Poverty, the third topic in my W.E.A. short course entitled History of not very nice things, is to take place this evening. Have some discussion points for early in the session e.g. is poverty relative?, what defines a state of poverty? and then intend to work back in time rather than forward.
Starting with Child Poverty Action Group and United Nations Children’s Fund, go on to National Assistance Act of post-War Labour Government and then back to the National Insurance Act of the Liberal Government before the outbreak of the Great War (see picture). Then a short study of the Victorian Poor Law as established by the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 ( one of the Whig reforms when Lord Grey was Prime Minister) and in doing so will recap on ideas of Rev. Thomas Malthus and consider some ideas of Jeremy Bentham founding father of ‘Utilitarianism’.
This early 19th century reform changed the Elizabethan system of Poor Relief as set-up in 1601 at the end of Elizabeth I’s reign, this including some later amendments such as the 1662 Act of Settlement and the 1772 Workhouse Act.
And finally back to the medieval poor relief system whereby monasteries distributed alms as an act of charity.
Hopefully it will be possible to relate some points arising from the historical study with points made in the initial class discussion.
Jeremy Bentham believed that political and economic decisions should be decided by the yardstick of which option created the greatest happiness, a ‘trendy’ sounding philosophy but one which was used to justify the Victorian workhouse system. Bentham was an atheist and advocate of equal rights for men and women and an advocate for animal rights as he asked himself the question ‘Can they suffer?’. He was a supporter of the early French Revolution but not of the later ‘Terror’ of the mid-1790s.
At his request his body was preserved and exhibited in the University College London, where it remains. The head however is a wax imitation as attemts to preserve his face as in life failed.