The Making of Modern Britain, 1880-1951 Flashcards

1
Q

Causes of poverty in the early 1900s

A
  • Wages were very low – even employed workers often lived below the poverty line.
  • Many jobs were seasonal, such as farming or shipbuilding - at other times of the year these workers had little or no income.
  • Large families were common and placed a burden on parents with many mouths to feed.
  • Sickness or injury caused by poor working conditions often prevented people from earning.
  • Those off work due to illness would not be paid and had the added costs of medical consultation and treatment.
  • The death of a wage earner could plunge a family into poverty
  • There were no state benefits (for example sickness or unemployment benefit) and poor people often relied on charity.
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2
Q

Problems created by poverty

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  • Poor housing (eg, dampness, vermin, shared outside toilets)
  • Poor health/lack of affordable health-care - many people who were ill had to go without any treatment.
  • Overcrowding and poor quality housing often led to disease spreading (eg Tuberculosis).
  • People could not afford fresh fruit, vegetables or meat and had a poor quality diet. This led to malnutrition and people were more likely to get sick, eg Rickets.
  • There were high levels of destitution and homelessness.
  • Death rates were high, especially of young children/vulnerable people.
  • Many people feared that they would end up in the workhouse/poorhouse - splitting up of families and creating social stigma.
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3
Q

The Poor Law System

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The Poor Law system was one of the few ways the governments gave some help to the poor. Under the Poor Law each parish area had to have a workhouse (called a poorhouse in Scotland) and it was where people ended up when they were too poor to look after themselves.

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4
Q

Who was entitled to the Poor Law System?

A
  • Disabled people
  • Widows
  • Deserted wives with children
  • Orphans
  • Elderly people
  • Sick people
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5
Q

Aims of the Poor Law System?

A
  • Reduce the cost of looking after the poor
  • Take beggars off the streets
  • Encourage poor people to work hard to support themselves

The Poor Law ensured that the poor were housed in workhouses, clothed and fed. Children who entered the workhouse would receive some schooling. In return for this care, all workhouse paupers would have to work for several hours each day.

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6
Q

Effectiveness of the Poor Law System?

A

Poor houses were not effective at addressing poverty. Originally designed for rural areas, they struggled to cope with the large number of people in cities, especially after the closure of major factories. Once in a poor house, people became dependent since they had no other sources of income that would enable them to survive in the outside world. Poor houses treated the symptoms of poverty but did nothing to address the root causes.

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7
Q

Self-help, charities and other support for the poor

A
  • In the early 1900s it was widely believed that being poor was a person’s own fault and it was their own responsibility to find a way out of poverty. This was known as ‘Self-Help’.
  • The British Government acted according to the principle of ‘laissez faire’. This was the belief that the Government should not be involved in issues of poverty and hardship. Government involvement would cost money, leading to a rise in taxes – middle and upper class citizens would have to pay more to support people in poverty. Laissez faire meant leave things alone and don’t interfere.
  • The poor were seen by the wealthy as an unfortunate but inevitable part of society. It was the responsibility of the individual to work hard to get out themselves out of poverty.
  • Savings banks encouraged people to save money to help them during times of hardship.
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8
Q

Charles Booth Report

A

Booth conducted research in London, between 1886 and 1903. He produced a report entitled Life and Labour of the People in London:

  • Booth believed that politicians were wrong about the extent of poverty in Britain since his research showed that 31% of people in London lived in abject poverty. This was much higher than had been previously believed. This shocked the public and government/provided evidence of poverty that could not be ignored.
  • Booth’s work showed that poor people and rich people often lived closely together in neighbourhoods. He identified problems of overcrowding, poor sanitation and the spread of disease.
  • Booth’s work identified stages of life where people were more likely to be poor, for example during childhood and in old age. He argued that the government should take actions to help people at these times of their lives.
  • Booth’s investigations established that some people were poor through no fault of their own
  • Booth’s work influenced many in Britain. They listened to his warnings that failure to tackle poverty could lead to a violent revolution.
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9
Q

Seebohm Rowntree Report

A

Seebohm Rowntree was part of the Rowntree Chocolate business. He was also a sociological researcher and social reformer. In 1901 Rowntree published a report about levels of poverty in York, entitled ‘Poverty, a Study of Town Life’.

  • Rowntree’s report showed that 27.8% of the population of York were living in poverty.
  • Rowntree’s report established that poverty wasn’t just in London and he argued that something had to be done to tackle poverty across Britain.
  • Rowntree’s report showed that there was a cycle of poverty, so helped convince people that the poor needed help at particular times of their lives.
  • Rowntree studied the relationship between earnings and the price of food to establish how much money a family needed in order to avoid poverty. This level of income was known as the ‘Poverty Line’.
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10
Q

Changing attitudes and pressure for reform: Impact of Booth and Rowntree

A
  • The reports of Booth and Rowntree highlighted the need for government intervention to tackle poverty. - Booth’s survey revealed high levels of poverty in London while Rowntree’s survey showed that the problem was not confined to London and that provincial cities like York were affected too.
  • Many people were shocked by the Booth and Rowntree Reports which created pressure for change. There was a concern that unless something was done to address poverty there was a danger of a violent revolution in Britain.
  • Attitudes towards poverty were changing. People realised that children were often born into poverty through no fault of their own and deserved help. It was also recognised that the elderly were often unable to work and needed support.
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11
Q

Changing attitudes and pressure for reform: Concerns about Britain’s Health

A
  • The Booth and Rowntree reports and highlighted the link between poor health and poverty.
  • During Boer War many recruits were deemed to be too unfit to join the army to fight. This highlighted the need to improve the general health of the population by tackling poverty.
  • Many working days were lost in Britain through the sickness or ill health of British workers. This created concerns over national efficiency and the health of Britain’s economy.
  • Other countries were beginning to challenge Britain’s position in the world, particularly Germany and the USA. This added to the pressure to tackle poverty and poor health in Britain.
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12
Q

Changing attitudes and pressure for reform: Development Abroad

A
  • Other countries were beginning to challenge Britain’s position in the world, particularly Germany and the USA. In the first decade of the 20th century the economic output of both had overtaken Britain.
  • Germany had introduced some welfare reforms to tackle poverty and the ‘German Model’ was studied and copied by the British.
  • To maintain Britain’s status as a leading economy, politicians and industrialists realised that something needed to be done to improve address the effects of poverty.
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13
Q

Changing attitudes and pressure for reform: Political Changes

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  • Leading politicians such as David Lloyd George came from a working class background and had genuine concern for the poor.
  • Changes to the franchise meant that more men from working classes could now vote so political parties had to change their policies on poverty to avoid losing votes, particularly to the newly formed Labour Party.
  • Trade unions were becoming bigger and more influential and had helped to form the Labour Party which was pushing for reforms to help the poor. Trade unions put pressure on the Liberals and Conservatives, to do more to help the poor.
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14
Q

Reforms to help the young: The 1908 Children’s Act/Children’s Charter

A
  • The Children Act/Children’s Charter was introduced by the Liberal Government of 1908.
  • The legislation aimed to improve the lives of young people accused of crimes because they would no longer be treated as adult criminals or sentenced to death. Young criminals would be sent to borstals instead of adult prisons.
  • The Act also aimed to prevent the abuse and neglect of children. By law children could be removed from parents who did not take proper care of them.
  • Children were banned from begging.
  • Fires in homes had to be guarded helping to prevent children from being burned in accidents.
  • Children under 16 were banned from buying tobacco and children under 18 from were prevented from buying alcohol and fireworks.
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15
Q

Reforms to help the young: Education Reforms

A
  • In 1907 the Education Act included a guarantee that 25% of all secondary school places must be reserved for children from poor backgrounds. The aim was to allow able children from poorer backgrounds to achieve a better education.
  • School boards could act against parents who sent children to school in poor condition.
  • In 1907 the Liberals introduced medical inspections in schools. This policy meant that every child was to be inspected three times for health problems during their time at school. This led to the establishment of school clinics in 1912 to treat sick children.
  • The School Meals Act was introduced in 1906. Free school meals made children healthier because this was often the only meal that many children received each day. However, free school meals were not made compulsory until 1914 so many children did not benefit until after 1914.
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16
Q

Reforms to help the young: Impact

A
  • The Liberal reforms gave young people some level protection from neglect and abuse and improved the lives of young criminals.
  • However, the Government of the day found it difficult to enforce some laws. For example, conditions in borstals could be very violent, meaning there was little improvement to the lives of some young people.
  • Liberal reforms did little to reduce the level of tobacco and alcohol bought by the young in Britain.
  • Reforms did not reduce the level of crime carried out by young people in Britain.
17
Q

Reforms to help the elderly: Old Age Pensions

A
  • The Old Age Pension Act 1908 meant that by 1914 more than a million people over the age of 70 became entitled to receive a pension.
  • Those over 70 with an annual income of £21 to £31 would receive a pension (1 to 5 shillings per week).
18
Q

Reforms to help the elderly: Eligibility

A
  • Pensions were means tested, meaning only some poorer people were eligible to claim them. People earning less than £21 per year received a full pension. Those with an income of £21-£31 got a smaller amount. Everyone else received nothing.
  • Many pensioners had no birth certificate to prove their age so were not eligible for a pension. People had to be British and to have lived in the UK for the past 20 years to receive a pension.
  • Those who had served time in prison during the past 10 years were not eligible.
19
Q

Reforms to help the elderly: Impact

A
  • Old age pensions prevented many elderly from having to end their lives in the workhouse and gave poor elderly poor enough extra money to survive.
  • For many old people, the pension was not enough to survive on as it was below the poverty line established by Booth and Rowntree. Many died from hardship before they reached 70.
  • Strict regulation meant that many elderly people were ineligible to claim pensions.
  • Means testing ruled out anyone with an annual income over £31, so a large proportion of the elderly population remained in poverty despite the reforms.
20
Q

Reforms to help the sick: National Insurance Act

A
  • At the start of the 20th century people in Britain had to pay to see a doctor. Most could not afford to do this. In 1911 the liberals introduced the National Insurance Act, which included provisions to help the sick.
  • The Act introduced a contributory scheme with workers, employers and the state paying into the scheme. Workers paid 4 pence per week from their wages towards the insurance payment; the state contributed 2 pence and employers contributed 3 pence.
  • The scheme meant that insured workers would receive free medical care when they were sick
  • The Scheme was promoted by Government as ‘9d for 4d’. National Insurance was compulsory for all workers who earned under £160 per year. (Note: ‘d’ was the symbol for pence)
  • Insured workers received benefits when they were off sick (10 shillings per week for 26 weeks/5 shillings a week after that until fit to return to work).
21
Q

Reforms to help the sick: Reforms and Benefits

A
  • Maternity grants were given to families after the birth of children.
  • School medical inspections were introduced in 1907. School clinics were introduced in 1912.
  • All midwives had to be trained and registered.
  • In 1906 children in poverty were eligible for free school meals.
    Local councils received grants from the government to provide medical treatment for the poor.
  • The Workmen’s Compensation Act provided compensation for workers injured or made ill through work.
22
Q

Reforms to help the sick: Impact

A
  • National Insurance helped to make workers healthier because free medical treatment and medicine was provided for insured workers. This made a big difference in the treatment of diseases such as tuberculosis.
  • However, National Insurance covered wage-earners, but not their families. After 13 weeks of absence from work people received no income.
  • Employers often tried to avoid paying compensation to workers injured or made ill through work. Workers had to go to court to prove that their injury had been their employers fault and many people could not afford to do this, at least without the help of a trade union.