History - depression

?
Who were Britain's main rivals by the 1920s?
USA, Japan and Germany.
1 of 82
What did British industry produce?
Ships, textiles, coal, iron and steel.
2 of 82
What did Britain follow a policy of in the 1920s?
Free trade.
3 of 82
What was pioneered in the USA in the production of motor cars?
Mass production.
4 of 82
When was the Wall Street crash?
October 1929.
5 of 82
What caused the wall street crash?
The panic selling of shares led to a loss of confidence in financial markets.
6 of 82
What happened to banks and businesses?
Banks = collapsed as loans weren't repaid, businesses went bust.
7 of 82
What were the impacts of the depression in the industry sector?
International trade declined, exports from Britain fell by a half between 1929 and 1931, Britain's balance of trade was badly affected (imported more than exported) & unemployment reached 2 million by 1930 and rose to over 3 million by 1932.
8 of 82
How was the coal industry affected?
Declined as it could be produced more cheaply abroad, mines had not invested in up-to-date machinery so it was more difficult to mine, Britain lost European markets as Germany was making some of its reparations payments to countries in coal.
9 of 82
How was the iron and steel industry affected?
Declined as there was less demand for ships and weapons after WW1. USA and Japan undercut British prices and their steel-making plants were larger, more efficient and modern.
10 of 82
How was the shipbuilding industry affected?
Declined more rapidly than other industries, fall in world trade and international disarmament meant a fall in demand for ships. USA & Japan could produce ships much more cheaply.
11 of 82
How was the textiles industry affected?
Declined as manufactured fibres like rayon became more popular, Japan & USA had developed their own textile industries during WW1 and Lancashire could not compete with cheaper cotton produced in India.
12 of 82
What act created payments for unemployed workers?
The Unemployment Insurance Act of 1929.
13 of 82
What did people think of the dole?
It would become too expensive as unemployment increased - it would discourage workers from looking for work.
14 of 82
When was the 10% cut in benefits?
1931
15 of 82
What did the government think? (PM)
Government became split over it - Ramsay McDonald (PM) resigned, he joined conservatives & liberals in a coalition government.
16 of 82
When was the Means Test introduced and why?
1931 to reduce the amount of dole paid.
17 of 82
What did the Means Test entail?
People had to have their houses inspected to check all their possessions and savings - had all their items valued.
18 of 82
What caused deductions in the weekly payments?
If the family had any other sources of income, e.g. part time job or the pension of an elderly relative.
19 of 82
What was set up to put pressure on the government with the Means Test?
The National Unemployed Workers' Movement (NUWM).
20 of 82
What did the NUWM organise and when?
A march on London in October 1932, present petition to parliament, stopped by police.
21 of 82
Why did people hate the Means Test?
People thought government cared more about saving money, people hated having an inspector go through their items and being made to sell, thought it was humiliating to reveal their savings and earnings.
22 of 82
What did local authorities do (means test)?
Some carried it out harshly, some refused to do it at all
23 of 82
What were hunger marches and when did they begin?
Columns of unemployed men who marched across the country trying to bring attention to their plight - Autumn 1931.
24 of 82
How did the politicians react to the hunger marches?
They refused to meet with the leaders and often ignored them.
25 of 82
What's the most famous hunger march?
The Jarrow Crusade of 1936.
26 of 82
What company were the people of Jarrow dependent on?
Palmers Shipyard which began to decline after WW1.
27 of 82
What company did a group of shipyard owners set up, what did they do and when?
1934 - National Shipbuilders' Securities - buy up smaller yards and scrap them.
28 of 82
What did unemployment in Jarrow reach?
80%.
29 of 82
What was widespread in Jarrow in the mid-1930s?
Malnutrition and poor health.
30 of 82
Why was the government suspicious of hunger marches?
They sometimes had connections to communists.
31 of 82
Who did not support these marches and why?
The Trades Union Congress and the Labour Party - bad publicity.
32 of 82
Who objected to the non-political nature of the Jarrow crusade?
The National Unemployed Workers' Movement (NUWM).
33 of 82
How many men marched from Jarrow to London? Who were they joined by?
200 - the Mayor, MP Ellen Wilkinson and town councillors.
34 of 82
What was the reaction from the public?
The marchers received sympathy and great support - they were put up in church halls and given free meals, shoes repaired for free.
35 of 82
What happened when they got to London?
There was little support/sympathy from gov. PM Stanley Baldwin ignored them.
36 of 82
What was the date of the nationwide hunger march? How much marchers were there? How many from Rhondda?
14th October 1932 - 2,500 marchers - 375 from Rhondda.
37 of 82
What did their petition demand?
The abolition of the means test and the end of the 10% cut to unemployment benefits.
38 of 82
What happened to the petitions?
They were confiscated by police.
39 of 82
Why, where and when did King Edward VIII say "something must be done"?
On a tour of Wales in 1936 - referring to the living conditions of unemployed miners and their families.
40 of 82
What date did the hunger march from South Wales took place? How many marchers were there?
October 1936 - 504 marchers.
41 of 82
Who did the government use to monitor the march?
Informants.
42 of 82
Where were there high levels of unemployment during the depression?
North-East England, South Wales and Central Scotland.
43 of 82
What did a 1936 survey find in York?
30% of people in York were unemployed workers living below the poverty line.
44 of 82
What did a 1936 survey on malnutrition find?
4.5 million people had a diet that was completely inadequate - a further 5 million suffered from some form of deficiency.
45 of 82
What did families of the unemployed eat a lot of?
Bread, margarine, potato, sugar and tea - little meat, fresh fruit, milk & vegetables.
46 of 82
What did women have to do in the 1930s?
'make ends meet' - no. of women in domestic service rose due to national insurance only covering the man - women and children were not covered for medical treatment.
47 of 82
What did a poor diet in children lead to?
Higher infant mortality rate.
48 of 82
Compared to richer families, what were poor children more likely to suffer from?
8x more likely to catch pneumonia, 5x more likely to suffer from rickets & 10x more likely to catch bronchitis.
49 of 82
What did women operate credit mechanisms for?
Paying rent, buying food & clothing and borrowing money.
50 of 82
What were created for the unemployed throughout the country?
Clubs set up by church and mayors' funds.
51 of 82
Which organisation called a conference in 1932?
The British Institute of Adult Education.
52 of 82
What did the conference lead to the establishment of?
The Central Advisory Council for Unemployed Workers.
53 of 82
How many people left Wales and between which years?
1921 and 1938 - 440,000.
54 of 82
What amount of the population had left Pembroke Dock by 1933?
1/4 (3,500).
55 of 82
By how much did the pop. of Rhondda fall in the 1930s?
18%.
56 of 82
Where were Welsh communities established?
USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand & South America.
57 of 82
What areas of the Midlands saw an influx of Welsh people?
Light engineering and car manufacturing.
58 of 82
Where were Welsh people encourages to settle in?
Coventry, Oxford and Slough.
59 of 82
Which company became the biggest employer of Welsh migrants?
The Morris Motor Company in Cowley (Oxfordshire).
60 of 82
How many registered radios were there by 1939?
9 million - 75% of British families owned a radio.
61 of 82
What did the BBC broadcast?
School programmes, plays, popular music, comedy, news and sports.
62 of 82
When did films first have sound?
1927.
63 of 82
How many cinemas were in Wales in 1934?
Over 320, 20 in Cardiff alone.
64 of 82
How many cinema admissions were there in the UK by 1936?
1 million.
65 of 82
In Liverpool, what percentage of the population went to the cinema at least once a week in 1937?
40%.
66 of 82
Who were some famous Hollywood stars?
Clark Gable, Greta Garbo and Errol Flynn.
67 of 82
When was the first Welsh language 'talkie' screened?
1935.
68 of 82
In what industries and where in the UK was there prosperity during the Depression?
Newer industries - motor vehicles & electrical goods, especially in SE England the Midlands.
69 of 82
How many cars were sold in Britain by 1938?
approx. 2 million.
70 of 82
What replaced coal as a main fuel supply?
Electricity.
71 of 82
How many consumers were supplied with electricity by 1938?
9 million.
72 of 82
How did the government try to encourage these new industries?
With grants and by allowing land to be turned into industrial estates.
73 of 82
What was the Special Areas Act?
In 1934, it offered grants of £2 million to companies that would move to the special areas in worst hit areas of unemployment - NE & NW England, Scotland, South Wales & NI.
74 of 82
How many workers were encouraged to move and how many were put on re-training courses?
44,000 to move, 30,000 re-trained.
75 of 82
In what year was a further Special Areas Act passed and what did it offer?
1936 - offering cuts in rent and taxes to businesses.
76 of 82
How much had been spent by 1938, how many firms had been set up and how many jobs had been created?
£8,400,000, 121 new firms, 14,900 jobs.
77 of 82
Why do people think unemployment decreased in these areas by 1938?
Due to people migrating to more prosperous areas.
78 of 82
When was the Treforest Industrial Estate established and what was it?
June 1936 - non-profit company whose aim was to provide alternative forms of employment to the coal and steel industries, which had been hit hardest by the Depression.
79 of 82
How many people worked on the estate?
16,000.
80 of 82
Which areas suffered during the depression and which areas didn't?
Did: NE England & South Wales, Didn't: SE England & Midlands.
81 of 82
What made some areas better than others?
New investment, new housing, new roads and new rail links.
82 of 82

Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What did British industry produce?

Back

Ships, textiles, coal, iron and steel.

Card 3

Front

What did Britain follow a policy of in the 1920s?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What was pioneered in the USA in the production of motor cars?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

When was the Wall Street crash?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
View more cards

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar History resources:

History
See all History resources »See all Depression, war and recovery. resources »