Sample Answer for How did the Jarrow March show socio-economic problems in Britain in 1918-39

Essay Plan

INTRO:

• Jarrow March background: town hit hard by the Depression.
• 70% unemployment, poor living standards, and shipyard closure.
• 2,000 people petitioned and marched to Westminster for a new steelworks.
• Issues stemmed from the British economy, post-war struggles, and political unrest.

BODY PARAGRAPHS:

1. Economic bgd
2. Post war difficulties
3. Labour govt. collapse
4. General strike 1926
5. Results of general Strike
6. The march
7. Support of British + public examples
8. Impact of march (events in London)
9. Jarrow deflect conditions of 1930's Britain?
10. Threat 2 democracy in Britain (Red Ellen)

CONCLUSION:

• The march failed in its immediate goal but highlighted issues in special areas.
• Led to increased employment, 20% rise in net income, and 40% boost in industrial production.
• More disposable income for essentials and leisure.
• In 2014, an NHS march retraced the Jarrow March route.

Sample Essay

During the inter-war years of 1918-39, The town of Jarrow was hit hard by the Depression, resulting in many socio-economic issues. A march was organised in the London Parliament to bring light to these problems. Unemployment was at 70%, and a housing crisis resulted in a very poor standard of living. When Palmers, a ship-building company in Jarrow, closed, most of the town's population lost their jobs. A petition was organised and signed by 11,000 people demanding that a steelworks be built to increase employment. The Jarrow march highlighted obstacles like Britain's economic background, post-war difficulties, political unrest and strikes.

Britain was the world's leading economic and political power in the 1800s, but the USA and Germany took it over at the turn of the 20th century. Regardless, it was still powerful and had a massive empire. The currency, sterling, backed by the gold standard, was strong, and the country employed a free trade policy. The 1918 wartime coalition between the Conservative & Liberal parties led by David Lloyd George promised "a land fit for heroes" and introduced demobilisation. Men returning from war were integrated into society, and most found jobs. The North was poor, and the South was more prosperous. The South had new industries like car manufacturing, so the country had a large wealth gap. Since Jarrow was in the North, it experienced the socio-economic impacts of declining traditional industries.

After the first world war, 750,000 men were dead, and millions of others were injured. On top of a reduced workforce, Britain was in financial debt to the USA and had to repay large loans. There was an economic boom after the war, leading to inflation, unequal wages and strikes organised by trade unions. Within a year, around 2000 strikes occurred. When the demand for coal dropped in 1921, unemployment rose to 2 million. These disagreements between workers and employees led to tension and bitterness. Even though Lloyd George's government paid sick and unemployed benefits, it was not enough for people in towns like Jarrow who suffered socially and economically.

The Labour Party, led by Ramsay MacDonald, formed their first government with Liberal support, and it changed the political landscape. They introduced the Housing Act to overcome a housing shortage. 500,000 out of 800,000 houses needed were built. People in Britain feared communism and equated it with socialism. When a forgery of Zinoviev's letter was published in the Daily Mail, fears of a communist revolution grew. This became known as the "Red Scare" and led to the return of Baldwin's Conservative Party. As a result of the Red Scare, the economy improved slightly as the power returned to conservatives, and the Labour government collapsed in 1924.

Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister, thought the return of the gold standard would improve the economy, but it just raised the prices of British exports. Goods became more expensive, demand fell, and industry suffered. Workers became fearful of reduced wages and increased hours. Workers used the term "Not a penny off the pay, not a minute on the day" The Trades Union Congress backed miners and other workers who were particularly affected. The TUC declared a general strike against government orders; it went ahead on May 4th 1926. The strikes were seen as Communist revolt, and strikers were labelled extremists. The government presented itself as a "force of moderation", but this increased social and economic tensions, which would cause the Jarrow march.

The General Strike lacked public support, and after nine days, the TUC called it off. Miners and other workers were left to fight on without support. They had to accept lower wages and longer hours. As a result, trade unions lost membership, but there was more compromise between workers and employees. The Trades Disputes Act was passed to make strikes illegal. Politically, Conservatives improved pensions and voting rights, and then the Labour Party was re-elected and promised to tackle unemployment.

The 1929 Wall Street crash increased unemployment. The value of sterling fell again, and the May Commission predicted disastrous tax rises, pay cuts, and reductions in the Dole. Towns like Jarrow were already struggling socially and economically, but the Great Depression that raged worldwide in the 30s made existing issues more extreme.

Due to the Depression, many protests were organised to highlight socio-economic issues. For example, Hunger marches organised by the (mostly) communist NUWM occurred. The Jarrow Crusade intended to be non-political and serious to set itself apart from the NUWM, but it gained political support regardless. The march was from Jarrow to London, which was around 300 miles. The 200 male marchers underwent medical examinations, and people were sent in advance to organise overnight stays. A second-hand bus was purchased to carry cooking equipment. A religious service was held for the marchers the night before setting off. The Crusade wanted the parliament to recognise their social and economic issues and hoped for a rise in employment.

The march set off on October 5th 1936, led by local MP Ellen Wilkinson, with a petition signed by 11,000 people. The men marched army-style, ten minutes of rest per 50 minutes of marching. To keep spirits up, they sang songs and a mouth organ band played. The men rested on Sundays and made stops along the way. On Friday, October 30th, over two weeks later, they reached the Edgeware in outer London. The next and final stop was reached the day after, on October 31st, and it was the Marble Arch in central London. The march symbolised the suffering of Special Areas in Britain in the 30s.

On their way to London, the marchers received fantastic support from the British public, for the most part. There was a public meeting held in every town where the problems of Jarrow were spoken about. The majority of the time, the reception was enthusiastic. The town of Leeds came together and paid for the marcher's train trip back to Jarrow, and Bedford gifted them cigarettes and meat. The Inter-Hospital Socialist Society and student doctors provided medical aid. There was news coverage of the march on the radio and in the newspaper. BBC did nightly reports, and the Guardian showed support. There was overall great sympathy for the marchers from Jarrow and the social and economic issues they and other towns were experiencing.

After arriving in London on the 31st, Prime Minister Baldwin refused to see the marchers. Delegates like Wilkinson addressed a group of MPs in the House of Commons. Some marchers met the Minister of Labour. Ultimately, the parliament did not act on the marcher's demands, and the men found upon their return to Jarrow that their unemployment assistance was cut. A historian comments, "It was a waste of time; it had no effect on unemployment" However, in 1938, a ship-breaking yard and engineering works were established in Jarrow. The steelworks joined in 1939, but unemployment was still high until WW2, when weapons were needed. Although the results of the march were not immediate, they impacted Britain socially and economically.

Although the 1930s were an era of poverty and economic hardship, Jarrow did not reflect the experience of the entire country. A lot of Britain was much more prosperous than before the 1930. Traditional industries, like ship-building and mining, were in decline and primarily located in the North, which was hit harder by the downturn. New industries, like the motor industry, prospered in the South and Midlands, which led to increased employment there. Car manufacturing went from 227,000 in 1920 to 516,000 in 1939. Electrical engineering doubled, and there was a significant increase in white-collar work. Jarrow and special areas starkly contrasted economically to the rest of Britain.

Contrary to Germany, the Great Depression did not lead to the collapse of democracy in Britain. They had a National Government formation, which was very stable. The gold standard was abandoned, and a protectionism policy was employed to protect imports. An abdication crisis occurred when King Edward VIII eloped with an American woman, and Edwards's brother became King George VI. This only slightly damaged the monarchy. Neville Chamberlain thought he could prevent war by introducing an Appeasement Policy and meet Hitler's "reasonable" demands, which failed, as Hitler invaded Poland on September 1st 1939. Although the war was devastating socially, Britain's employment and economic output improved.

Ultimately, Jarrow highlighted neglected Special Areas and spread awareness rather than solutions. The South and Midlands saw increased employment and prosperity thanks to new industries. The national income grew by 20% and production by 40%. More people had electricity and more disposable income for food, cars, and entertainment. The Jarrow march inspired the 2014 NHS march, so although initially, it did not seem to have any sway, it had a massive socio-economic long-term impact.