Scapegoating of the poor
What Scapegoating of the poor means in History A-Level, as defined for Pearson Edexcel.
Definition of Scapegoating of the poor
Check what you remember
Read the wording for your board, then hide it and explain Scapegoating of the poor in your own words. Rough notes are fine. This is a self-check, with no mark or grade.
Reference: Pearson Edexcel
Economic distress made poor, dependent neighbours easier to scapegoat, as communities grew anxious and suspicious.
Topics that use Scapegoating of the poor
- Paper 3, Option 33: The witch craze in Britain, Europe and North America, c1580–c1750 - 4 Matthew Hopkins and the East Anglian witch craze, 1645–47 (Pearson Edexcel A-Level)
Related terms
- Breakdown of traditional authority
- Collapse of legal and church structures
- Cost of prosecution
- Economic crisis and wartime hardship
- Geography of the craze
- Methods and influence of the witchfinders
- Restoration of authority
- Class and gender of victims
Using Scapegoating of the poor in the exam
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