Pressure for change 1846-85 Flashcards
What does Richard Brown say about the influence of civil society in providing pressure change in mid 19th century Britain
Difficult to assess the impact the extra parliamentary pressure had on central government. Many groups highlighted particular issues which the government was eventually prepared to legislate o. Health legislation was introduced with the support of the Health of Towns Association, but the legislation was acceptable to the commons only due to the return of cholera. PGs realised that they could influence and even intimidate the legislature, but the last word still lay with parliament. It could legislate but it could also refuse to do so. By 1850 PGs were recognised as legitimate channels through which opinion had access to government. Popular protest like chartism had mixed effects on the lives of the working population. They sought to improve conditions through demands for economic and political change, but the extent to which they succeeded was, at least in the short term, limited
What does Eric Hopkins say about the governments attitude to reform at this time
Industrialisation was transforming society and as a result the government was constantly being forced into action. The lead in pushing the government here was taken by the dedicated reformers of the time such as Shaftesbury and Chadwick. However desirable a laissez faire attitude might have been in theory government intervention was becoming inevitable
However, before 1870, the scope of this intervention was limited. Poor relief was offered on a nationwide scale but in a severaly deterrent form. The working classes therefore steered clear, preferring self help through friendly societies or the immense range of Victorian charitable societies, often in the latter case at the expense of self respect
What kind of problems were becoming increasingly apparent by the middle of the century
Social problems that had developed as a result of urbanisation and industrialisation
Why had the mid-Victorian boom that had made so many wealthy done nothing to change the plight of the masses
Did not solve poverty and its associated problems, or relieve the misery and wretchedness of those at the bottom of the economic ladder. There was still unemployment. For some of those in work the conditions were deplorable. Remained the problem of unregulated employment of children in small workshops. No state system of education and poorer working class children could not read or write
What was the most pressing unresolved social problem at this time
The state of housing in the slum districts in towns and cities and the health hazards caused by overcrowded and insanitary living conditions
What was stopping government from taking the required action
Strongly held laissez faire views that held that it was not the role of the gov to intervene in people’s welfare
Who continued to put pressure on gov despite this
Social philanthropists and voluntary groups
What kind of things did they campaign for
Changes in the conditions of factories and other workplaces like the coal mines
Improvements in poor law application
National education system
Relief of the destitute, the mentally ill and orphan children
Better housing conditions
Health provision
Describe the contributions of Lord Shaftesbury at this time
Continued his campaigns for social improvement that had started in the 1830s. The ten hour act regulating hours in factories was passed in 1847. When the manufacturers found a loophole, he continued his campaign until in the 1850 Factory Act he succeeded in limiting the amount of hours which a factory could remain open
He pressed the gov to set up the Children’s Employment Commission to extend all legislation regulating child labour to all workshops, however small. The 1864 Act was extended in 1871 to include brickfields, where children were still employed in intolerable conditions
Wanted to end the abuse of young climbing boys, sent up the soot filled chimneys of the suburbs. After many rebuffs the Chimney Sweepers Act was passed in 1875 to ban the practise
Worked through societies, such as the Social Science Association dealing with public health, penal reform and education for women, and alongside other social reformers to keep up pressure on government on a wide range of social issues. Instrumental with Edwin Chadwick in encouraging the Russel gov to set up a Board of Health as part of the 1848 Public Health Act
Among which group was charitable activity for the poor popular
The middle classes
What was the benefit of this charitable activity from the middle classes
Eased consciences and perpetuated ideas of self help as well as relieving pressure on gov to intervene
What do McCord and Purdue say about this charitable activity
Greater than that of every other society. Fears that it might not have wholly good effects. The voluntary nature of most activity meant overlapping provision and many gaps. Some feared that excessive kindness may sap the invaluable impulse to self reliance and self improvement
What did these fears around ‘excessive kindness’ lead to the develop of
The Charity Organisation Society in 1869 to provide help only to the ‘deserving’ after a full assessment of their needs, and then to set them up to help themselves
What was the slogan of the Charity Organisation Society
‘We must use charity to create the power of self help’
When and where did the first cholera outbreak occur
1832 Sunderland
Where did most outbreaks occur
Poor areas
Describe the contribution of Dr John Snow
Suspected that it was caused by contaminated water and in an outbreak in Soho London in 1854, after he isolated a local water pump, the incidence of cholera fell
What has rapid urbanisation created problems in terms of
The provision of basic amenities such as pure water, proper drainage and sanitation and clean well lit streets
What made houses in working class areas inferior
Lacked light, ventilation, running water and decent sanitation
What kind of issues were the direct result of these dirty and insanitary living conditions
Multiple health problems, frequent outbreaks of disease and unacceptably high death rate
Where did Edwin Chadwick highlight the problems of disease abd poor living conditions
In his Report on the Sanitary Condition of the Labouring Population of GB (1842)
What act did this report provide the blueprint for
The 1848 Public Health Act
What kind of arguement did he make for public health reform
An economic one
What was this economic arguement
Believed that if attention was spent on improving the health of the poor then they would rely less on poor relief. Therefore spending money on health reform was sound economics
What challenged the effectiveness of his arguements
They met with opposition from vested interests
What was required to get the 1848 Public Health Act through
A cholera outbreak
What did the Act set up
A General Health Board in London with three members, Chadwick, Shaftesbury and Lord Morpeth, with Local Boards of Health each run by a medical officer in areeas where the death rate was above the national average
How was the act perceived once this cholera outbreak was over
Resentment from those who perceived it as state interference in their personal lives
What was the consequence of this response for the act
Chadwick was dismissed from the Health Board in 1854 and the board was dissolved in 1858. Its administrative function was placed in the hands of the home office and Dr John Simon was appointed Medical Officer of Health
What precedent did the act set
The idea of public health reform that would continue for decades
Describe the improvements made by Simon as Medical Officer of Health
Oversaw piecemeal improvements, but a strong centralised body was needed to tackle the endemic problems that persisted in the poorer urban areas. In spite of the introduction of the registration of doctors and the passing of the Food Adulteration Act, the problems caused by poor sanitation and a lack of fresh water supplies continued. No proper central administrative structure and most local authorities were left wanting
How did public health receive somewhat of a boost in 1871
The Royal Commission on Sanitary Matters recommended that the fragmentary and confused Sanitary Law should be made uniform. As a result the Local Government Board was set up, which reorganised health administration as an office of central government
From what group did renewed pressure for political reform come at this time
The Chartists
Why did the Chartist movement undergo a revival in 1847
Economic depression
The influence of several revolutions occuring in Europe at the time
What did O’Connor do after being fired up by the resurgence
Drew up a new constitution for the UK with himself as president
What kind of mass meeting did they plan
They wanted to have a mass meeting in Kennington common before the presentation of a 6 million sig petition to parliament
How did the govt respond to these plans
Real alarm in govt circles and troops deployed in London
How did O’Connell respond to the govt
He caved to the advice that the petition be carried to parliament by just a few representatives, as the planned march would be blocked by govt forces
What happened to the movement as a result
It was deflated and fell away
What was the main flaw in the Chartist movement
Its episodic nature due to the intermittent apathy of the working classes
The majority of the working class were illiterate and unable to organise themselves effectively, especially at the local level
