society 1886-1914 Flashcards
when was the suffragist party first established?
1897
who were the main leaders of the suffragist party?
Lydia Becker
Millicent Fawcet
how many members were there in the suffragist party?
over 100,000
how was the suffragist campaign structured?
members democratically elected president and leaders of committees
what methods of campaigning did the suffragists use?
writing
lecturing
petitions
peaceful
when was the suffragette party established?
1903
who were the main leaders of the suffragette party?
Emmeline Pankhurst
Christabel Pankhurst
Sylvia Pankhurt
how was the WSPU structured?
leaders were not chosen democratically. They were controlled by the Pankhursts
what methods did the WSPU use in their campaign?
assault
hunger strikes
imprisonment
property damage
demonstrations and protests
“deeds not words”
what were some arguments for the female vote of the time?
women could contribute more to society
illogical discrimination, female doctors couldn’t vote
women can pay taxes and rents but not vote
vote could improve womens pay
womens rights were on the increase, were allowed to go to university
what were some arguments against the female vote of the time?
too emotional and irrational
goes against nature, women should reproduce and not be distracted, thought they would neglect children and home
women are ignorant
party-politics , women conservative by nature, Liberal government
too radical, ‘let the babies vote’
female part of society should not be corrupted by politics
what was Womens Sunday?
in Hyde Park, women met and performed speeches about why women should have the vote and made it accessible to everyone
how did the suffragettes spread their cause and make it accessible for everyone?
produced sashes available for middle class, and badges for working class
what were some examples of the suffragettes being more militant?
women carried ‘toffee hammers’ and smashed windows of valuable homes and buildings, such as Lloyd Georges house
Emily Davidson created letterbox bombs
what happened on November 18th 1910?
Black Friday
Massive protest in Parliament Square after Asquith refused to give 1910 conciliation bill necessary parliamentary time
over 100 arrests
Women were given the option to pay a fine or go to prison, they always chose to go to prison as they’d get more publicity
what was the ‘Cat and Mouse Act’?
women who went on hunger strikes would be released from prison, given time to recover and then imprisoned again
what the were Liberals responses to hunger strikes?
women force fed with tubes down their throat
cat and mouse act
what were the consequences of Liberal responses?
police brutality causes an uprise in support for suffragetes
illiberal, but MPs were reluctant to give in to militancy
what did the first conciliation bill propose?
proposed to give the vote to 1 million married women, if they met a property qualification
what did the second conciliation bill propose?
was changed after securing a majority to a male suffrage bill, which women would later be added to.
what was the suffragettes issue with the second conciliation bill?
outraged
bill needed to explicitly include women
what happened to the third conciliation bill?
feb 1912
narrowly defeated by 14 votes
in what ways did the suffragettes help the female vote?
many newspapers supported campaign
supported by more traditional suffragettes as they had accomplished more in months than they had in years
historians present suffragettes as heroes
in what ways did the suffragettes hinder the female vote?
Lloyd George didn’t like the militance of them
Guardian newspaper stated that ‘the madness of the militants […] do their upmost to degrade and hinder it’
another newspaper though that women acting this way proves that they cannot be trusted with the vote
even the suffragettes lawyer had doubts and thought that the acts of violence were out of control
in what ways were the liberals successful in dealing with the suffragettes?
by 1914, the liberals seemed to weathered the storm of the suffragettes
The Pankhursts were so reviled before the war that they were forced to flee the country to Paris and conduct their campaign from there
how successful were the liberals in dealing with the suffragettes? (overall judgment)
not very as they went against liberal ideology but they seemed strong by not giving in to suffragette militancy
why were social reforms needed?
1891 census showed overcrowding (more than 2 people living in a room) at 11.2%
slum dwellings in many towns and cities
public health legislation excluded london
poor working conditions - few safety precautions and no compensations for industrial accidents
almost 50% of the labouring class lived below the survival pay rate.
what was the housing of the working class 1890 policy?
gave local councils the opportunity to replace poor quality housing
caused better health, wellbeing and prevented overcrowding
they had access to an individual toilet and running water
what was the public health act 1891?
allowed officials to remove any nuisances that were affecting public health for public health
what was the factory and workshops act 1891?
stopped children under the age of 11 working and set a maximum of 12 hour days for women
(poor working conditions continued)
what was the allotment and smallholdings act 1887 and 1892?
attempt to set up agricultural labourers with their own plot of land so that they could make their own living
what was the public libraries act 1892?
local bodies could set up public libraries
so people had access to books, higher level of literacy
what was the education act 1902?
done by balfour, but Robert Morant’s idea (civil servant)
abolished state responsibility for secondary education
what was the local government act 1888?
old boards abolished and new county councils created
london was treated as a separate county run by new organisations - London county council (LCC)
elected by ratepayers- gave newly enfranchised voters given some power
council could levy rates, maintain roads and brigdes
what was the local government act 1894?
liberal reforms
organised counties into smaller more maintainable units
rural district councils and urban district councils
small rural communities could set up parish councils under the umbrella of rural district councils
women became eligible to vote for parish councils
what was the main objective of liberal reforms in this period?
value of real wages not rising
needed to alleviate some poverty
summarise social change in this period
laissez faire dominant ideology
governments didn’t think that it was their duty to riase taxes to help the poor
widening democracy in Britain althought the widening gap between middle classes and poverty was ignored
early 20th century saw unprecedented levels of reform
early 20th century - moved away from laissez faire and individualism
how far did the Liberals create a welfare state after 1906?
WAS IT UNIVERSAL?
no
old age pensions act 1908 was denied to anyone that didn’t have a birth certificate or didn’t work to the best of their abilities . also no available to immigrants
national insurance act p1 - no provision to workers family
national insurance p2 - only covered certain trades - domestic servants included
how far did the Liberals create a welfare state after 1906?
WAS IT ADEQUATE?
yes
old age pensions act - number of people claiming outdoor relief fell by 80,000
Labour exchanges 1909 - put 3000 people in jobs
no
old age pensions act - money was recieved was below the poverty line
school clinics- no treatment provided
free school meals - health deteriorated during holidays
national insurance act - cover only provided for a limited of time
how far did the Liberals create a welfare state after 1906?
CENTRAL CONTROL
yes
Old age pensions
national insurance
labour exchanges
school medical inspections
no
free school meals
how far did the Liberals create a welfare state after 1906?
MODERN COMPARISONS
yes
national insurance system remains similar
some central direction
no
national insurance became for everyone after 1945
more universal - healthcare
taxes
how far did the Liberals create a welfare state after 1906?
RESPONSIBILITY- shoudl Libs take credit?
yes
new liberals
lloyd george
churchill
asquith
no
pensions were chamberlains idea
stole labour’s ideas to keep them out of power
free school meals 1906
successes
meant that children would be eating at least one good meal a day
in 1914, 14 million meals served
replaced charity involvement
free school meals 1906
unsuccessful because
health would deteriorate during holidays
costly for the government - only 1/2 of Britain’s local authorities set up a meal service
school medical inspections 1907
successes
every local authority had to set up a school medical service
school medical inspection 1907
unsuccessful
only provided regular medical checks
school clinics 1912
successes
treatment provided in school clinics as well
school clinics 1912
unsuccessful
treatment was broad and ineffective
eg go outside
left to local authorities to make measures work- cared more about money than children
varied throughout country
children and young persons act 1908
successes
gave children special status as protected persons and the parents could be prosecuted for neglect
stopped parents murdering their children to claim insurance
set up special courts to deal with child crime and special homes to house young offenders
child and young persons act 1908
unsuccessful
‘neglect’ subjective
little to do with causes of juvenile crime
old age pensions 1908
successes
a person over 70 with no other income would receive 5 shillings per week
a married couple would receive 7s 6d
good effect on the elderly
650,000 people collected their pensions in the first year
number of people claiming outdoor relief fell by 80,000
non contributory - direct funding from government
labour exchanges 1909
successes
workers could sign on to a register when they were unemployed and find out about available work
part of governments campaign against unemployment
by 3000 into jobs every working day by 1913
old age pensions 1908
unsuccessful
could be refused to people who had failed to work to their best abilities - subjective
many people didn’t live to 70
not available to immigrants
some still lived with the threat of the workhouse
had to have their birth certificate
amount received was below the poverty line
labour exchanges 1909
unsuccessful
employers didn’t have to advertise available jobs
national insurance pt 1 1911
successes
provided compulsory health insurance for workers earning under £160/year
if ill, and employee was paid 10 shillings for up to 13 weeks, then paid 5 shillings for the next 13
employee, employer and gov all paid into scheme
national insurance pt 1 1911
unsuccessful
after 25 weeks absence from work the benefits stopped
no provision was made for workers family
many objected to compulsory payments they had to make
national insurance pt 2 1911
successes
an insured worker losing their job would receive 7 shillings/week for 15 weeks
workers would pay 2.5p a week
employers paid 2p
gov paid 3 p
many trades were involved
national insurance pt 2 1911
unsuccessful
cover was only provided for a limited time depending on contributions
no provision for workers family
only covered certain trades - domestic servants excluded
what was Robert Rhode James’ opinion on whether there was a welfare state?
Liberals failed to deal with “fundamental social problems”
