Pressure for change 1832-46: The anti-poor law league Flashcards

1
Q

What happened after the poor law amendment act was passed in 1834?

A

There was a backlash of protest against the idea that outdoor relief would be replaced by a uniform system of indoor relief

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2
Q

What prompted the anti poor law movement?

A

The tough conditions proposed for workhouse inmates, like hard labour and the splitting up of families, caused outcry from numerous sections of society

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3
Q

Define ‘undeserving poor’

A

Those who were seen as bringing about their own poverty through laziness, carelessness or wickedness

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4
Q

Define ‘deserving poor’

A

Those who found themselves enduring hardship through no fault of their own

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5
Q

Why was the law regarded as oppressive?

A

Because the principle of less eligibility meant that the so called undeserving poor were deliberately subjected to inhumane conditions

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6
Q

Why was the law regarded as unequal?

A

Because it gave the poor little chance to better their condition

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7
Q

Why did the protests after the act have little impact?

A

Because they were mostly spontaneous and lacked direction and leadership

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8
Q

Why did the system of indoor relief not take place instantly following the act?

A

Because it took a couple of years for the parishes to organise themselves into unions with a single workhouse

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9
Q

Why do some people not see the act as being that detrimental in the years that followed?

A
  • Harvests were good and there were new jobs available on the railways, meaning employment rose
  • The numbers of those resorting to poor relief remained steady and this meant that outdoor relief remained available, especially in the industrial north
  • Some of the poor law critics were silenced when the rates bill dropped
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10
Q

What reinvigorated the anti poor law campaigners in 1837?

A

A recession

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11
Q

What was the significance of the South Lancashire Anti Poor Law Association?

A
  • Well organised
  • Worked closely with Radical reformer John Fielden, supporting his motion for the immediate repeal of the act
  • It held public meetings where claims were made about abuses of the system
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12
Q

Why did the movement quickly fizzle out despite this?

A
  • It faced competition from other pressure groups, especially the chartists, who had a stronger claim on the broader spectrum of the population
  • The movement failed to monopolise public attention and support (Edsall)
  • Strong opposition from the industrial north and the impracticality of setting up workhouses in densely populated areas during a recession meant that there was a loose enforcement of the act anyway
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13
Q

What did Peel do to the act in 1842?

A

Extended it, with the unpopular less eligibility clause remaining

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14
Q

When did chartism erode support for the abolition of the act according to Edsall?

A

The end of 1838

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