Unemployment and the State in Britain : The Means Test and Protest in 1930s South Wales and North-east England

Explores the impact of the highly controversial means test in south Wales and north-east England Front matter Contents List of figures and tables Acknowledgements Abbreviations Map of south Wales Map of north-east England Introduction Part I Overview Unemployment and the depression in interwar Britain Part II 1931–34 Defiance and disobedience: local government, the unemployed and Whitehall Accusations, image and experience: the effects of the means test, 1931–34 Taking a stand: the response of the unemployed 1931–34 Part III 1935–41 The government attempts to take a stand: the establishment of the UAB and mass action Towards the welfare state: class, community and collective action, 1936–41 Conclusion Appendices Bibliography Index Unemployment and the state in Britain offers an important and original contribution to understandings of the 1930s. Through a comparative case study of south Wales and the north-east of England, the book explores the impact of the highly controversial means test, the relationship between the unemployed and the government and the nature of some of the largest protests of the interwar period. This study will appeal to students and scholars of the depression, social movements, studies of the unemployed, social policy and interwar British society.-- Provided by publisher