A Study Of Poverty In 16th Century England

Poverty has always existed in human society,with different measurement standards in different periods and regions,and different forms of expression due to the economic level and the general expectation of the society.Poverty has become a means of social intervention,but absolute poverty and relative poverty can not be completely eliminated.In the 16th century,the poverty problem in England became more and more serious.The poor and vagrants constantly emerged.The church could not solve the increasingly severe social problems.The 16^thcentury called for a new force to intervene in poverty,and power inevitably flowed to those who dared to take responsibility.Church relief was replaced by government relief,and relief of the poor became a secular duty.Private philanthropy plays an important role in a society in flux,and so does public spontaneity.Public aid to the poor and private charity,whether motivated by divine or secular motives,are a way of redistributing wealth,transferring it to those in need.Poverty is a relative concept and there is no universally valid measure.The poor can be defined in terms of relativism such as politics,social status and expectation.The poor are politically powerless and in a passive and vulnerable position.Their social status is lower than that previously enjoyed,or generally lower than that of their peers around them,and they do not receive the corresponding social respect.In the 16th century,the poor were mainly judged by their economic situation,they were in a dying state,their survival was not guaranteed.The poor have to rely on others for a living,have to beg everywhere and receive relief,which has become an urgent problem that the society needs to solve.Social changes in the 16th century made life difficult for the poor,and the ranks of vagrants who begged and committed crime were unusually large.The government collects compulsory taxes and uses legislative means and administrative instructions to deal with poverty.Informal aid from relatives,neighbors and friends also plays an important role.Public aid to the poor and private charity are two ways to deal with poverty.People’s attitude towards the poor has undergone a change from hostility to relief.Relief and punishment are used in parallel,and the undifferentiated relief for the poor has gradually changed to conditional discrimination.But excessive support for the poor breeds indolence and corruption.Once the poor get used to waiting for handouts as a legal right,they cease to work actively and become a heavy and troublesome burden on society.