The Conservative Government of 1874-80 Did More Than the Liberal Government of 1868-1874 to Improve the Conditions of the Working Classes in Britain. How Valid Is This Assessment?
- Submitted by: leegavin10
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- Category: History
- Date Submitted: 11/28/2010 12:03 PM
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Both Gladstone’s and Disraeli’s governments were well known for their reforming acts. However Gladstone’s government made significantly more changes than Disraeli’s second government. During this essay I am going to discuss which government improved the conditions for the working classes and by what degree. I will evaluate both governments in detail starting with the educational reforms which both governments made.
Gladstone’s main educational reform was Forster’s elementary education act of 1870. In the 1870’s there were 3 types of school Roman Catholic schools, non conformists’ schools and Church of England schools. Gladstone decided to put this act forward to try and raise the standards of education to measure up to the USA and Germany who both who had free compulsory state funded education and to fill the gaps, so that working class children didn’t go uneducated; as this would have caused problems in future years in industry. The act was a compromise between two positions known as the dual system whereby elementary education was provided by church schools of local or administrated schools known as board schools. However the act didn’t meet the requirements of the non conformists who didn’t want their money spent on Church of England schools, therefore parliament passed Cowper Temple clause where parents could remove their children from board schools in order to attend a school which met their religious teaching. This act gave education a foundation of the elementary schools to be based. It helped the British economy too as without this change Britain wouldn’t have been able to develop as a nation and fall further behind the Americans and Germans development and trade/industry may have suffered without an efficient educational system which meant that there would have been mass unemployment across Britain affecting the majority of the working class. In comparison to Disraeli’s government who passed the Sandons act of 1876, which increased pressure on...
Gladstone’s main educational reform was Forster’s elementary education act of 1870. In the 1870’s there were 3 types of school Roman Catholic schools, non conformists’ schools and Church of England schools. Gladstone decided to put this act forward to try and raise the standards of education to measure up to the USA and Germany who both who had free compulsory state funded education and to fill the gaps, so that working class children didn’t go uneducated; as this would have caused problems in future years in industry. The act was a compromise between two positions known as the dual system whereby elementary education was provided by church schools of local or administrated schools known as board schools. However the act didn’t meet the requirements of the non conformists who didn’t want their money spent on Church of England schools, therefore parliament passed Cowper Temple clause where parents could remove their children from board schools in order to attend a school which met their religious teaching. This act gave education a foundation of the elementary schools to be based. It helped the British economy too as without this change Britain wouldn’t have been able to develop as a nation and fall further behind the Americans and Germans development and trade/industry may have suffered without an efficient educational system which meant that there would have been mass unemployment across Britain affecting the majority of the working class. In comparison to Disraeli’s government who passed the Sandons act of 1876, which increased pressure on...