Oh Destructive Gin! Oh Infatuated Human Kind! : Gin Reformers' Battle for Virtue in 18th Century London
Disciplines
Cultural History | European History | Social History
Abstract (300 words maximum)
During the early to mid-eighteenth century in London, the issues of overpopulation and increased consumerism coalesced to form a crisis over alcohol consumption known in today’s society as the Gin Craze. Londoners, predominantly those on the lower side of the class system, were confronted with the mass production and promotion of gin, which they met with a resounding acceptance. Soon, gin became the most consumed drink in London. As a result, death and crime rates increased in the city, and a moral panic over liquor consumption arose. Reformers reached out to their fellow citizens via newspaper articles, books, and magazines to promote a sense of change in society’s perception of gin which was commonly ignored. While several legislative movements were put in place to regulate gin’s production and distribution, these acts were typically repealed after interest groups, such as distillers, corn producers, and elites, pressured legislators. In this research, I aim to shine a light on those who acknowledged the corruption that gin cast upon society and publicly sought an early end to the craze afflicting London, and to describe the measures of these previously overlooked reformists in their struggle to be heard over the voices of the many. These people held onto their beliefs in virtue as the country around them sunk into disarray and sought out legislators to regulate overconsumption. This research aims to answer why these reformers’ concerns were cast aside by both legislators and citizens in London and how this impacted the reform movement as a whole. This research uses analysis of newspapers, books, and images from the period to argue that reformers continued to fight for these regulations because they wished to return London to its previous virtuousness.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - History & Philosophy
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Amy Dunagin
Presentation Slides
Oh Destructive Gin! Oh Infatuated Human Kind! : Gin Reformers' Battle for Virtue in 18th Century London
During the early to mid-eighteenth century in London, the issues of overpopulation and increased consumerism coalesced to form a crisis over alcohol consumption known in today’s society as the Gin Craze. Londoners, predominantly those on the lower side of the class system, were confronted with the mass production and promotion of gin, which they met with a resounding acceptance. Soon, gin became the most consumed drink in London. As a result, death and crime rates increased in the city, and a moral panic over liquor consumption arose. Reformers reached out to their fellow citizens via newspaper articles, books, and magazines to promote a sense of change in society’s perception of gin which was commonly ignored. While several legislative movements were put in place to regulate gin’s production and distribution, these acts were typically repealed after interest groups, such as distillers, corn producers, and elites, pressured legislators. In this research, I aim to shine a light on those who acknowledged the corruption that gin cast upon society and publicly sought an early end to the craze afflicting London, and to describe the measures of these previously overlooked reformists in their struggle to be heard over the voices of the many. These people held onto their beliefs in virtue as the country around them sunk into disarray and sought out legislators to regulate overconsumption. This research aims to answer why these reformers’ concerns were cast aside by both legislators and citizens in London and how this impacted the reform movement as a whole. This research uses analysis of newspapers, books, and images from the period to argue that reformers continued to fight for these regulations because they wished to return London to its previous virtuousness.