Social and cultural revolution
This section looks at some of the ways in which rights and freedoms were challenged, opposed and won during the Age of Revolution, from the campaign against the brutalities of transatlantic slavery and its eventual abolition, to demonstrations and demands for better working conditions, religious and political rights and representation for ordinary people. It explores the impact of some of the extraordinary events and changes of the period on society, and the waves of artists, musicians and authors who reflected the upheavals in their work in one way or another, many of whom remain household names today – Beethoven, Mozart, Turner, Constable, Mary Shelley, Jane Austen, William Wordsworth and Robbie Burns to name a few.
Sub-themes
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The arts in the Age of Revolution
The works of Mary Shelley, Robbie Burns, Ludwig van Beethoven and George Stubbs to name a few, the Age of Revolution left a magnificent legacy of music, poetry, literature and art and still inspires the creative arts today.
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Challenging law and order: British riots and reforms
From the Luddites, Chartists and the Tolpuddle Martyrs, to the Merthyr Rising and the Peterloo Massacre, challenges to the British establishment in the Age of Revolution and the increasingly tough measures to restrict and suppress them.
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Challenging slavery: abolition and opposition
The campaign for the abolition of Transatlantic slavery, acts of resistance by those who were enslaved, and opposition from those who stood to benefit from the brutal trade in African people.
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People in motion: exiles and opportunities
The pushes and pulls of the Age of Revolution leading to the mass movement of peoples across the globe and the migration of British people from rural areas to Britain’s newly industrialised towns and cities.
In the Classroom
A range of educational resources for teachers relating to the Age of Revolution.