State, Society and the Poor in Nineteenth-Century England

Download or read book State, Society and the Poor in Nineteenth-Century England written by Alan Kidd and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 1999-07-08 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today it is impossible to separate discussion of poverty from the priorities of state welfare. A hundred years ago, most working-class households avoided or coped with poverty without recourse to the state. The Poor Law after 1834 offered little more than a 'safety net' for the poorest, and much welfare was organised through charitable societies, self-help institutions and mutual-aid networks. Rather than look for the origins of modern provision, the author casts a searching light on the practices, ideology and outcomes of nineteenth-century welfare. This original and stimulating study, based upon a wealth of scholarship, is essential reading for all students of poverty and welfare. It also contains much to interest a wider readership.