Maintenance of stability - role of government policies

Question 1

How did religious policies impact stability?

Answer 1

-Religious reforms of Henry VII and Edward VI caused conflict- Dissolution of the monasteries and Prayer book

Question 2

How did economic policies impact stability?

Answer 2

• Innovative taxation- cause of unrest early in the period
• Post 1540- other sources of revenue made innovative taxation unnecessary, for example: debasing the coinage, sale of crown lands, borrowing from overseas and cutting expenditure by avoiding war.
• In addition to this Elizabeth did not increase taxes in line with inflation

Question 3

How did enclosure impact stability?

Answer 3

• Enclosure was a concern- cause of unemployment
• Protector Somersets enclosure commission also created concern as it was believed that Somerset sympathised with concerns

Question 4

How did food supplies impact stability?

Answer 4

-One in four harvest were poor and the government had to try and prevent food riots

Question 5

How did unemployment impact stability?

Answer 5

• Regulation of the cloth trade

- 1563 Statute of Artificers which fixed maximum wages and restricted the movement of workers to prevent instability

Question 6

How did social policies impact stability?

Answer 6

• Poor and beggars were seen as a threat to law and order
• Elizabethan acts- provided for poor and beggars when they were sick or old
• By 1590 there was very little unrest despite a poor economic situation, potentially due to this