What caused rise in unemployment in Britain?
The 1929 Wall Street Crash- America had to recall the loans they lent to European countries
How many people in Britain in 1932 were unemployed?
3 million
What were the worst affected industries?
Coal, textiles, iron, steel and shipbuilding
What was the National Government and when were they set up?
Coalition government of the Labour, Conservative and Liberal parties led by Ramsay MacDonald. Set up in 1931
What were some short term policies to reduce unemployment?
- Public spending cuts of government workers by 10%
- Increased income tax
- Means Test
- Come off Gold Standard
What was the Means Test?
Where amount of monetary assistance was given based upon household income after being on benefits for 6 months
Why didn’t people like the Means Test?
People hated inspectors going through belongings
It was humiliating to reveal savings, income and value of possession
People didn’t like having to send relatives away in order to receive ‘the dole’
What were some of the long term policies to reduce unemployment?
- Ottawa Agreements which allowed trade between commonwealth countries
- Import Duties Act (1932)- put 10% to 20% tax on imports to Britain to encourage British people to buy locally
- Special Areas Act (1934)- £2 million was offered to companies to set up factories in high unemployment areas
How did unemployment affect poverty and diet?
- 72.6% of unemployed lived under poverty line
- 4.5 million people had an inadequate diet
- A further 5 million had some sort of deficiency
How did unemployment affect women?
- Women were the first to be laid off their jobs
- National Insurance usually only covered male worker
- Women and children were not covered for medical treatment
- Death rate for women aged 15-35 was twice as high in areas with high unemployment
How did unemployment affect health and housing?
- High unemployment rate areas had higher infant mortality rates
- Poor children were 10 times more likely to catch bronchitis
- Houses became overcrowded and in 1935, in London, some houses had 3 or 4 families in
How did unemployment affect people psychologically?
- At the beginning, the unemployed were full of confidence and were excited to get a new job
- After a few weeks, confidence started to go
- Expectations went
- Lost all self esteem and self respect
What were the causes of the Jarrow Crusade (1936)?
- The worst affected town in all of Britain was Jarrow
- This was because majority of workers in Jarrow worked in Palmer’s Shipyard
- Shipbuilding was on the decline and Palmer’s was too small to match the type of ships being built
- in 1934, Palmer’s Shipyard was bought by National Shipyard Security LTD
- They announced no ships will be built in 40 years
What were the key features of the Jarrow Crusade?
- 200 men marched 450 kilometres in 22 stages from Jarrow to London
- They marched in their best clothes to make a good impression
- They received warm reception everywhere and they were offered: shoe repairs, food, shelter and medical attention
Who were the National Unemployed Workers Movement?
- They were a group of communists led by Will Harrington and their marches led to clashes with police
- They opposed the march because they didn’t like the non political nature of the Jarrow March
What were the effects of the Jarrow Crusade?
- The people of Jarrow were able to present petition to the House of Commons
- Improved the public’s and the police’s image of hunger marches
- The march did nothing to stir the government into action
- Stanley Baldwin ignored the petition
