To What Extent Did Attitudes To The Poor Change In The Years 1785-1835? Flashcards
Paragraph One - Attitudes of intellectuals
Changed massively
Companionate and vindictive to less nuanced views
Thomas Paine’s ‘right of man’ sold 200000 copies by 1834 - shows paternalistic view of the gov.
Child benefit of £4 for 250000 poor families at this time
Joseph Townsend - ‘presentation on the poor laws’ 1786, had a punitive view towards the plight of the poor - ‘only hunger can spur and goad them onto labour’
This was the more dominant view by 1834 - more hardline view towards the poor now.
Paragraph Two - Government attitudes
Changed at a large extent
Paternalism to less eligibility
1782 commitment to outdoor relief, roundsman system and Gilbert’s act - mandate for only the sick, elderly and infirm to be in workhouses (paternalism)
1810s Nassau senior and others pushed the movement for the poor laws
Amendment act - segregated workhouses to humiliate them into improving their lives
Large government attitude change
Paragraph three - middle class attitudes
Large change
Productive industry - less sympathies to the poor as they worked their way up and so can them
Richard Arkwright’s £500000 fortune
1783-85 poor relief = £200400 - middle class weren’t too mad about it
1815 corn laws - increased poor relief
1818 poor relief = £7871000 - very angry about the increase
Middle class had political importance after the 1832 Great Reform Act - had more of a social standing and impact on the working class lives (mostly employers)
Conclusion
Overall
Large changes to the attitudes towards the poor
Middle class had no sympathy because of their rise to money
Government were out of touch with the poor and believed it was their own fault
Intellectuals lost their touch with the poor
Intro
Large extent of change in different ways
Intellectuals attitude, government attitude and middle class attitude
Children were not included in the idea of less eligibility within the 1834 poor law act
Workhouse were like prisons
