Chapter 4 Flashcards
What were the social behaviours of the middle class ?
-with the growing urban centres, a strong middle class emerged
-they built furnished substantial towns houses and adopted a pattern social behaviours that mimicked the upper class
-25 per cent of the population
-industrialist brought extensive opportunities for entrepreneurial men to invest and grow new businesses and increase their wealth and privilege of the old order
The social behaviours of industrial workforce ?
-most of the were employee in the new factories
-normally skill craftsmen and unskilled labourers and received an hourly wage
-able to protect themselves to some extent by subscribing to friendly societies
What did the regular wage correlate with ?
- long economy boom
What were the main areas of social division ?
-trading and manufactures benefits from the expanding capitalist economy and became the new rural elites
- the new urban development brought problems for the working population and caused division
-a lack of political rights among both middle class and labouring class
-led to radicalism, popular disturbance and demands for reform
what did both classes middle and labouring have in common ?
Both classes questioned the privilege and monopoly of the political power of the ruling class
Lacked political rights
What were the social behaviours of the landowning class ?
- remained in rural areas the landowning class controlled most popular economic and social activity in the district
-they had inherited titles and made even wealthier by enclosure, agricultural improvements
What were the social behaviour of the agricultural labourers and the poor ?
-rural population made up of the agricultural labourers
-resentment over their high rents payments
-game laws which prevented them from supplementing their basic
-often forced to fall back on parish poor relief
How were working conditions ?
-higher wage could not compensate for the poor working conditions in many of the factories s
-the growth in mechanisation resented labourers
-workers prone to lung infection
-no safely regulation in place and the machines had no safety guards
-resulted in terrible accidents if workers caught their fingers or hair in the machines
-high risks of fire
-shift generally 12 hours and sometimes longer working six days a week
Who made up most of the population in the cotton mill factories ?
Children and women due to begin cheaper than men and easier to discipline
Define standard of living ?
- a measure indicating the relative wealth and comfort in which people live
What was the standard of living debate ?
Weather or not the standard if living rose following the mechanisation of industry
Who believed in optimist view of the standard of living debate ?
R.M.Hartwell
What was the optimistic view of the stand of living ?
-asserted that the standard of living of the masses of people was improving as the indices on the cost of living and wages indicated an upwards trend and unquestionably the amount and variety of the consumed increased between 1800 and 1850
Point for optimist view of stands of living ?
-increase amount in the output of the manufacturing industry which suggested there was greater availability of goods
-new farming techniques there was more food availability
Who believed in the pessimist of the standard of living debate ?
E.J.Hobsbawn
What did pessimist view of the stand of living believe ?
Arguing against a rise as once regional variations in wages and prices and the numbers of unemployed are taken into account its not so clear
That poor living conditions in the industrial towns negated any positive effect of rise in wage
Point for the pessimist view ?
-regional variation are a problem as skilled workers did well in some areas and not in others
-handloomers began to suffer after Cartwright introductions of power loom
-poor harvest and war
-insufficient statistics to compare money wage against prices
Impact of war on the standard of living ?
-led to stagnation of the average real wages and abuse real hardship
-taxation increased between 1793-1815 it was a burden to the poorer classes where it was raised on consumer goods
-food shortages
-working class discontent stimulate the growth of trade societies
Impact of bad harvest in standard of living ?
- during 1799-1800
-price of grain rose from approximately £2.70 a quarter in the early 1790s to an average price of £4.70 between 1811-1814
-in 1812 reached a peak of £6.50
What was the combination act of 1800 ?
Restraint of trade or strike action was illegal in the 18th century
Who were normally part of trade union ?
-artisans, journeyman and tradesmen
What were trade union ?
-these member paid a subscription they were part of a network that kept them in touch with the job market and they reined help in sickness and unemployment
Who were friendly societies ?
-made up of a group of workmen to provide insurance for themselves and their families against sickness, old age and death
What do the friendly societies act 1793 do ?
-gave members legal rights to hold meetings and have their funds protected
What were corresponding societies ?
-akin to the working men social clubs of a later era, but their meetings were alive with the talk events in France and exciting ideas of freedom and democracy
