Politics and welfare in Birmingham, 1900-1975

the long version

This well-written volume explores the relationships between politics and welfare programs for low-income residents in Birmingham during four periods in the 20th century: 1900-1917, the formative period of city building when welfare was predominantly a responsibility of the private sector; 1928-1941, when the Great Depression devastated the local economy and federal intervention became the principal means of meeting human need; the mid 1950s, when the lasting impacts of the New Deal could be assessed and when matters of race relations became increasingly significant; 1962-1975, when an intense period of local government reform, the Civil Rights movement, federal intervention in the form of the War on Poverty, and increasing demands for citizen participation all reinforced one another.