Reform And Challenge 1851-86- Economy

Question 1

Gladstone on free trade

Answer 1

Converted ober
Described ‘excessive’ public spending as a ‘great moral evil’

Question 2

Quote for lack of protectionism

Answer 2

Hobsbawm ‘britain was the only conutry whih systematically refused any fiscal protection to its industries’
‘Only country in which the government neither built, nor helped to finance’
‘Nor even planned any part of the railway system’

Question 3

Example of ‘negative intervention’

Answer 3

Failure to provide protection for british goods against foreign competition

Question 4

Bank of england compared to other countries

Answer 4

Not governmental- ‘the government had no direct access to the decision making of the bank of england’
Less stable esp compared to reichsbank in germany due to low gold reserves- more liable to cause fluctuatiohns in the interest rate

Question 5

Example of poor agriculturre

Answer 5

‘The black year’ of 1879
Amount of wheat produced fell from 13.7 mill in 1874 to less than 6 mill 1879

Question 6

How suez canal increased trade example

Answer 6

1879- first cargo of frozen mutton rrived from australia at the london docks

Question 7

Counties which suffered most from farming depressionq

Answer 7

Corn growing counties of south and east
English meat, butter and milk still preferred and so could demand fair prices

Question 8

Number of agriculural workers decreasing

Answer 8

1.5 mill to less than 1 mill 1851-1901 despite increase in population
As less women work and from 1876 no child under 10 worked unless if in harvest

Question 9

Imports increased in value

Answer 9

1850-1875
152 mill to 373mill

Question 10

Exports increasing 1850 to 1875

Answer 10

71 mill to 223 mill pounds

Question 11

Exporting to china

Answer 11

1857 5 more ports opened
By 1870 more than 6 mill goods into china

Question 12

Support for london docker strike

Answer 12

1889
Contributions poured in even from australia

Question 13

Reasons for low productivity compared to germany and usa

Answer 13

Poverty and poor health of workforce
Limited level of investment in new technologies- esp mining industry
British capital invested aborad rather than at home
Costs of transportation within britain
Comparitively poor levels of scientific and technological education

Question 14

Strong economies of usa and germany growth stat

Answer 14

Twice rate of british economy
Fall in price of some industrial goods during this period- textiles by over 30%

Question 15

Example of agriculture pamphelet

Answer 15

High farming
1849
James caird
Encouraging more intensive farming

Question 16

Traditional agriculture in britain

Answer 16

E.j. Hobsbawm ‘a place where plants grow and animals feed’

Question 17

Landowning class power

Answer 17

4000 landowners owned abouot 60% cultivated land berween them
Let 250,000 farmers employed 1.25mill people

Question 18

Examples of improved agricultural technology

Answer 18

Improved plougs and hoes
Widespread use of horse-drawn reaper

Question 19

Artificial fertilisers used

Answer 19

Nitrate of soda
Superphosphates
Imports of peruvian guano (bird droppings)
German potas

Question 20

Profit made by great exhibition

Answer 20

£185,500
Invested in buying land in kensington for v%&a museum, natural history museum, imperial college of science and technologgy

Question 21

Value of british investment abroad

Answer 21

Quadroupled between 1850 to 1873 from 250mill to 1000mill

Question 22

Increase in amount railway track

Answer 22

9500km to 22000km 1850 to 1875

Question 23

Iron and steelworks where regionally increased

Answer 23

Crewe and swindon

Question 24

Railroad machinery exports increase

Answer 24

Rapidly
8600 tonnes 1850-54
44100 1870-75

Question 25

How growth of financial centre of city of london helped shippunG

Answer 25

British firms esp Lloyds of london dominated shipping insurance Merchants used worldwide branches of british banks

Question 26

How shippping boosted financial markets

Answer 26

Atlantic cable between britain and usa 1866 Enable almost instantaneous messages Further boosting london inernaional fincancial markets

Question 27

Shipbuilding regions

Answer 27

Glasgow, Belfast tyneside and liverpool

Question 28

Increase in docks in london

Answer 28

5 between 1852-1886 Eg. Royal victoriia Royal albert

Question 29

Where did new coalflields open

Answer 29

South wales

Question 30

Example of improvements made to iron and steel productiion

Answer 30

1856 henry bessemers converter system- steel produced in large amounts- 3 tons per hour- cheaper than other methods (Existing crucible system) Gilchrist-thomas technique

Question 31

Population growth

Answer 31

Almost 6 mill in 20y Aiding growth in demand

Question 32

How gov supported increasing investment

Answer 32

Limited liabilities acts of 1855 and 1862 Emcouraged buying of shares in firms as level of risk was limited to value of the investment

Question 33

Education levels in germany compared to britain

Answer 33

Male illiteracy 17% in britain but 2% germany in 1875

Question 34

Reason why lack of investment by businessman

Answer 34

Historian hobsbawm and wiener blamed class structure Businessmen trying to emulate aristocracy rather than developing their businesses

Question 35

Causes of mid victorian boom 1851-73

Answer 35

Improvements in technology Agriculture, trains Iron and steel Shipping Cottton

Question 36

Mid victorian boom dates

Answer 36

1851-73

Question 37

Agriculture mid victorian boom

Answer 37

High farming Mixed farming- diversifying- if poor harvest not complete failure- crops as well as animals Artificial fertilisers and technology Royal agricultural society of eng- journals so could share ideas Animal husbendry- selective breeding- pedigree breeds- hereford, aberdeen angus cattle- good quality beef

Question 38

Trains- mid victorin BOOM

Answer 38

Increased demand and building Stimulated an and steel industries- increased employment New coalfields developed rural pit villages Agriculture benefitted- expanding markets- milk Manufactirers benefitte-d rapid transportation of goods Exports of track and machinery- long term create more international competition

Question 39

Iron and steel- improvements in technology

Answer 39

Demand at home and oversees increased 2..9mill tonnes- 5.9 mill 1855-75 Sheffield 90^% british steel- half europes total production Engineers imporved production iron ad stee- cheaper leading to expanding markets Usa and germany- benefit from british engineers innobation and became key competitors

Question 40

Shipping- improvements in technology

Answer 40

Britian dominated merchant shipping Shipbuilding oboomed- creating hobs- glasgow, tyneside, belfast and liverpool Opening up of suex canal 1869- benefit britian as steam ships were narrow enough to fit through compared to large sailing ships

Question 41

Cotton- improvements in technology

Answer 41

Largely based in lancashire N-w so new liberpool where bought from us plantations Production of cotton textiles x2 186500-70 18660 cotton famne- cibil war- raw materials start to be bought from elswhere- india Textiles key export

Question 42

Great exhibition 1851- mid victorian boom

Answer 42

Showed off british manufacturing- increased markets to export from- cutting edge steeam engines Workshop of the world Lift ttoo gb industry and paid 020y boom Lancashire cotton- intricate and delicate

Question 43

Little foreign competition- improvements about technology

Answer 43

Usa 1860s- civil war Germany- frnaco- prussia war united in 1871

Question 44

Empire- causes mid victorian boom

Answer 44

Safe market Eexport cheap raw materials Sell back manufactured ggoods

Question 45

Growth invisable trade- causees mid victorian boom

Answer 45

Finance, banking, insurance Interest on loans to otehr countries Short term profits Long term helped others industrialise

Question 46

Prros of mid victorian boom

Answer 46

Improvements in technoogy Little international competiition Empire Invisable trade increase Coal production- increased capacity with steam power 6606m to 1009m tonnes 1855-70 1851-668- british ttrade- 25% world trade Balance of payments- shipping even tough increase imports food

Question 47

Cons of mid victorian boom

Answer 47

Britain complacent- not trying to improve Repeal corn laws- increease foreign competition- russia and usa Cotton reliant on usa Long term undermined- selling train tracks and machinery, loans- invisable trade, engineers Germany and usa mechanic mining a lot cheeaper and quicker than british by hand as would lead to mass unemployment For ordinary people- less good- low wages and high prices Educationan not suited to economy- latin and classics- not science and maths like in germany and usa

Question 48

Great depression

Answer 48

1873-1896 B saul (1985))- ‘the myth of the great depression’ No depressiion- overall av decrease business profits More agricultural depression

Question 49

Great depression 1873-1896-yes

Answer 49

Falling profits due to fall prices000- cut costs, workers made redundant, unemployment figures increase Production %share world production- steel iron and coal falll- foreign competition- british coal more expensive as not using labour saving devicies German economy increase 300^%, us economy 400%- catching britain up Complacency Failed to adopt new industries- electricalm chemical and engineers Ing Failied to adopt new machinery- typewriters and services machinery Competition Other countries used protective tarrifs whilst british maintained free traid- british goods expensive oversees Little investment in this period due to falling profits

Question 50

Great depression- not the case- 18730-18966

Answer 50

Falling pricees- long term trend Advances on industry decreeasing cost of production Some years saw increase unemployemnt some 2%- when inn boom- 4.6% Economy continued to grow Production of coal, iron, steel, cotton increase Economy continued to grow increasingly each eyear New markets found in developing world Better for individuals Cost of living fall, prices fell in real times, wages fell further Increase retail- bicycle, telephone Complacency not equal to depression- failure to invest

Question 51

How sucessful economy 1851-86

Answer 51

Was on teh surface level but many underlying concerns Esp long term with foreign competition and living standards

Question 52

Successful economy 1851-86

Answer 52

Investment high 1850-70- 124mill/annum Esp in agriculture, railway, house building Railway investment and growth- stimulate iron and steal industries- increase dmeand skileld workers Production increase Coal 60mill to 1009mill tonnes 1855-1870 Value cotton production increase 46to105mill 1851-75 Business confidence- peel legislation Bank charter- increased investment and profits sourced during this period Free trade policy0- peel and gladstone Encourage businesses to increase profits and employment- import and export of raw materials became cheaper Trade and capital exports grew phenominally over this period Agriculture Mechanism and profitable beagn 18670 High farming- more intensive- increase production up to 1873 Specialised breeds- aberdeen angus- beef Increased interest in fertilisers Manufacture of clay pipes mprove drainage

Question 53

Failure of econ 1851-73

Answer 53

End of golden age of agriculture Wet summer Poor harvest 1873 Foreign competition Usa threaten arable farming Usa/germany potentially stronger markets- challenge intensify as 1800s progressed Long term 18670 onwards- tarrifs introduced Social conditions Unemployment and poverty similar before and after- 0minimal change for poorest in society Unemployment1 to 11^% 1872 to 1879. 10% 1886 Health condition of working class undermined british economically and socially Instability Winter 1860-1- severe winter- closure many london docks- financial hardship and unemployment Regional diff- disruption cotton- civil war- thousands lancashire unemploywed Stats Londes and church argued growth rates in this period nothing special Figures to suggest boom not very reliable While profits increase so did cost of labour and raw materials Importance of railways oevrstated- financial disaster 1857-668 0some investment dye to warning than confidence- in textiles industry oversees competition

Question 54

Amalgamated society of engineers described as

Answer 54

designation as a ‘respectable’ group - coldly labelled by the Socialist Sidney Webb the “aristocracy of labour”. The majority of workers were not Unionized until 1914, the Unions of 1851 being small groups with expensive subscription fees so as to keep out les classes dangereuses.

Question 55

Benefits of being in the ase

Answer 55

sickness insurance, pensions, funeral expenses and emigration grants were all available – almost 70 years before the like would be implemented on a governmental level.

Question 56

The position of the aristocracy in 1880s- strong

Answer 56

Gash- public statisfied with ‘political concessions made 1884 and 1885 reform acts, redistribution and uniform Flexible with 1875 artisans dwelling act

Question 57

Position of aristocracy not stable 1880s

Answer 57

Cannadine Not flexible as little alternative to reform, did to save position 1884 1885 as with disraeli reofmrs- palace is safe if the cottage is hapy Demise of aristocracy through continuing rural depop and urbanisation shift away form landed genrty Mjddle classs dominatinb as urban based industries taking power Church- non confomrists middle class saw themselves as morally superior to anglicans