social reform

Question 1

Reform of the Licensing Laws.
what year?
what ministry?
what did it do?
strengths?
weaknesses?

Answer 1

public health reform:
-1872
-Gladstone
-gave magistrates the power to issue licenses to publicans to fix opening and closing hours and to prohibit publicans from tampering with beers
-strengths: improved public health by restricting alcohol consumption.
-weaknesses: resentment from the working class who viewed the reform as an attack on leisure time.

Question 2

Forster’s Education Act

Answer 2

-1870
-passed by Gladstone
- made provision for elementary schools to be set up across the country, known as board schools which were run by the state as opposed to religious organisations.
- strengths: the act was important in moving away from laissez faire attitude towards social legislation and acknowledged the role of the state in education.
- weaknesses: only gave limited government funding.

Question 3

Education Act

Answer 3

• 1880
• Gladstone’s ministry
• it made it compulsary for children to attend school between the ages of 5 and 12.
• strengths: set the foundation for compulsary education, consequently increasing literacy rates.
• weaknesses: still no universally free education. Also, was weak in rural areas.

Question 4

Trade union Act

Answer 4

• 1871
• gladstone’s ministry
• established the legal right of unions to hold property and have them protected by law, they also had the right to strike.
• strengths: legalised trade unions and reduced government/employer suppression.
• weaknesses: the act was seriously undermined by the 1871 Criminal Law amendment act passed on the same day as it made picketing illegal which significantly weakened the ability to strike effectively.

Question 5

Criminal Law Amendment Act

Answer 5

• trade union reform
• 1871
• Gladstone’s ministry
• made any form of picketing or intimidation illegal.
• strengths: prevented intimidation in strikes as it made it illegal for workers to make threats.
• weaknesses: weakened trade unions and criminalised peaceful protest.

Question 6

Municipal Franchise Act

Answer 6

• womens’ rights reform
• 1869
• gladstone’s ministry
• gladstone agreed to the principle of female emancipation by giving unmarried women ratepayers the vote in local elections.
• strengths: increased gender equality as some women were given the vote.
• weaknesses: the municipal franchise act only applied to urban areas.

Question 6

Married Women’s Property Act

Answer 6

• 1882
• Gladstone’s ministry
• married women could control and own property in their own right.
• strengths: gave women greater independence as they could own their own properties and were able to inherit and keep their own incomes.
• weaknesses: The married Women’s Property Act did not include wages, as a result many women still had to rely omn their husbands to control their earnings.

Question 6

Reform of the Civil Service

Answer 6

• work and opportunity
• 1870
• Gladstone’s ministry
• the principle of entry by competitive examination was established.
• strengths: This brought in intellectuals and individuals with improved professionalism and increased efficiency at a minimal cost.
• weaknesses: serious opposition came from the whigs showing many aristocrats were still sceptical about reform.

Question 6

Factory Act

Answer 6

• work and opportunity reform
• 1874
• gladstone’s ministry
• forbade employment of children under the age of 9 and limited working hours for women and children to 10 hours a day maximum in textile factories.
• strengths: improved the quality of life and the living standards of many children
• weaknesses: the minimum age worker was still far too low and children were still subjected to harsh working conditions.

Question 6

Cardwell Reforms

Answer 6

• work and opportunity reform
• 1868-1874
• Gladstone’s ministry
• The disasters of the crimean was had underlined the need to improve the competency of the army. Reforms were passed whereby selection and promotion of officers was to be based on merit as opposed to privilege.
• strengths: led to a stronger and more competent army, it also showed how Britain was moving towards more of a meritocracy.
• weaknesses: opposition from many aristocrats.

Question 6

Artisans Dwelling Act

Answer 6

• housing and living conditions reform.
• 1875
• Disraeli’s ministry
• gave power to the local authority to purchase, clear and redevelop slums.
• strengths: it improved living standards and was the start of government necessity provision for the good of the population.
• weaknesses: The absence of a compulsory order seriously weakened the act’s effectiveness and many city councils chose to ignore it.

Question 7

Public Health Act

Answer 7

• 1875
• Disraeli’s ministry
• pulled together existing sanitary legislation, which had previously fallen short in tackling current health problems. It laid down minimum standards of drainage, and a medical officer of health was charged with the reporting of all infectious diseases.
• strengths: improved clarity and requirement on sanitary rules, consequently improving public health
• weaknesses: many individuals holding laissez faire attitudes argued against the reform.

Question 8

Sandon’s Education Act

Answer 8

• 1876
• Disraeli’s ministry
• attempted to improve school attendance by setting up attendance committees. Children could not get a job unless they produced an attendance certificate, and so it became the parents to get their child into school as much as possible.
• strengths: improved the literacy rate for many in Britain, increasing opportunities for those in rural areas and lower classes.
• weaknesses: school still wasn’t free

Question 9

Conspiracy and Protection of Property Act

Answer 9

• trade union social reform
• 1875
• Disraeli’s ministry
• Strengthened the position of trade unions. The act altered conspiracy laws, so that unions could no longer be prosecuted for doing anything collectively which would be legal if done by an individual.
• strengths: improved workers’ rights consequently Britain became a fairer and more democratic nation.

Question 10

Employers and workmen Act

Answer 10

• work and opportunity social reform
• 1875
• Disraeli’s government
• gave employers terms of contract which were on par with those of employers.
• strengths: the act was a major step in labour law reform. it improved protection for workers and employers.

Question 11

Merchant Seamans’ Act

Answer 11

• work and opportunity social reform.
• 1876
• introduced regular inspection of ships by the board of trade and better accommodation for sailors on board.
• strengths: better and safer living conditions for sailors.
• weaknesses: the act was not compulsory.