itself in the Empire it had crafted through the centuries. Rather than just endure, Britain and the Empire continued to thrive and grow, with the later entity reaping enormous profits and influence for Britain. In both industry and science, Britain led the charge throughout the 19th century, revolutionizing the way in …show more content…
Despite all this change and development in British society, the UK maintained its political hierarchy with the monarchy still in place. Furthermore, appeasing the Chartists—a more reserved reformist group relative to their continental contemporaries—had demonstrated the relative orderliness of the British working class compared to their continental contemporaries. With all of these positives in mind, Queen Victoria’s husband, Alfred, sought to show off Britain’s aforementioned successes on these fronts, as such an aim would demonstrate the stability and preeminent influence Britain held in these aforementioned fields. Therefore—by recognizing the Great Exhibition’s aim as one of promoting the notion of Britain having continued social stability, economic might, and world influence—it can be derived that the three most important consequences of the Great Exhibition were the indoctrination of the working class, the espousal of a pro-imperialism mentality, and the enlargement of British markets through turning the …show more content…
For instance, Britain’s GDP in the 1820s was larger than that of France, a country possessing a much larger population (Maddison). Despite this, the UK was a leader in both the Industrial Revolution, and its monopoly over “dominion’ markets gave it a leg up over countries on the continent. Furthermore, Britain was a hub for industrial innovation, making most of the equipment that would fuel its economic pre-eminence. However, following the revolutions of 1848, it became clear to both the government and British industry that Britain’s economy would be rivaled over the course of the coming decades. For instance, Prussia and France—both of whom experienced the revolutions of 1848 to varying degrees—were becoming increasingly centralized, which translated into greater influence and industrial growth in these respective countries. Maddison demonstrates this economic affront of France and Prussia/Germany to Britain in percentage terms. While Britain demonstrated superior GDP growth in 1820 than France and Prussia—+1,021 % vs. +0,498 % and +0,564 % respectively—this rate of per annum GDP growth narrowed significantly by 1870—+2,055 % vs. +1,429 % and +1,999 % respectively (Maddison). Seeing harbingers of the later figures, The Great Exhibition interpreted this rising competition as an affront to their aim of demonstrating Britain’s continued supremacy in economics and worldly influence. The prior point is particularly