Introduction Flashcards
What percentage of Britain was urban in 1900
80%
What is a conurbation and how many didi Britain have inn 1900 relative to any other European country
An area where different cities and towns merge as they grow
Britain had 7 by 1911, more than any other European country
What were the ideological perceptions of rural and urban Britain
Feeling that rural areas were stable and urban areas were not.
Urban viewed as feckless, footloose, unhealthy.
Perception was that areas that concentrated populations posed greater implications on public health.
However, in reality, there was a great deal of ill-health in rural areas.
Why is Britain’s working-class unique
In most European countries, the working class is less solidified and peasant mentality continued as many moved from rural to urban areas.
Britain is unique in that much of the working class comes from an existing working class.
How many Irish and Jewish migrants were in Britain in 1900
Irish represented the largest population of migrants. (1,500,000 1800-1945)
But the most significant group were Jewish migrants (220,000 1800-1945)
Why has the history of Britain been described as the ‘country of strangers’
Whilst on a national scale most of the population were white British, this varied locally causing hotspots of migrants which gave an exaggerated perception of the number of migrants on the country
What percentage of the population is working class
70%
Britain is the most…country in the world at the start of the period. Part of the reason why is because other European countries have huge…
Proleterised
Peasantry
What are the consequences of Britain’s high working class
Politics - if democracy is extended to them, then it has to engage with working-class ideals
The ability of huge masses of workers concentrated in towns/cities to form trade unions and constitute a political threat
Political perception that the working class have to be contained and accommodated. Whilst there was little threat in terms of revolution, the government is seen as weak if it can’t retain social order
Can the working class be veiwed as one generalised group
No
Forces may fracture the working class: gender, ethnicity, age and skilled vs unskilled workers.
1860-1914, real wages….
Doubled
Why did real wages increase for the majority of the population and what was the effect
Real wages party went up because inflation was decreasing and living costs went down.
The effect is the rise of discretionary income. Encourages the growth of leisure industries.
Anxiety across the political spectrum that leisure is unsupervised and can be used unwisely.
Describe the religious situation in England
Debate about the significant of religion at the individual level
In the 1851 census, 5.2m were non-church-goers
Religious identity is a better suggestion of political views rather than class
How many men have the vote in 1911
60%
Why were 40% of men excluded form voting
One argument is that it’s a rigged class system, so the kind of parties that the working class support were not very effective
But recent studies suggest that large numbers of young middle-class men also couldn’t vote Could only exercise vote if stay in the same region for 12 months. Whilst the middle class weren’t excluded in the way many working-class were, they couldn’t exercise their vote due to the 12-month rule
