The Ideological Arguments For Change Flashcards
1
Q
In general what were the poor seen as?
A
- seen as a growing problem - particularly by those who resented paying poor rate
2
Q
Who was Thomas Malthus ? 1766-1834
A
- demographer and economist
- pessimistic view of industrial future
3
Q
What did Malthus argue?
A
- argued population would rise faster than food production thus crisis point would soon be reached
4
Q
What did Malthus think about the poor law in this stance?
A
- poor law made situation worse
- all poor law achieved was to encourage poor to have more and more children so they could claim more and more relief
5
Q
What did he view for the poor law
A
favored the abolition of the poor law:
- poor would have to keep families small as no financial advantage to having more children
-wages would rise as poor rate no longer levied
- employers could afford to pay their employees more
6
Q
Who was David Ricardo? 1772-1823
A
- political economist who reached same conclusion as Malthus
7
Q
What did he propose and argue?
A
- proposed the existence of a fixed, finite ‘wages fund’
- argued that poor relief drained this fund so reduced the amount that could be paid in wages, which in turn forced more people to pauperism
- demanded abolition
8
Q
Who was Thomas Paine 1737-1809
A
- writer and republican
- more radical ideas
- proposed levy on property of very wealthy to provide more structured relief for those in poverty - including old age pensions and family allowances
9
Q
Who was Robert Owen 1771-1858?
A
- radical factory owner
- suggested business should be owned cooperatively and workers to be paid by division of profits
10
Q
Who was Jeremy Bentham
A
- philosopher
- developed ideas of utilitarianism
- critic of old poor law system
11
Q
Who was Edwin Chadwick?
A
- believed poor relief system should be centrally and efficiently run by government but conditions of idle poor always worse than hardest suffering laborer
