Issue 1: Divided SocietyThe Poverty Problem

Lesson starter;

Why are some people in Britain poor? Make a list of reasons.

Today we will…

• Understand why many people in Britain were poor at the start of the 20th century

• Identify the attitude British people had towards poor people

I can…

• Complete a 5 mark question on the problems facing the poor in 1900

• Identify the topic that four topical definitions match

• At the start of the 20th century (around 1900) many people in Britain lived in terrible poverty

• There were a number of reasons for this

• Some people had made poor choices; others lived in poverty through no fault of their own

Task One• Put the following as the title of a

spider diagram (double page)• Use the information on the

presentation to complete the diagram

Why were so Why were so many people many people

living in living in poverty?poverty?

1. Poor Housing

• Most people lived in terrible conditions

• Most houses were damp, draughty, dirty slums

• Landlords didn’t care about their tenants’ welfare

2. Overcrowding• Due to the industrial

revolution, millions of people had crowded into cities like Glasgow for work

• This meant everyone was cramped together – diseases like cholera and TB spread easily

The industrial Revolution was played out in the Olympics 2012 opening ceremony as it is such an important part of Britain’s history!

Big families and often more than one family shared a tiny one roomed flat

3. Social Problems• A lot of poorer

people squandered their money on alcohol to escape their miserable lives

• This led to many problems including more poverty and lots of violence in growing cities

4. Poor Working Conditions• Poor people

worked long hours for low pay

• People earned very little for working in factories, mills and mines and had almost no time off

• Work could often be irregular too

Workers in Britain suffered the same problems as many people working in sweatshops in India; low pay, long hours and very hard work

5. Dangerous Jobs• The jobs poor

people did were often very dangerous, such as mining

• Nobody really cared about workers’ health & safety

• If a worker was injured or killed, there was no help or compensation for the worker or their family

Children’s small hands and bodies were good for getting pieces of trapped fabric from looms – but they were often trapped and killed or injured

6. Poor Diet

• Many families had little money to eat a balanced diet

• Food was scarce for the poor and usually just some bread an tea

• This led to health problems like rickets (lack of vitamin C)

7. Child Labour• Children received

very little education as they were sent out to work and provide for the family from a young age

• This meant most were illiterate and therefore unable to earn a good wage

Gyp’s Story

• Gyp's Story• Listen to his story and take notes –

your teacher will ask you questions afterwards

National 5 Question

Describe the problems facing the poor in 1900.

5 marks

Things to remember;Put each point in a new sentenceExplain each point fully and add

examples where possible

Starter: Peer AssessmentDescribe the problems facing the poor in 1900.5 marks

Use the marking scheme below to mark your partner’s homework.

If your partner has missed details add them in to their answer – do not give the mark unless each point is explained.

Starter: Peer Assessment• Poor housing – most housing was damp, dirty and

draughty.• Overcrowding – houses built quickly and cheaply

near to factories. Diseases spread quickly, especially TB and cholera.

• Social problems – alcohol reliance led to more poverty and violence.

• Poor working conditions – conditions in factories, mills and mines particularly bad. Long hours and low wages.

• Dangerous jobs – jobs such as mining were very dangerous and had poor health and safety.

• Poor diet – balanced diet difficult when living in poverty. Many children suffered from rickets from lack of vitamin C.

• Child Labour – due to low levels of education, many children went out to work at a young age. Children unable to earn a decent wage.

Task Two – Your Opinion

1. It’s not our job to pay for poor people – everyone should look after themselves

2. It’s a shame for the poor – everybody should contribute to ensure nobody goes without

3. As long as I have money, I don’t really think about those who don’t

4. I don’t mind giving a little to help the poor – but they need to help themselves out of poverty too

Read through the statements above. Decide which one you agree with and write down the number. Give reasons why you have chosen that one – you may be asked to share your answers with the class.

Laissez Faire (Left Alone)

• The government around 1900 believed that the poor should be ‘left alone’.

• People believed that it was usually your own fault if you were very poor and therefore not the government’s job to help you.

• They believed that it was due to their own behaviour, laziness, alcoholism or wasting the money that they had.

• Some people believed that poverty was just the natural order of things. Some people would always be better than others.

The views of most Rich…

“People are poor because of five reasons;Not saving moneyDrinking Gambling Refusing to Work or They are inferior”

Self Help• Samuel Smiles wrote a

book called Self Help and the ideas in it became very popular

• He said it was up to the poor to help themselves – by working hard, setting up a business, saving money etc

• He said getting help from the government only made people lazy

"No laws, however stringent, can make the idle industrious, the thriftless provident or the drunken sober."

Self Help – Task ThreeBelow are definitions of four words. You must work out what word/phrase we have used today the definition describes.

Write down the definitions and your answers.

The belief that helping the poor was pointless. That it was up to the poor to work harder and solve their own

problems.

The government’s belief that they should stay out of the problems of

the poor people.

The author of the bestselling book Self Help

Examples of these include drinking, gambling, being lazy or not saving.

Today we will…

• Understand why many people in Britain were poor at the start of the 20th century

• Identify the attitude British people had towards poor people

I can…

• Complete a 5 mark question on the problems facing the poor in 1900

• Identify the topic that four topical definitions match