Work, Health and Poverty

The second volume in the Nineteenth Century British Society series has now been published on Amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Poverty-Nineteenth-Century-British-ebook/dp/B005QAMP34/ref=pd_rhf_p_t_3

It looks at the effects that economic changes had on people’s lives. It explores the ways in which the nature of work was transformed, the character of urban growth, how the changing environment impacted on people’s health and the nature and extent of poverty in nineteenth century society. The problems caused by the changing nature of work, the need for housing, concerns about the public’s health and about the effects of poverty led to growing government intervention in people’s lives. This resulted in legislation to determine working conditions, standards of housing, public health and a new Poor Law system as well as voluntary action to improve the conditions in which people lived and worked.

The book is divided into five chapters:

1. Working

2. Urban growth and housing

3. The public's health

4. Poverty and the Poor Laws

5. Voluntary action

Further Reading identifies the most valuable books on these subjects while the detailed notes provide a guide for further research.