Chapter 6: Social Impact of War Flashcards
What did the continued economic growth mean?
Minimised the strain of War.
Who suffered as a result of the War?
Many of the labouring classes; people on fixed incomes, the poor, in both the new industrial towns and the countryside could not afford basic necessities and many were starving.
How did businessmen feel as a result of the War?
Receptive to reform due to the threat to business prosperity from the Orders in Council
What happened in 1811?
Luddites set about machine-breaking and disturbing the peace.
What was the ecoomic crisis 1810-1811 caused by?
Bad harvests and high food prices conincided with business depression and urban unemployment.
What did the economic crisis 1810-1811 bring?
More distress to the labouring population, already hard hit by the effects of the war.
What did the high demand for uniforms and weapons stimulating the development of more productive machinery, particularly in the textile industry led to?
Unemployment amongst hand workers.
What job suffered unemployment as a result of stocking-knitting machines?
Hand knitters as stocking knitting machines could make stockings for the army faster than hand-knitters.
What job suffered unemployment as a result of power looms?
Skilled handloom weavers.
As a result of unemployment, where was there unrest amongst workers?
Manufacturing districts in Yorkshire, Lancashire, Nottingham and Derby and some workers started breaking the machines, which they perceived as taking away their livelihood.
What was the Minimum Wage Bill?
Rejected in 1808 leading to serious rioting, followed by a strike which only ended when the employers, desperate to fulfil new orders, agreed to a wage rise for the weavers.
When was the second phase of price rises?
1811, which lasted until 1814 and rose to a higher level than at any time in the nineteenth century.
What were the reasons for the second phase of price rises 1811-1814?
Bank of England failed to agree to a resumption of cash payments, suspended by Pitt in 1797 and it continued issuing too many bank notes, which caused inflation; the commercial speculation and poor harvests also contributed to price rises.
What happened to wages 1811?
Fell behind prices, making life hard for those on fixed incomes, and the urban and rural poor who had no fixed income were starving.
What does evidence suggest diets were like 1811?
Less varied than previously.
