View source for Decline and abolition of the poor law system

{{short description|Change in English welfare system}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
The '''Decline and abolition of the poor law system''' in [[England]] and [[Wales]] can be traced to around 1870 when the proportion of the population on poor relief began to fall rapidly; this trend continued until the outbreak of the [[First World War]] in 1914.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/boyer.poor.laws.england |title=EH.Net Encyclopedia: English Poor Laws |access-date=2009-05-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100105105148/http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/boyer.poor.laws.england |archive-date=2010-01-05 }}</ref>
The demise of the [[poor law]] system can largely be attributed to the availability of alternative sources of assistance, including membership of [[friendly societies]] and [[trade unions]]. Local government began to offer work relief outside of the poor law system, and the [[Economic interventionism|interventionism]] of the Liberal government in their [[Liberal reforms]] paved the way for the abolition of the poor law.
Use of the poor law system increased during the interwar years due to high levels of unemployment. The [[Local Government Act 1929]] abolished [[poor law union]]s and transferred the administration of poor relief to local government, leaving the poor law system largely redundant. In 1934 the [[Unemployment Assistance Board]] gained responsibility for the unemployed, and from 1945-1948 the modern welfare state was introduced, including the [[National Health Service]]. The [[National Assistance Act 1948]] ([[11 & 12 Geo. 6]]. c. 29) repealed all poor law legislation.
==References==
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{{Poor Law}}
[[Category:English Poor Laws]]