3: social divisions BRT

Question 1

upper class

Answer 1

• wealthy landowners

- addition of those who obtained wealth from industry and commerce

Question 2

upper middle class

Answer 2

• factory owners
• professionals eg. doctors, lawyers and teachers
• no of professionals risen rapidly

Question 3

lower middle class

Answer 3

• non manual employees

- earned less than skilled workmen but had higher social status

Question 4

working class

Answer 4

• 75% population
• unskilled workers earned lot less than skilled workers
• many lived in poverty

Question 5

what was booths conclusion on poverty

Answer 5

extent of poverty in London closer to 30.7% than 25% that gov claimed

Question 6

what did booth class as living under poverty line

Answer 6

unable to afford adequate shelter, food or clothing

Question 7

what did rowntree conclude that the main cause of unemployment was

Answer 7

economic; unemployment/low wages

Question 8

what did rowntree investigate

Answer 8

-built on work of booth
-investigated poverty in York- 28% population living in poverty
-

Question 9

what did rowntree conclude that people needed to earn to stay out of poverty

Answer 9

21 shillings per week

Question 10

what did both booth and rowntree show

Answer 10

even those who could just meet bare necessities of life could fall into abject poverty through factors beyond their control

Question 11

what ‘factors beyond control’ did booth and rowntree state caused poverty

Answer 11

• economic forces that led to unemployment, irregular work and low wages
• unavoidable factors such as old age, sickness and premature death of main wage earner

Question 12

what were families affected by that could’ve caused poverty

Answer 12

lack of education, poor housing and poor diet

Question 13

how much was liberal social reform set to cost

Answer 13

£16 million

Question 14

what had to be introduced to pay for liberal social reforms

Answer 14

new taxes

Question 15

what were the new taxes in 1909 budget designed to do

Answer 15

tax the rich in order to fund new gov measures to help needy and vulnerable

Question 16

what ws progressive taxation and when was it introduced

Answer 16

income tax on a sliding scale

incomes under £3000- 9d paid for every pound they earned
incomes over £3000- 1s2d paid for every pound they earned

Question 17

what was super tax

Answer 17

people with incomes over £5000 had to pay an addition of 6d to the pound

Question 18

what was the tax on cars according to

Answer 18

horsepower

Question 19

what was the tax on petrol

Answer 19

3d per gallon

Question 20

what were inheritance taxes imposed upon

Answer 20

estates worth over £5000

Question 21

what profits were taxed

Answer 21

those gained through selling land

Question 22

why was the 1909 budget known as the peoples budget

Answer 22

rich now paid significantly greater proportion of their income in tax than the poor

Question 23

why did the peoples budget meet fierce resistance in HL

Answer 23

conservatives had large majority- land owners

Question 24

why was there no state provision for the poor at the start of the 20th century

Answer 24

the prevailing belief of ‘laissez faire’

Question 25

what was the last resort for those who were struggling

Answer 25

the poor law

Question 26

what was the poor law

Answer 26

workhouse

Question 27

why did people who could just afford some private insurance also struggle

Answer 27

provision often inadequate and prolonged periods of unemployment meant many policies lapsed

Question 28

education act (meals) 1906

Answer 28

LEAs given power to provide free school meals for needy children

Question 29

LEAs

Answer 29

local education authorities

Question 30

strengths of free school meals

Answer 30

enabled hungry children to concentrate more 1914, 14 million free school meals per year provided

Question 31

limitations of free school meals

Answer 31

not compulsory 1913 only half LEAs providing free school meals

Question 32

education act (medical) 1907

Answer 32

school medical service made it compulsory for LEAs to medically inspect school children

Question 33

strengths of medical inspection

Answer 33

1914 3/4 LEAs providing free medical inspection and 2/3 some form of medical treatment free

Question 34

limitations of medical inspection

Answer 34

very cursory check no always treatment poor not able to afford treatment always

Question 35

childrens act 1908

Answer 35

- parent neglect illegal - juvenile courts and borstals for young offenders set up - illegal to sell tobacco and alcohol to children

Question 36

strengths of childrens act 1908

Answer 36

- tried to ensure minimum standards of care and protection for children - differentiating in treatment of child and adult offenders

Question 37

weaknesses of childrens act 1908

Answer 37

- some new legislation | - lot of codifying of existing law

Question 38

old age pensions act 1908

Answer 38

- 5 shillings per week for single people | - 7s 6d for a married couple

Question 39

strengths of old age pensions act 1908

Answer 39

- non contributory scheme- paid out of general taxation - provided a weekly sum to those who qualified - paid by state through local post offices not through poor law - 1 million pensioners by 1914

Question 40

limitations of old age pensions act 1908

Answer 40

- only paid to elderly poor - based on sliding scale according to income to only poorest got full amount - had to be of good character to qualify - bare minimum paid for survival - had to be 70- not many people lived to this age

Question 41

1909 trade boards

Answer 41

boards set up to fix minimum wages and inspect conditions in certain trades

Question 42

strengths of 1909 trade boards

Answer 42

- initially covered 200,000 in 4 trades such as tailoring | - by 1913, extended to six trades and coal miners too

Question 43

limitations of 1909 trade boards

Answer 43

- only covered sweated trades - too few inspectors to enforce rigorously - no national minimum wage until 1999

Question 44

labour exchanges

Answer 44

set up places where workers looking for a job and employers looking for workers could meet

Question 45

strengths of labour exchanges

Answer 45

- 2 million registered by 1914 | - 430 exchanges were finding 3000 jobs a day

Question 46

limitations of labour exchanges

Answer 46

- for every worker that found a job, 3 didn't | - state not creating jobs for unemployed, only helping job market run more smoothly

Question 47

1911 national insurance (unemployment) act

Answer 47

- compelled workers and their employers in certain trades to contribute weekly to national insurance fund - state topped this up out of taxation - fund enables contributing workers to receive weekly benefit if unemployed

Question 48

strengths of 1911 national insurance (unemployment) act

Answer 48

- covered 2.25 million workers - provided 7 shillings a week for up to 15 weeks - helped families of unemployed to avoid destitution

Question 49

limitations of 1911 national insurance (unemployment) act

Answer 49

-only applied to certain trades -most workers not covered by scheme only lasted15 weeks

Question 50

1911 national insurance (sickness) act

Answer 50

- compulsory scheme by which workers and their employees paid weekly into a national fund - state topped this up out of general taxation

Question 51

strengths of 1911 national insurance (sickness) act

Answer 51

- covered 13 million workers - paid out 10 shillings a week for 13 weeks and then 5 shillings for further 13 weeks - maternity grant for women workers - disability benefit - free medical treatment with an approved doctor - free treatment for those with TB

Question 52

limitations of 1911 national insurance (sickness) act

Answer 52

- only covered workers earning below £160 p/a - had to be aged 16-60 - oaps began at 70- 10 year gap in provision - only covered contributor and not family - hospital treatment had to be paid for - only became effective 1913 - 13 million/45 million population in total included

Question 53

workmens compensation act 1906

Answer 53

+extended provisions for compensating workers for work-based accidents and diseases resulting from occupation - not always easy to prove injuries to health were due to work - only covered those under £250 p/a

Question 54

merchant shipping act

Answer 54

+improved food and accommodation for merchant seamen | -only covered british ships and not easy to enforce

Question 55

shops act 1911

Answer 55

+provided weekly half-day holiday for shop workers | -employers could make up with longer hours on other days

Question 56

coal mines acts 1908 and 1911

Answer 56

+fixed length of working day underground to 8 hours +improved safety regulations -still occupation with long hours and low pay -didn't cover time taken to get to work -miners remained in a dangerous job

Question 57

what is the argument against the liberals not creating a full welfare state

Answer 57

this was never their intention they created a basic minimum early steps laid foundation for later social reform

Question 58

what areas were specifically excluded from welfare reforms

Answer 58

- housing: remained in short supply - poor law not reformed - no reform to education after 1906 education bill destroyed by lords - casual employment remained dire - large families had no specific aid

Question 59

how did social reforms help to change relationship between state and individual

Answer 59

state moved away from concept of 'laissez faire' and expanded its influence into new areas

Question 60

what were the limits to state involvement even after liberal reforms

Answer 60

much legislation involved local authorities rather than central state not all legislation compulsory