Social Classes, Prostitution and Jack the Ripper in the 19th Century England

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After the Age of Enlightenment in the mid 18th century in England, the tension between the social classes intensified even more. A huge gap generated between the aristocrats and the working class, but dozens of new layers of society appeared. While the rich lived to the fullest, the lower class starved and needed to find alternative ways of money making. Prostitution became more and more widespread, which lead to an inequality and social stratification between poor and rich and due to the economical crisis the number of prostitutes grew from year to year. Aristocrats and nobility looked down on the working class with judgement and disgust, and when prostitution became legalized in England after the Contagious Diseases Acts it made a big public controversy. Prostitution was not only judged and criticized by the upper class, but also kept in fear by the historical figure, Jack the Ripper. In the 19th century prostitution became one of the most common ways of earning money because of the economical and industrial changes, which raised tensions between classes and became a major concern of the Victorian Era. The 19th century began to accelerate social transformation, and then recognized the insightful thinkers to show the progress of equality in a democratic direction. The feudal societies of demographic change, the transformation of the economy, the spread of new ideas and the strengthening of the state power gradually transformed. More populous, agile and prosperous society was established which has consciously tried to eliminate the most blatant manifestations of human inequality. The new 19th century, which couldn’t be called democratic society yet, however, the assets, property and wealth has become increasingly important, ... ... middle of paper ... ...ebar out of society and catching sexual diseases, but many women got killed around England, but mostly in London. One of the most famous serial killer of all times is Jack the Ripper. The figure of Jack the Ripper is hidden behind a great mystery, there is no proof or any reliable evidence on his identity. Works Cited Richard D. Altick, Victorian People and Ideas (New York, Northon, 1973) 238, 259 Jeremy Black and Donald M. Macraild, 19th Century Britain (New York, Palgrave Macmillan, 2003) 100-104 Peter Mandler, Introduction: State and Society in Victorian Britain (Oxford University Press 2006) 18-19 Alexandre Parent du Châtelet, De la Prostitution dans la ville de Paris (Paris, 1842) 17-18 Mary Wilson Carpenter, Health, medicine and society in Victorian England (Santa Barbara, Praeger 2010) 168 W. Acton, Social and Moral Relations (London 1865) 112

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