History: The Poor

Question 1

Has the term ‘poor’ changed over time?

Answer 1

Yes. In Industrial revolution Europe the term simply meant not being able to afford luxurious food or a great place to stay, whereas today it is looked at in a more demographically compared way.

Question 2

What is relative poverty?

Answer 2

Poverty where a person is not attaining or earning the average earnings in their society, country or city, usually around the number of less than 50% than the average of that country, society or city. The criteria will change according to economic growth.

Question 3

What is absolute poverty?

Answer 3

Conditions where household income is insufficient to afford basic necessities like a shelter, food, safe water, education etc. This criteria does not change according to economic growth.

Question 4

Where does the myth come from that ‘less means more’?

Answer 4

This common myth originates from 1800-1900 when ‘poor’ was considered not owning a television or a radio. It was used to create the idea that leading a less materialistic life will let you see the happiness behind more natural things. Today, with demographical evidence, that is not true, as the countries most infected with poverty are the least happy.

Question 5

What were the positives of industrialisation?

Answer 5

Countries gained new technology and materials that increased the average life span, lessened the amount of manual labour, living conditions improved, population spiked, and trade became more prosperous (more wealth).

Question 6

What were the drawbacks of industrialisation?

Answer 6

Industrialisation made the poverty gap between the rich and the poor larger. The great boom in industry lessened the need for artisans or skilled English workers because machines were more efficient. Many restless unemployed became known as the ‘luddites’ who formed riots.

Question 7

What were some countries that were negatively affected by Industrialisation?

Answer 7

India (famine) and Ireland (the potato blight).

Question 8

How can Climate affect poverty?

Answer 8

A good climate makes it easier to grow crops, and thus form a good starting block for economic development (agriculture being the basis of trade). A colder country will have people on more ‘white-collar’ jobs, whereas warmer climates might have more farmers. In places like Africa, where there are deserts and savannahs, it is difficult to build infrastructure for the poor because the environment makes it too difficult to build roads.

Question 9

How can Health and Disease affect poverty?

Answer 9

If a country is wracked by disease, its workforce will likely stay at home, and won’t be able to aid the country economically as well as themselves. People won’t be able to earn money for they’ll be too sick to attend work. The government thus won’t have enough money for proper healthcare facilities.

Question 10

How can Agriculture affect poverty?

Answer 10

Agriculture, if all the factors (demand of the crop, climate, harvest quality, market cost etc.) align, can pull millions out from under the poverty line. However, it can also be detrimental to a country’s economy if something goes wrong. However, if your country does have a lot of aligning factors, farming doesn’t take much education, so especially in history, was a great method of income.

Question 11

How can natural resources affect poverty?

Answer 11

Natural resources are based more on history, but are very important; Imperialism (countries colonising other countries for the natural resources) has largely affected the world. Natural resources can lead to poverty if a country cannot utilise them properly and lets others use them for their own profit.

Question 12

Where did the Dutch colonise for natural resources, and what did they gain?

Answer 12

The Dutch established a monopoly in the spice trade through modern day Indonesia

Question 13

Where did the Spanish colonise for natural resources and what did they gain?

Answer 13

The Spanish gained a monopoly in the Caribbean through cotton and sugarcane plantations there.

Question 14

Where did the British colonise for natural resources and what did they gain?

Answer 14

The British established a monopoly for Opiums and Teas through India.

Question 15

How can access to food and water affect poverty in a country?

Answer 15

Being unable to have a year-round supply of either water or food indicates that a high percentage of the population of that country is living in absolute poverty.

Question 16

What happens to countries that don’t have the economy to import foods?

Answer 16

They will depend more on their own agricultural production, which puts them at a higher risk of poverty.

Question 17

What effect does education have on poverty?

Answer 17

Being educated was mainly more important in the past, since not having an education in today’s society can still land you a decent job. However, a country with successful education rates will suffer less from poverty than somewhere like Africa, where some people don’t go beyond High School.

Question 18

What is the poverty cycle?

Answer 18

The concept that if you are in poverty, you do not have supplies or wealth to get yourself out of poverty, thus leading to an endless cycle of going further into poverty until external aid intervenes.

Question 19

What is the relationship between access to the sea and poverty?

Answer 19

A country with access to the sea is more likely to have strong trading bonds and thus less poverty. Some of the most poverty-stricken places on Earth are African and South-American landlocked countries.

Question 20

What is an example of a landlocked country that is economically stable?

Answer 20

Switzerland, Austria and Kazakhstan.

Question 21

How strong is Nigeria’s economy?

Answer 21

Nigeria has the largest and fastest growing economy in Africa. However, Nigeria’s government is extremely corrupt.

Question 22

How strong is poverty in Nigeria?

Answer 22

A 2018 study suggests more than 50% of the population is undergoing poverty. The 5 richest men hold more than enough money to eradicate poverty in the entire nation, but corruption is the ultimate bring-down. Nigeria has the most people under extreme poverty worldwide.

Question 23

How strong is poverty in Congo?

Answer 23

Half of the 77 million people in Congo are under extreme poverty. Lots of its precious mines are being exploited by western dealers. The government puts the most money into the military and its own profits. In other worlds, Congo is a mess.

Question 24

How strong is India’s economy?

Answer 24

India actually has a pretty strong economy, but its effects are held back because of its surplus population (about 1.339 billion people).

Question 25

How strong is poverty in India?

Answer 25

India used to have the highest number of people in poverty (later becomes Nigeria) not because its economy was weak, but because its population was so high. Approximately 5% lived under poverty, which equates to 70 million when taking in all the numbers! Poverty rates are estimated to drop under 3% by the end of 2021.

Question 26

How strong is poverty in China?

Answer 26

about 1 % of the population is currently in poverty, all of which live in rural areas.

Question 27

How strong was poverty in China in the past?

Answer 27

About 41 years ago, 9 out of 10 people lived on under 2$ a day for income.

Question 28

How strong is poverty in Mexico?

Answer 28

About 42% in Mexico is currently experiencing poverty, of which 9% is extreme, and the rest moderate.

Question 29

Why is poverty occurring in Mexico?

Answer 29

Apart from a poorly developing economy, Mexican suburbs are greatly affected by gangs that detract from the national income by sales of illicit drugs amongst other things. Similar to Nigeria, Elites and government officials own most of the wealth.

Question 30

How strong is poverty in Norway?

Answer 30

Norway claims to have a 0% poverty rate. Despite 4 out of every 10 immigrants living in moderate poverty conditions, not a single person lives in absolute poverty. This is because Norway has a strong oil-based economy.

Question 31

How has poverty in Ireland changes since about 30 years ago?

Answer 31

The Irish economy has certainly had a boost, however, the population is still 1 out of 6 people with RELATIVE poverty-stricken environments (as of 2016). In the early 1990s, 34% of people suffered from this poverty, so a minor change can be seen, yes.

Question 32

How strong is poverty in Haiti?

Answer 32

About 59% of the population lives on under 2$ a day, of which a good chunk is extreme poverty. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere.

Question 33

Why is poverty so strong in Haiti?

Answer 33

Haiti is very prone to natural disaster, has an unstable economy, and has a continuous line of poor governments since its independence, that constantly pulls its money to either disaster funds or the exploitation of the government.

Question 34

How strong was poverty in the Soviet Union?

Answer 34

Prior to world war two, poverty rates were high. However, after the second great war, with large casualties and infrastructural developments, this apparently became better. An article from a newspaper revealed in 1989 that 20% of the population lived in moderate poverty, with under 1.19$ a day!
Poverty was disguised by government welfare programs.

Question 35

What is population control?

Answer 35

It is forming a policy to not decrease but instead slow the growth of a nation’s population, often to battle poverty.

Question 36

Which country is well-known for its policy in population control?

Answer 36

China: China uses a one-child policy (later relaxed to two-child policy) to allow the government to catch up with China’s large population.

Question 37

Which countries would likely consider population control in the future?

Answer 37

India and the United States, since their population is growing at fast paces, that might potentially put them back into poverty.

Question 38

What is welfare (in terms of poverty reduced)

Answer 38

Any government or organisation funded program for the masses that grant social services to protect citizens from the insecurities of economic life. Welfare is one of the most common methods of alleviating poverty, but it is expansive and complex to maintain and start in the first place.

Question 39

Which nations use welfare against poverty growth?

Answer 39

Notably, Scandinavian countries (like Denmark, Sweden, Finland and Norway) use this.

Question 40

What are some drawbacks of using welfare against poverty?

Answer 40

It is complex and expensive to both maintain and startup.

Question 41

What is a Dole (not the food company)

Answer 41

A Dole refers to the practice of governments giving state benefits to the unemployed.

Question 42

From where was the term ‘Dole’ originated

Answer 42

The term “on the Dole” was used in WW1 to refer to “doling out”, the handing out of charitable amounts of food or money, common during that time to help the unemployed survive.

Question 43

What are minimum wage laws?

Answer 43

A law set by the government that gives businesses a minimum amount to pay their employees, depending on the work and the strength of that nation’s economy.

Question 44

What are the drawbacks of having minimum wage laws?

Answer 44

More developed countries will have higher minimum wages, whereas the countries that could actually benefit from less poverty are stuck with very small minimum wages that do little to affect poverty. This is because the minimum wage reflects on the country’s economy.

Question 45

What are food stamps?

Answer 45

They are pieces of government-issued stamps that are handed out to people in poverty or those who are without means to purchase their own food. Having a stamp lets you purchase food or other commodities, depending on how much the food stamp represents.

Question 46

Which nation uses the food stamp tactic against poverty?

Answer 46

The United States of America is the only nation that uses food stamps to target poverty.

Question 47

Are donations always effective?

Answer 47

Giving someone less fortunate than you 100$ will likely result in them spending the money straight away, and coming to ask for more the next day. Only large scale donations (like those for charity organisations) are almost always effective.

Question 48

What is a tithe?

Answer 48

A tithe refers to 1/10th of something, usually given as a payment to contribute to a religious organisation or given as a part of tax (where those with more money pay more taxes).

Question 49

What are alms?

Answer 49

The act of giving to others as an act of virtue, either materialistic or skill based. Alms are more individually encouraged, but there are some examples of governments that force their population to pay alms to the poor if able, in order to alleviate those in poverty.

Question 50

What is Zakat?

Answer 50

One of the Muslim pillars of Islam that calls for all the Muslims capable to donate some of their income to charity as a type of worship for Allah, and self-purification.

Question 51

What is Harambee (no, not the gorilla)

Answer 51

The Kenyan tradition of ‘self-help events’, where villages come together to help each other out through donations and activities.

Question 52

What is Kenya’s official motto?

Answer 52

Harambee –> ‘put all together’ in Swahili. This term appears in Kenya’s coat of arms.

Question 53

What is Dana?

Answer 53

Dana describes generosity, charity and the giving of alms in Indian Philosophies. In Buddhism, it is usually directed specifically at monastic or spiritually-materialistic attachments.

Question 54

What are Ukusisa and Ukwanana?

Answer 54

A long tradition for African Indigenous people, that includes people from outside the community getting a cow when they want to join. It is their duty to make the cow their own, and have any offspring the cow has given to the community. If the new person then joins the community and accepts the cow, they will be given a plot of land and a husband/wife. It embodies giving something in a way that brings a person into the community.

Question 55

What is Tzedakah?

Answer 55

The Jewish concept of doing what is right. It was instilled (historically) in much the same way that governments use taxes, with about 10% of a Jew’s earnings going to the poor three times a year. It is looked upon as an obligation, regardless of someone’s economic standings.

Question 56

How was poverty treated before the poor laws?

Answer 56

It was left in the hands of churches and other members of society to donate, not governments.

Question 57

When was the first poor law introduced?

Answer 57

On June the 18th, 1349 by Edward III, which happened as a result of the loss of workers through the black death.

Question 58

When were the poor laws eliminated?

Answer 58

In 1948, when government-funded welfare programmes took the lead in the prevention of poverty in England and Wales.

Question 59

Were the poor laws efficient?

Answer 59

The use of whipping and stocks to dissuade beggars from not being employed didn’t do much to help prevent poverty, and the forced employment might as well have been an early form of slavery. There aren’t many aspects of the poor laws that would work in today’s society, so in my opinion (Hello, Eva here) I dont think so.

Question 60

Analyse ‘Give a man a fish, and feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.’

Answer 60

WSC wants us to answer whether the saying is assuming too much about the supply of fish. However, the general statement is still true, because even if the supply of fish is extremely scarce, survival for this ‘man’ will still be higher is he learns how to fish, instead of settling for one fish by itself.

Question 61

What were some of the worst famines in history?

Answer 61

The Great Irish Famine (with the death potatoes) in 1845, and the two Russian Famines that killed over 10 million people in 1921 - 1933 because of ‘the Holodomor’.