General knowledge Flashcards
What was the 1834 PLAA?
Poor Law Amendment Act.
Centralised workhouse system relief. Made to create workhouse conditions less wanted than the lowest-paid labour.
Each Poor Law Union made a workhouse.
What was the 1844 Outdoor Prohibitory Order?
Further restricted outdoor relief, encouraging people to not go into workhouses.
What were workhouse conditions like?
Workhouse conditions were harsh. Inmates had little freedom, families were separated, demanding work regime.
Deliberate as part of the deterrent strategy.
Who was Richard Oastler?
In parliament, lobbied Tory MPs against 1834 Poor Law. He advocated for change.
When and what was the Outdoor Relief Regulation?
1852.
Reintroduction of work relief, shows greater sympathy.
Possible due to workhouse cost!
How expensive were workhouses?
4s 8d, more expensive than outdoor relief- could explain 1852 Outdoor Relief Regulation.
When and what did Thomas Carlyle publish?
1843- ‘Past and Present’.
Highlighted growing rich/poor divide and forgetting the poor.
Read by intellects and middle classes.
When and what did Elizabeth Gaskell publish?
1848- ‘Mary Barton’, significant as a woman but still widely read.
Grew poor awareness.
When and what did Charles Dickens publish?
1854- ‘Hard Times’
Showed harsh conditions for the poor.
Published in sections so affordable- widely read.
Could have been based off 1834 PLAA.
How was the growth of charity important? (e.g., Carlyle, Dickens etc).
Influenced middle classes, enlarging voting population.
Could have had an influence on Peel’s reforms e.g., 1844 Factory Act.
What did Edwin Chadwick believe in?
Chadwick argued assistance to the poor should be provided minimally.
He argued the poor could be exploited for the general good of society, without considering individual suffering.
Chadwick supported workhouses despite various scandals e.g., Andover- inmates eating marrow from bone when a master withheld food to give to his family.
Developed Utilitarianism from Bentham’s idea- important in shaping 1834 PLAA as secretary to the Royal Commission.
What did Samuel Smiles believe in?
Smiles believed poverty was self-made and self-maintained, argued for removing poor relief.
He believed individuals would work themselves out of poverty.
When and who published ‘Self-made’?
1859- Samuel Smiles.
Argued people must help themselves through individual determination.
WHAT FACTORS? Harsh treatment of poor most significant response to poverty 1834-70?
PLAA + other govt leg
Growth of charity
Edwin Chadwick
Samuel Smiles
WHAT FACTORS? Reasons trade unionism grew 1795-1834?
Factory system
Government policies
French revolution + war
Workers’ protection
How did the factory system increase trade unionism 1795-1834?
Previously, units of labour were small (done at home)… factories destroyed direct connection between employer and employee.
Divisions grew between worker and master due to conflicting interests.
Difficult to strike due to population growth, so higher employment demand- strike-breakers!
Workers had to group together to balance huge power of masters e.g., Richard Arkwright worth £500 when died in 1792.
Employers focused on profit… discipline- if 10 mins late, could be fine 2 hours wages.
When did Richard Arkwright die? How much worth?
Died 1792.
Worth $500k
When and who were the Tolpuddle Martyrs? What happened?
Tolpuddle Martyrs= 6 agri labourers.
1834- convicted of swearing secret oath to a farming society, arrested and sentenced to transportation to Australia.
1863 pardoned after mass protests.
They gathered TU support and today are the symbols of workers’ rights.
When and what was the Repeal of the Corn Laws?
1846.
Removed import restrictions on corn.
