Society and social changes 1851 - 1886 Flashcards
(17 cards)
1
Q
what were the 3 main classes
A
- upper
- middle
- lower
2
Q
upper class consisted of
A
- the aristocrats
- land owning gentry
3
Q
middle class consisted of
A
- merchants
- manufactures
- shopkeepers
4
Q
industrial middle class
A
- due to expansion if industry
- factory owner and merchants
- accumulated wealth through the development of industries and trade
- advocated for free trade
5
Q
lower class consisted of
A
- those who laboured with their hands to make a living
- craftsmen
- factory workers
- miners
- agricultural workers
6
Q
the upper class
A
- relied on inherited wealth through the possession of land
- dominated every aspect of of the social political and economic life
7
Q
the middle class
A
- 1/5 of the population
- annual income of at least £100
- afford to keep a domestic servant
- in 1871 census there were 1.4 million domestic servants
8
Q
the working class
A
- 4/5 by 1850s
- skilled workers and artisans
- women and children in the workforce
9
Q
the most obvious regional difference was between the
A
- industrial north and the agricultural south
- led to the influx of people into these industrial issues
- slums and overcrowding in cities
10
Q
north south divide in Scotland
A
- railway system failed to connect the highland region in the north of Scotland to the rest of Britain
- Gaelic speaking crofting families in the north left behind during the golden ages of farming and rents become disproportional high in the depression of 1870s
- led to the crofter war
- farm workers in the south east of Scotland were better off than their counterparts in the north and their wages were higher than farm workers in other regions in Britain
- 1880 Glasgow and Edinburgh were the 3rd and 5th wealthiest cities in Britain
11
Q
north west divide in Ireland
A
- only in the ulster in the north was there any modern industrial development
- Belfast with its textiles, engineering and shipbuilding industries saw their population grow and wages were high
12
Q
north south divide in wales
A
- industrial developments around the coal field in the south
- single national identity grew more strongly than Scotland or Ireland
- Sunday service was conducted entirely in welsh
13
Q
north south divide in England
A
- coal and iron ore deposits allowed industry resources to develop in the north whilst the south remained agricultural
14
Q
prosperity - middle class
A
- middle class manufactures and merchants benefited the most
- they built houses on the outskirts of industrial towns
- afford the best furniture and domestic servants, growth of consumer class
- limited families sizes through birth control
- educated their kids privately
15
Q
prosperity - working class
A
- increase in workers wages in the town and country
- wages of an industrial worker rose by 50% between 1850 and 1875
- prices rose by 20% so there was a 30% rise in real wages
- rising real wages meant that simple commodities like soap and matches become more affordable
- fresh food was bought and diets became more varied
16
Q
What led to the increase in leisure time
A
- 1850 factory act
- half day Sundays
- 1871 bank holiday act
- bank holidays introduced
- family exertions to the seaside by train become more popular
17
Q
poverty
A
- there was still unemployment
- no state system of education
- overcrowding and insanitary living standards
- government laissez faire
- little security when workers lost their jobs
- state only provided poor relief or workhouse which had lots of stigma
- booth in 1889 suggested that 30% of the population lived in poverty
