The response to unemployment in the Ebbw Fach valley of northern Monmouthshire, 1920-1936

Thomas, Martyn 2024. The response to unemployment in the Ebbw Fach valley of northern Monmouthshire, 1920-1936. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This thesis examines the response to unemployment in the Ebbw Fach valley of northern Monmouthshire during the period 1920-36. This was a time when the problem was seldom far from the minds of Britain’s policy makers and dominated the lives of the people of south Wales and other industrial regions. Most studies of unemployment policy during this era have centred upon changes to the system of relief in its various forms and the protest they provoked. This thesis looks beyond these dominant themes to bring to the foreground a range of other initiatives which were pursued by the state and voluntary bodies. While some of these measures have been addressed by historians, others have been overlooked. Where they have been explored, seldom has the way they were experienced in the communities themselves received the attention it is awarded in this study. This study also shines a light upon a number of organisations which have been hitherto neglected. In particular, it reveals the pivotal role played by local government in implementing and shaping central government policies and in influencing the activities of voluntary groups. It thus makes an important contribution to our understanding of this under-researched layer of government. By exploring how these policies and activities were experienced in a particular locale, it emphasises the agency of local people and their representatives. It demonstrates that pragmatism characterised their response, born of a desire to take advantage of any opportunities to mitigate the suffering of their communities. It thus adds further nuance to the already complex picture of the Depression era in Britain and opens up new directions for further research.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > History, Archaeology and Religion
Subjects:	D History General and Old World > D History (General) D History General and Old World > D History (General) > D204 Modern History D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	15 April 2025
Date of Acceptance:	15 April 2025
Last Modified:	15 Apr 2025 15:21
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/177705

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