• What Does Source 1 Reveal About Gin And Beer Consumption Between 1700-1760?

Q1. What does Source 1 reveal about gin and beer consumption between 1700 and 1760?
Source 1 shows beer consumption stayed consistent until the 1751 gin act where consumption increased, while gin consumption was increasing until 1751 where it rapidly decreased.
Q2. From source 2, identify any two problems in eighteenth-century London.
One problem source 2 identifies is poverty as it states ‘families faced starvation’. A second problem that source 2 identifies is overpopulation ‘poverty and overcrowding laid the foundation for the eras social problems’
Q3. What two conclusions about the gin problem can be drawn from the evidence in source 4?
One conclusion that can be drawn about the gin problem from source 4 is that gin became a very popular

Firstly, source 3 (a) shows beer drinkers as being functioning members of society as it shows people socialising and working while drinking whereas source 3 (b) shows gin drinkers as being unsocial and disorderly showing people lounging around or groups of people engaged in violent behaviour. 3(a) also depicts beer drinkers to be more upper class as it shows them in a up and coming city showing new buildings being made in the background where as 3(b) shows a lower class based on the state of their clothing and people who appear to be starving suggesting they can’t afford food or are spending that money on gin. Another conclusion that could be drawn is that beer drinkers were happier than gin drinkers as source 3a portrays the people smiling and engaging in conversation while 3b shows angry and sad people even featuring someone that appears to have committed suicide in one of the

Firstly, as the artist of these sources was creating these campaigns in order to support the Gin Act and it is likely he benefitted from creating these he may have had a strong bias limiting what it tells us of eighteenth century London. Secondly, it is limited as it may not be as reliable as current depictions of alcohol since it was done in 1751 when the effects of beer and gin were maybe not completely understood. We also cannot say that this campaign conclusively showed how people felt about beer and gin at the time as the drawings are not solid