Pearson Edexcel · A-Level · History
Course version: 9HI0 · Version from Sept 2015
Poverty, public health and the state in Britain, c1780–1939 - 3 The…
Full specification wording
Paper 3, Option 34.2: Poverty, public health and the state in Britain, c1780–1939 - 3 The government, self-help and charity, 1847–80: The role of individuals in developing and challenging the prevailing orthodoxy: Smiles, Mayhew and Dickens.
Mid-nineteenth-century attitudes towards poverty were shaped and challenged by key individuals.
Checked against the Pearson Edexcel 9HI0 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 3 of 3
- 4 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Mid-nineteenth-century attitudes towards poverty were shaped and challenged by key individuals. Samuel Smiles developed the prevailing orthodoxy with his 1859 book 'Self-Help', arguing that poverty could be overcome through individual hard work, thrift, and perseverance, implying that destitution was a moral failing. Conversely, Henry Mayhew challenged this view through his investigative journalism in 'London Labour and the London Poor', exposing the structural and economic causes of poverty. Charles Dickens also challenged orthodox views through popular fiction, using novels like 'Oliver Twist' and 'Hard Times' to highlight the cruelty of the workhouse system and humanise the poor, shifting public sympathy.
What earns the marks
- Analyse how Samuel Smiles' publication 'Self-Help' reinforced the laissez-faire orthodoxy that individual character, not state intervention, was the solution to poverty.
- Evaluate Henry Mayhew's use of empirical research and interviews to demonstrate that poverty was often caused by low wages and irregular work rather than moral failure.
- Assess the impact of Charles Dickens' literature in raising middle-class awareness of the harsh realities of the New Poor Law and industrialisation.
- Compare the differing methodologies used by these individuals—philosophical writing, investigative journalism, and fiction—to influence public opinion on poverty.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Claiming that Smiles hated the poor.
Put it right: Smiles believed in the potential of the working classes to elevate themselves through thrift and education, rather than despising them.
Treating Dickens' novels as objective historical reports.
Put it right: Identify Dickens' work as social commentary and fiction designed to evoke an emotional response and challenge utilitarianism.
Grouping Mayhew and Smiles together as reformers.
Put it right: Contrast Smiles, who reinforced the orthodoxy of self-reliance, with Mayhew, who challenged it by exposing systemic economic issues.
Exam tips
- Contrast Smiles' emphasis on individual moral responsibility with Mayhew's evidence of systemic economic causes of poverty.
- Use specific examples of Dickens' work, such as the portrayal of the workhouse in 'Oliver Twist', to illustrate how he challenged utilitarian attitudes.
- Evaluate the reach of these individuals by considering their middle-class readership and how this influenced broader political attitudes towards the poor.
Try the lesson
The start of the Paper 3, Option 34.2: Poverty, public health and the state in Britain, c1780–1939 - 3 The government, self-help and charity, 1847–80: The role of individuals in developing and challenging the prevailing orthodoxy: Smiles, Mayhew and Dickens. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which author wrote 'Self-Help', published in 1859, which celebrated hard work and individual effort as the route out of poverty?
Listen
Mid-nineteenth-century attitudes towards poverty were shaped and challenged by key individuals. Samuel Smiles developed the prevailing orthodoxy with his 1859 book 'Self-Help', arguing that poverty could be overcome through individual hard work, thrift, and perseverance, implying that destitution was a moral failing. Conversely, Henry Mayhew challenged this view through his investigative journalism in 'London Labour and the London Poor', exposing the structural and economic causes of poverty. Charles Dickens also challenged orthodox views through popular fiction, using novels like 'Oliver Twist' and 'Hard Times' to highlight the cruelty of the workhouse system and humanise the poor, shifting public sympathy. A strong answer earns marks for these points. Analyse how Samuel Smiles' publication 'Self-Help' reinforced the laissez-faire orthodoxy that individual character, not state intervention, was the solution to poverty. Evaluate Henry Mayhew's use of empirical research and interviews to demonstrate that poverty was often caused by low wages and irregular work rather than moral failure. Assess the impact of Charles Dickens' literature in raising middle-class awareness of the harsh realities of the New Poor Law and industrialisation. Compare the differing methodologies used by these individuals—philosophical writing, investigative journalism, and fiction—to influence public opinion on poverty. A common slip: Claiming that Smiles hated the poor. Instead, Smiles believed in the potential of the working classes to elevate themselves through thrift and education, rather than despising them. Exam tip: Contrast Smiles' emphasis on individual moral responsibility with Mayhew's evidence of systemic economic causes of poverty.
Key words
Say what each word means before you turn the card.
Laissez-faire and self-reliance
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Social investigation and journalism
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Literature as social commentary
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Moral vs economic causes of poverty
Try answering aloud or in your head before turning the card.
See every definition
- Laissez-faire and self-reliance
- The prevailing orthodoxy that individual character, not state intervention, was the solution to poverty, reinforced by Smiles' 'Self-Help'.
- Social investigation and journalism
- Mayhew's use of empirical research and interviews to demonstrate that poverty was often caused by low wages and irregular work rather than moral failure.
- Literature as social commentary
- Dickens' use of fiction designed to evoke an emotional response and challenge utilitarianism, raising middle-class awareness of the harsh realities of the New Poor Law and industrialisation.
- Moral vs economic causes of poverty
- Smiles' implication that destitution was a moral failing, contrasted with Mayhew's evidence of systemic economic causes of poverty.
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