Pressure for change 1832-46: The anti-poor law league Flashcards
What happened after the poor law amendment act was passed in 1834?
There was a backlash of protest against the idea that outdoor relief would be replaced by a uniform system of indoor relief
What prompted the anti poor law movement?
The tough conditions proposed for workhouse inmates, like hard labour and the splitting up of families, caused outcry from numerous sections of society
Define ‘undeserving poor’
Those who were seen as bringing about their own poverty through laziness, carelessness or wickedness
Define ‘deserving poor’
Those who found themselves enduring hardship through no fault of their own
Why was the law regarded as oppressive?
Because the principle of less eligibility meant that the so called undeserving poor were deliberately subjected to inhumane conditions
Why was the law regarded as unequal?
Because it gave the poor little chance to better their condition
Why did the protests after the act have little impact?
Because they were mostly spontaneous and lacked direction and leadership
Why did the system of indoor relief not take place instantly following the act?
Because it took a couple of years for the parishes to organise themselves into unions with a single workhouse
Why do some people not see the act as being that detrimental in the years that followed?
- 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
What reinvigorated the anti poor law campaigners in 1837?
A recession
What was the significance of the South Lancashire Anti Poor Law Association?
- 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
Why did the movement quickly fizzle out despite this?
- 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
What did Peel do to the act in 1842?
Extended it, with the unpopular less eligibility clause remaining
When did chartism erode support for the abolition of the act according to Edsall?
The end of 1838