(855) 4-ESSAYS

Type a new keyword(s) and press Enter to search

Speenhamland

All records were kept in the Parish Vestry book.(Singman85-98).
             Under this system established by Elizabeth's government provisions were made to deal with poverty on a national level. But many of these new acts and systems began to create new problems. Even a biased observer could see these problems. These new government programs began to cause the average price of food to rise much higher than the average wage rate. In an attempt to offset the price imbalance, Elizabethan officials designed a formal table tying the price of bread to employers" wages paid to employees. Employees regardless of ability or work performance were paid the same rate as every working body in any field. This revolutionary system served its purpose for a brief period. The Speenhamland project helped alleviate outdoor relief to those in need, but for only a short period of time. The Speenhamland system ultimately proved to be a cause of poverty rather than a cure. Even in seventeenth and eighteenth century England the system was a highly bureaucratized form of a universal welfare state; a welfare state that sets a minimum standard of living as well as a maximum standard.(Rankin) .
             Employers found it difficult to employ workers in the traditionally more difficult jobs since higher pay was no longer an incentive. Productive economies produce a higher standard of living for the general public. But under the Speenhamland system workers where not encouraged to be more productive. The Speenhamland lasted only one generation in England. Many critics of the Speenhamland system claim that the project opened the doorway for the industrial revolution. Industries and employers were forced to find more productive sources of labor through technology and Adams Smiths theory of specialization of labor.(Singman 123-125) .
             The advances brought about by the industrial revolution in England formally ended the Speenhamland project. But it's affects are still felt today in many modern welfare systems.


Essays Related to Speenhamland

1. Poverty and Welfare

His criticism was of the Speenhamland system, introduced in 1795, which subsidised low wages according to the price of bread and the number of children. ... He argued that the Roundsman and the Speenhamland systems were demoralising the poor because many were becoming too dependent on the government. ... *The effect that the Speenhamland system was having on the attitudes and behaviour of the poor. ... Another effect the Speenhamland system was to reduce wages: farmers had no proper wage rates when they could get cheap, subsidised labour form the parish. ...

  • Word Count: 3068
  • Approx Pages: 12

Got a writing question? Ask our professional writer!
Submit My Question