how was life different for rich people and poor people in 1912?

Question

when answereing this question please consider housing and and the voting rights
this is my english research homework so dont give me any rubbish answers please.

Answer 1

In response to your demand for not getting any rubbish answers because this is your English research homework, all I will say is that I do hope you're actually doing some RESEARCH on your own, too, rather than asking people on here to tell you. Books. They're amazing things.

Okay, one of the main things you need to know is that this is pre-Depression era. That means, there was no welfare or Social Security set in place for the poor. If they were poor, it was their own problem, or the problem of the local churches (which were often the number one helper of the poor in communities.)

"Society" was much more uptight than it is even today. The wealthy were treated like royalty, and they were as well known. People followed the lives of the Rockefellers, Astors, or Vanderbuildts (I think I went 0 for 3 on spelling those names).

One of the most well-known evidences of the differences between the rich and the poor has to do with the story of the Titanic, which (I think) sank in April of 1912. The first-class passengers brought whole wardrobes to go on vacation. There were people who just couldn't imagine sleeping in a strange bed, so they brought their own furniture for the trip. These people travelled in a style not many could ever have dreamed of.

As elaborate as they travelled, the way the poor travelled were just as extreme, only in the opposite way. They were piled into the belly of the ship, sharing their tiny bunks with strangers and rats. While the first class facilities were extremely elegant (only the finest sheets, china, crystal, food, art, architecture), the facilities for the poor were simple. Their dining room consisted of long tables, where they had very basic meals on very basic dishes.

Then, of course, when the ship hit the iceburg, the wealthy were piled into the lifeboats, with "piled" being a relative term. They did not wish to be crowded. They simply had to have their finest furs, jewelry, pets, and posessions. Apparently, some of the shiphands accepted bribes to allow the wealthy men into the boats, and these men not only acted as though it was only natural that someone of their importance should be spared, they acted as though they themselves were heroes (on of the wealthy men, who survived - which means that he got onto a lifeboat while hundreds of lower-class passengers were locked below - spoke of how he and the other men made sure the women and children were in the boats... apparently, he only spoke of the first-class women and children, and some second-class).

All this shows is a total disregard for the lives of the poor on the part of the rich. They did not acknowledge an importance in these poor people's lives, and they would not have accepted if a man or woman crossed the class lines. To these people "new money" was not the same as being high-class.

Many of the government laws regarding the upkeep and usefulness of housing didn't exist, so you had the wealthy in home that were practically castles, and the very poor living in shacks. There weren't truency laws at the time, so poor children could wander the streets. Prostitution was either legal or laws weren't enforced regarding it, even child prostitution, so the wealthy could buy their own child prostitutes, and the lawmakers did little or nothing to stop them (not, of course, saying all the rich were involved in child prostitution, but this is just to show the leverage the wealthy had over the law, so that any discrepancies could be bought off or hidden).

I think I'm right in saying that voting was connected with land-ownership at that time. Naturally, the very poor didn't own land. Many middle-class in some areas didn't even own land. They would work the land for the wealthy landowners, so the landowners had voting rights, and the poor didn't always.

Basically, while the rich lived lives most of us could never dream of, the very poor lived lives most of us would pray we never experienced in our worst nightmares. With no laws to ensure the safety and basic rights of everyone (or the unwillingness of the legal community to enforce these laws), the very poor lived in ways that today would be unheard of.

Answer 2

The definition of being poor is a lack of resources. When they need something, particularly medical care, they have to buy right now and pay full price. Say you get a cavity, and you have the toothache that gets worse and worse. A more wealthy person might have dental insurance and easily take care of it. A poor person may have to wait until some sort of program approves him/her and then still has out of pocket costs. And, rich people get richer by having surplus to invest. A poor person never has surplus.

Answer 3

I won't give you any rubbish answers.... or any answers at all really. This is a RESEARCH assignment, so you should do the research.

By the way, the difference in lifestyles between rich and poor never really changes much. Poor people focus on basic necessities and rich people have those, and so focus on luxuries. Go from there.

Good Luck!

Sue

Answer 4

In England all males over 21 had the vote.

The wealthy could expect to live a normal life span, with a healthy diet and reasonable access to health care and good work enviorments

The working classes on average lived to about 40-50 years of age, poor diet, no health care, housing was normally tenamnet style crowded and rife with desease. In the larger cities it was possible to starve to death such was the disreguard given to the poor.

Answer 5

Dunno. Haven't done the research. If I had though, I would have had an couple of assignments done by now. They would have started with the following lines.. The houses in the 1920's were designed specifically to the early 1900's architectural style. This was because the 1920's happened in that period. Voting happened during this time also, but not where the illiterate were concerned.

Answer 6

Yes Yes number one answer! She's right my dear, do you think we're going to do your work for you? You are supposed to be learning something here. Go to the library and crack open one of those big, heavy things, with lots of paper inside. Way more effective than the Internet.

Answer 7

Your rude demands will certainly turn people off. Are you the teacher? No, of course not...you're the STUDENT. Do your own research and earn your grade honestly!

Answer 8

Why don't you look it up on the Internet? You could go to your local library and find out.