Britain- 1900-14 Poverty

Question 1

What was an example of a pre-1900 infant mortality rates

Answer 1

1899
163/1000 infants died before the age of 1

Question 2

Example of how unhealthy the workforce was ~1900

Answer 2

3/5 recruits unfit for service

Question 3

At the turn of the century, who did research about the life quality in London? What did they find? Who proved that it was higher?

Answer 3

Henry Hyndman- 25% population in poverty
Booth- 35%

Question 4

Example of high levels of crime in 1900

Answer 4

Jack the Ripper

Question 5

Who did the major survey of York and when?

Answer 5

Rowntree 1901 report
Published in: Poverty, a study of town life
Over 20,000 people living in poverty

Question 6

What was the significance of Rowntree’s findings

Answer 6

They proved that poverty wasn’t just a problem in London- but was also a problem in a ‘prosperous’ cathedral city like York.

Question 7

What commission was made to explore poverty?

Answer 7

Commission on the Poor Law (1905-1909)

Question 8

What were the two sides of the Commission on the Poor Law?

Answer 8

Majority report:-

• Helen Bosanquet
• Against state intervention
• Believed that it would cause exploitation and dependency on the government and undermine charities

Minority report:-

• Sydney and Beatrice Webb
• For state intervention
• Believed that the state had a duty to provided minimum standards

Question 9

What was national efficiency?

Answer 9

The belief that Britain needed a healthy strong workforce in order to remain economically and militarily superior- however the belief was also rooted in imperialism and racism.

Question 10

Examples of media that brought debates about poverty around 1900-14?

Answer 10

• The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist- H.G. Tressel
• H.G. Wells’ novels
• The People of the Abyss- Jack London
• George Bernard Shaw’s plays