REVISION: Britain, 1830-1930

1. REVISION: Britain, 1830-1930

2. POPULATION • Between 1830 and 1930 the population more than doubled • There were shifts in population from rural areas to urban areas • PULL FACTORS: • Better job prospects in the city • More to do in the city • A desire to be with family members

3. Population continued • PUSH FACTORS: • Highland Clearances • Irish/Highland Potato Famines • Job loss due to introduction of machinery • OTHER FACTORS: • Better healthcare meant people lived longer • Better pay meant people married younger and had bigger families

4. FARMING • Farming techniques were improved between 1830 and 1930 • New machines like the combine harvester and threshing machine were introduced • New techniques in breeding came about • Enclosures replaced strip farming • Fertilisers were better

5. FARMING & PEOPLE • Many labourers lost their jobs due to new ploughs etc • Farming and rural communities suffered • As city populations grew more food had to be produced so existing farmers were very busy

6. INDUSTRY: Coal Mining • Most coalfields were in the Central Belt • Demand for coal was created by: • Industry, e.g. factories • Transport, e.g. trains and steamers • Fuel for houses • Early mines were called ‘bell pits’ • Later mines were called ‘board & pillar’

7. Coal Mining - jobs • Young children opened trap doors for the trolleys • TRAPPERS: • HEWERS: • Men or older boys cut the coal • BEARERS: • Carts full of cut coal were dragged by women and children

8. Coal Mining – C20 • Mines were nationalised during WW1 • Coal was so essential during WW1 that miners were exempt from active service • After the war conditions suffered and the demand for coal dropped • Miners went on strike to get better conditions but this failed

9. TRANSPORT: Railways • The first trains were on wooden track down the mines • In 1812 the first railway was authorised by Parliament • George Stephenson’s ‘Rocket’ was one of the first locomotives • In 1830 the average speed of trains was 36 mph • In 1830 there were 69 miles of railway, but by 1870 there were 15,557 miles of track!

10. Benefits of Railway • People could go on holiday to other parts of the UK • Food could get to market much quicker • Mail could be delivered much faster • Common time was now kept because of timetables • People could move out of over-crowded cities and commute from rural areas • Created jobs, e.g. building the Forth Bridge

11. Disadvantages of Railway • It caused pollution • It destroyed some of the landscape • Some people were initially swindled out of their land • Some people were injured or killed on the tracks • Farms could be badly affected

12. Other modes oftransport • By the 1920s it was not uncommon for people to use a motor car • Buses and lorries had also been invented by the end of our course • Ship building (luxury liners and war ships) was a huge industry in Glasgow. • Trams were popular in some cities.

13. HOUSING AND HEALTH • A growing population meant that cities became over-crowded • Some new towns developed because of industry or population increases • The poor tended to live in homes with poor sanitation, not enough windows and with a lack of running water • Typically the poor lived in back-to-back tenements

14. Other Housing • People who had become financially successful during the Industrial Revolution were able to live in terraced or semi-detached homes with gardens, inside toilets and running water. • Very rich people could afford a town house (usually 3 storeys) and a country mansion – with servants’ quarters

15. Improvements in Housing • World War One highlighted poverty to the government • Lloyd George wanted “homes fit for heroes” • New homes built had water, toilets, windows and many rooms • Wheatley Act of 1924 meant council houses had to be built • Slum clearances were also carried out

16. Health • Health problems among poor people often stemmed from bad housing and poor sanitation. • The worst epidemic of the time was cholera which killed thousands of people • Cholera was caused by drinking infected water • Other common diseases were smallpox, tuberculosis, diphtheria, typhoid

17. Health Improvements • The invention of the microscope meant doctors (like Robert Koch) could link germs to diseases like cholera • Big cities got clean water supplies: e.g. Loch Katrine Reservoir in Glasgow, 1876 • Better diet, thanks to better transport • Cheaper soaps etc became available • Better medicines, vaccinations and antiseptics became available in hospitals • Public Health Act 1875 made sure the streets were clean

18. Democracy • In 1830 only wealthy, male landowners could become MPs or vote • Voting took place in hustings • 1832 saw the Great Reform Act which gave the vote to some Middle Class males • 1867 Reform Act expanded the vote to all Middle Class men and some Working Class men • 1884 Act gave even more men in the rural areas the vote • In 1872 the Secret Ballot Act was introduced • In 1911 MPs received a salary for the 1st time

19. Democracy for Women • The Representation of the Peoples Act of 1918 gave women over 30 the vote • The Representation of the Peoples Act of 1928 gave women over 21 the vote, which gave them equal voting rights with men • Women got the vote because of: • The NUWSS • The WSPU • World War I

20. Other Changes for Women • After WWI women no longer had to go out with a chaperone • Women cut their hair and started to dress how they wanted to • Women could work where they wanted but would not get equal pay until the 1960s • Women could go to University and make a career for themselves as a doctor, lawyer, teacher or businesswoman

21. Main Changes • UK’s population more than doubled • Industry overtook agriculture as the main employer • Middle Class and Working Class people gained more democratic rights • Women stopped being classed as second class citizens • Everyone got healthier • It became easier to move around the county