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The Measure of Success

The Measure of Success

The basic idea of success in London was that a decent standard of living (or, freedom from want) was within the grasp of most, if they worked hard enough. While this idealistic belief seemed simple, the truth was that British citizens did not have a strong ability to actualize upward social mobility – they needed good fortune to change their economic class. While many struggled, they also idealistically believed that the successful should assist in supporting the poor and unfortunate; however, this altruism was hardly ever realized.

Those who were able to move from lower to middle class did so thanks to a variety of changes in their lives. The best chance that families had for upward mobility was for the sons to enter the “learned professions” of clergy, law, medicine and military in order to seal a place in gentry classes. In many cases, women attempted to gain better social position by marrying into professional and commercial families. This redistribution of financial security increased the amount of individuals who were in the professional middle class, and, in turn, increased the amount of people who were educated and able to instill change.

In addition to the intentional integration of these classes, the development of a powerful professional middle class that supported intellectual and literary movements was a direct result of economic changes and prosperity. The landed classes experienced these increases in prosperity because their professional services were in high demand, which cyclically increased the amount of professional workers. On a larger scale, Britain also experienced a national influx of capital with increased commercialization of culture, amount of trade, and the prosperity of war.