it was seen as the government’s fault that the British had no reinforcements for the men who were dying, because back in Britain over 30% of the population was malnourished, ill and weak as they were living in abject poverty. This indicates that the Conservatives were poor in office as it ties back to them failing to conquer poverty because had the people in Britain been healthy and able to fight the Boer war may well have been over faster. The Conservatives also angered trade
Another example of where the government became aware of problems is when they found out that many of the soldiers in the army were not eligible to fight as they were not fit or healthy enough during the Boer War in 1902. Prior to the implementation of the social reforms, the government had a laissez faire policy where the idea was to leave the impoverished alone to solve their own problems so when it was proven that they were poor through no fault of their own, the government decided to act accordingly. The reason the program of social reform was so extensive is because the problems were far worse than anyone knew or expected. If the awareness of the levels of poverty had not been improved than it is far
However much needed reforms such as Old Age Pensions had little to do with the Boer war. Source D mentions how the recruitment for the Boer war highlighted the poor health of many working class men in Britain. These men that applied to the army were often too physically unfit to join the army. Insufficient nutrition from food meant these men were malnourished and could not compete with the physical strength needed working in the army. Up too 40% of men in some areas of the country were turned away because of there poor health.
This made the government not original so the country could not benefit from it. Also political parties were banned so the government had little incentive to work to their potential as there is no competition. This relatively useless government made Russia unproductive and inefficient as there was little reform from their government. Following this most important point is the second most important factor of the 1905 Revolution which is the depression between 1899 and1903. The depression damaged Russia’s economy quite badly.
Edward Bellamy’s Push for Social Reform In Looking Backward, Edward Bellamy argued that one of the most significant problems facing America in 1887 was the unequal distribution of wealth throughout the nation that was due to the result of several high-power figures who held the majority of the nation’s money. In 1887, a small handful of powerful figures controlled and owned the capital of the nation. This left little money for the lower class citizens. During the nineteenth century, a vast majority of the nation struggled with poverty. In Bellamy’s opinion, the agricultural economy and the private capital was inefficient and only benefitted the wealthy, while the working class continued to suffer.
He had closed down parliament and had to think of ways of getting money without asking the parliament's help. He had used old laws like 'Ship Money', which was a special tax to help the navy he used this idea to get money off the people of England. This made him very unpopular. Another reason for why the king was to blame was the way he had handled with religion. As he was the king, he had thought that he had the power to make the Scots use English prayer books.
Jobs such as these also paid so little that Black Americans could not afford to escape the poverty. They were forbidden to join trade unions so often worked and lived in squalor and could not do anything about it. A third reason that African Americans were second class was the stigma that still lingered from the times of slavery. Many
Nineteenth Century Poverty in America In his article “Poverty”, Michael B. Katz, a social historian and Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, compares the causes and effects of poverty in America during the early and mid-1800’s. Katz points out how the main cause of poverty during that time in history was mainly due to people being employed by someone else. Katz points out that although industry was growing, there were more people available to work than there were jobs. Because the jobs were scarce and were often times seasonal, many people were unemployed more often than they worked. When they did work, the pay was so low that they were unable to save any money for the times when they were unemployed.
In the United States of America, there are mainly two kinds of economic statuses seen: very wealthy and very poor. The middle class which is also known as the working class, often leads down to poverty more then up to wealth. An example of this is Ms. Ehrenreich Although Ms. Ehrenreich was not starving or literally homeless, she was nearly living in poverty. She was not living in a stable home that is steady against wind, storms or any natural disasters; she was merely living a in a trailer. Of course, she could have rented a more stable home, but with her current job that pays minimum wage that is nearly impossible.
Recipients who are uneducated are often unable to break out of the poverty level cycle and gain jobs that pay enough to support themselves and their families. These cycles tend to repeat in families that are uneducated and education programs should be mandatory. There is no question that families that can afford to pay for private schools and people that obtain higher education are less likely to need public assistance. Poverty level families that live within public assistance all of their lives and do not go on to college remain in the welfare system. If higher education were mandatory as part of receiving benefits, these perpetual cycles can be broken.