Poverty in Britain, 1890-1914 Main

Poverty in Britain, 1890-1914

Main Causes of Poverty in Britain, 1890-1914

Britain's history is best understood at the different stages of development it underwent before it became one of the most powerful nations in the world. Of particular interest are the historic events that occurred between the periods 1890 and 1914, wherein the country faced a paradox: it became a poor nation despite maintaining its stronghold as one of the most powerful countries internationally. This period, 1890-1914, is critical because this marked Britain's ascent as an industrialized nation as the Industrial Revolution emerged and began to develop in Western societies.

It was in the late 19th century that Britain had fully experienced the effects of the Industrial Revolution. This began with the rapid urbanization of its cities, resulting to migration of people from the rural areas towards these cities, wherein there were more economic opportunities like better and more profitable market transactions and available jobs. In effect, the Industrialization made it possible for the economy to grow, mainly because of new opportunities opening up for British society to take advantage of.

Unfortunately, the rapid urbanization did not prepare the British civil society and the Parliament for the inevitable effects that naturally occurs with industrialization. Alongside urbanization, British society suffered from the poor response of the government in responding to the people's social needs, particularly those living in the cities. As cities grew larger, it became necessary for the Parliament to develop measures by which the people -- who are mainly workers -- can survive the urban life not solely at their own expense. It became imperative, then, that the government must develop and implement legislation that will address the social needs of most of its citizens, which, in the case of Britain, are its workers. These led to the implementation of social reform acts that sought to improve workers' quality of life by providing free basic education for all, health services, and even recognizing workers' rights through the establishment of workers' unions.

While urbanization is identified as the main cause of poverty in Britain during the Industrial Revolution period, social problems related to health, education, and employment led the nation to poverty. As a result of increasing growth of population in the cities, poor living conditions became rampant, resulting to illnesses in urban areas. As a result, the government needed not only to provide help for people whose health has suffered, but it also had to bear the economic downturn that resulted from lack of workers in its industries due to low number of workers working its industries and factories.

In addition to community health problems, Britain also faced the challenge of negotiating with workers' unions in order to keep the economy running. The government's failure to address this social problem efficiently led to a slowdown in its economic activities, hurting its growth in the long run.