Economic Difficulties Flashcards
Mass Unemployment
*Many businesses closed and people were made redundant, unemployment higher in Scotland than other areas of the UK
*West of Scotland particularly badly effected, old and young workers struggled the most to find jobs and they accounted for almost half of the official unemployment figures
Poor Living Conditions
Worsened as Scots were made redundant or their wages were cut, families struggled to pay rents and have enough food, especially difficult for industries such as coal mining.
Hunger Marches
*Hardships of the unemployed brought to public attention via the Hunger marches
*First national march began autumn 1922, 300 men left Glasgow and by the time the reached London they had gained up to 70,000 supporters who demanded an interview with the Prime Minister who refused
Industrial Action
*Poor working conditions and wages saw an increase in striking in the work place - miners General Strike 1926 led to all unions having a sympathy strike lasting 9 days
*Government rushed through Parliament the Trades Disputes and Trades Union Act in 1927 making general strikes and sympathy strikes illegal
Soaring Cost of Providing Benefits
High levels of unemployment increased the number of people claiming benefits
*1921 Government added a dependants allowance and extra periods of benefit for people whose 15 weeks insurance had run out, this drained the Government funds.
*1920’s means testing introduced to reduce costs, this meant lots of Scots fell through gaps in the system and had to rely on charity which was not enough
Emigration
*Scotland had the highest emigration rate of any European country, between 1921- 31 Scotland’s population fell for the first time in a century *Scottish emigrants made use of the Empire Settlement Act 1922 where the Government paid for part of their journey in exchange for them working in agriculture for a period of time when they arrived
