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The Public Health Act Of 1848

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‘widespread that the government had to act’. The personal outbreak and fear of another outbreak of cholera which took place again in 1837-38 forced the government to pass the first Public Health Act in 1848. Not only did this act bring in significant change it also allowed the establishment of local health boards which would build and maintain drains, sewers, toilets and supply fresh water to the citizens. If 10% of the population asked for a board or an area had a death rate of 23 per 1000 they would be forced to set up. These boards would also help with the cleaning of their local streets as well as inspecting businesses and running the burial grounds of their area. Often seen a significant for the first public provision of citizens …show more content…

As most of the population were labourers the frustrations of their plight were highlighted by the fear of a revolution during the early 19th century when the full effects of the industrial revolution were settling. Consequently, the economic fears amongst the working class population due to the emergence of new machinery led to the 1811 luddite riots – whereby workers uprose against the new machinery replacing them. These workers formed ‘groups and went around smashing the new machinery’. The fact that these were taking place in the industrialised ‘Midlands, Yorkshire and Lancashire’ and did ‘thousands of pounds worth of damage’ shows the shire amount of fear amongst the working class that they were being replaced by technology as a machine was now able to complete the same job that employed 10 men to do. Government punishment of those found guilty of them being ‘even death penalty’ signified the extent of damage the luddite rioters caused and the necessity to keep newly invented machinery from owners and the government’s fear from these mobs.

Rubinstein agrees that Britain was ‘radically unequal’ from 1750-1850 with the predominant and massive difference in power and wealth between the rich dominant power holders against the majority of the population whom the changes only brought ‘want and misery’. The fact that the most famous theory of societal inequality- Marxism enunciated a famous

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