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Tips and ideas for people studying Edexcel A Level unit 5 on The State and the Poor in Britain 1830-1939.

"The Evolution of the British Welfare State" by Derek Fraser is a very informative book, although it is VERY difficult to get into. There's a lot more than you actually need to know, but it can't hurt.

Focus on three key areas - 1834, 1906, and 1918-1939 - that's the PLAA, New Liberalism and interwar policy. Obviously there's more to it than that, but the focus of the topic is to bridge the gap between the three of them, declaring how the provision changes over the period.

You don't need incredibly high levels of information, but you need the core ideas and the extra stuff will only benefit you. A good proportion of your exam answer should be based around WHY provision was changed, not just on the facts of the period (I'm guessing this could come across as a bit patronising as there's a large chance I'm just repeating stuff you've already been told).

There's a good section in the Fraser book detailing different views/theories on why the government did what they did, so if you can get your hands on a copy of that then I would recommend you do - if not just PM me or post here and I'd be happy to type up the info.

Remember! It's a Unit 5 - long time durations; so don't get bogged down in tiny details. Keep your eye on the issues surrounding the key "turning points":

1. How the 1833 Poor Law Amendment Act tore up the existing social order dating back to Elizabethan times.
2. How the New Liberal Party finally brought an end to the Victorian belief in the connection between poverty and morality and introduced the concept of a social fund or social security.
3. The experience of the Great Depression and the realization of the need to for welfare to "buy" willingness to fight war against Nazi Germany: eg looking forward to Beverage Report (see GCSEs)

Topics

As for the course, off the top of my head I'd say the basic overview was as follows:

• industrial revolution/urbanisation/population growth (Malthus etc) --> inadequate/inefficient poor relief (speenhamland system, Gilbert's act)
• royal commission and subsequent PLAA in 1834 - stigma of poverty/less eligibility/workhouse test
• laissez-faire/self help attitude - PLAA --> benthamism/utilitarianism
• "hungry forties"
• Edwin Chadwick/public health royal commission and reform - 1848
• sporadic economic prosperity 1850-1880
• electoral reform - urban w/c 1867, agricultural w/c 1884
• cementing of public health in early 1870's - john Simon (pronounced see-mon so I'm told)/Richard cross
• charities - philanthropy big contributor - c.o.s.
• pressure groups - Fabians, sdf, trade unions
• reports by booth and Rowntree in late 1800's - earlier in century by mayhew and mearns too
• 1906 - new liberalism - realisation poverty not fault of individual
• wave of reforms - in particular 1908 pensions and 1911 national insurance
• war - increase in govt. involvement ('war socialism')
• interwar years dominated by unemployment (most important)/housing/health/education
• unemployment acts - 1919 through to 1934 - abolition of workhouses 1929 - fall/rise of benefits after the crash and may report - by 1934 unemployed and destitute handled by different organisations (destitute by uab's) - in there somewhere are the radical ideas of Lloyd-George/Keynes at the beginning of the 30's, a bit ahead of their time unfortunately
• housing - homes fit for heroes/wheaters act/chamberlains act/slums condemned throughout 30's
• health - health insurance set in 1918
• education - fishers act 1918 - not much else until 1944 butler act
• by 1939 - step towards collectivism, as suggested in the 1909 minority report - effect of poor law 'softened'

Summary of Content

• The State and the Poor in Britain, c. 1830–1939

• The main focus of this option is on how attitudes towards and provision by the state towards the poor changed in Britain from the 1830s to the outbreak of the Second World War. Within this, the key elements focus on the factors bringing about change and development in attitudes and

• on the changing role of state provision for the poor. In terms of causation, candidates should be aware that change is brought about by both long-term and short-term factors. The relevant key factors are: the attack by political economists and others on the old, localised forms of provision; the operation of the new poor law; the growth of a mass electorate after

• 1867 and politicians’ responses to the challenges this produced; debates about the proper role of the state in the period 1880–1914; the decline of staple industries and mass unemployment between the wars. Candidates should also understand why key events or developments might be considered as turning points in changing attitudes to the poor and changes in state provision. These relevant key events or developments are: the establishment of the Royal Commission on the Poor Law and its Report in 1834; the replacement of the Poor Law Commission with the Poor Law Board in 1847; the reports on poverty by Charles Booth (1891–1903) and Seebohm Rowntree (1901); the welfare measures of Liberal governments of 1905–15; the Minority Report on the poor laws (1909); inter-war legislation on unemployment; the winding up of the poor law in 1929.

• Since the focus of this unit is on the process of change over a long period of time, questions will not be set which concentrate exclusively on depth of knowledge, for example, about a particular piece of legislation on poverty or unemployment or on a particular writer or politician concerned with problems of poverty. Candidates should, however, understand the context within which the key changes in attitudes to poverty and to state provision for the poor and unemployed took place, why they were important and what their main effects were. They should also be able construct a developmental account, in which events or factors are included for their significance in creating change, and/or maintaining continuity.

Comments

These notes are aimed at A Level history students.

Originally written by Jsuper and nbakon TSR Forums.