Indigence, assistance et repression dans le bas-rhin (1789-1870)
Institution:
Université Marc Bloch (Strasbourg) (1971-2008)Disciplines:
Directors:
Abstract EN:
From 1790 to 1866 the destitute made up 5 to 10 percent of the population in the bas-rhin "departement". However, from the middle of the 19th century, destitution decreased in spite of the economic upheavals of the mid 1850's. This can be explained by the ultimate and most efficient remedy for overpopulation: rural depopulation and emigration. Children and old people were permanently vulnerable to destitution whereas adults ans adolescents were more or less spared except in times of economic hardship. In addition, the jewish and catholic communities were less able to fend off poverty than the protestants. Although great poverty reigned in the bas-rhin, this "departement" had one of the lowest levels of destitution in france. The division of farmers'lands, the reduction of fallow land, the increase of commercial crops and employment in the trades saved many of the inhabitants of the bas-rhin from destitution without, however, freeing them from poverty. The classification of the needy determined the way they were treated: assistance for those who did not beg and punitive measures against beggers. Public welfare, financed increasingly, by the local authorities, consisted primarily in social welfare offices which did not answer the needs of the destitute who received inadequate help. Privately sponsored assistance though more efficient, did not reach all the needy and directly competed with public welfare. Country people strongly defended their own charitable activities but this only encouraged begging. The "departement" repeatedly forbade begging but in continued in spite of arrests and detention in the hoerdt reform house for beggars. To conclude, the destitute were excluded in two ways: firstly by their own poverty and secondly by the authorities who showed little concern for their welfare and only took repressive measures against them.
Abstract FR:
De 1790 a 1866 les indigents bas-rhinois constituent entre 5 et 10 pour cent de la population du departement. Cependant, a partir du milieu du 19e siecle l'indigence s'attenue malgre le sursaut conjoncturel du milieu des annees 1850, cette baisse s'expliquant par l'ultime et le plus efficace remede au surpeuplement : l'exode rural ou l'emigration. Enfants et vieillards constituent des cibles permanentes pour l'indigence, adultes et adolescents restant relativement epargnes sauf en temps de crise economique. D'autre part, juifs et catholiques offrent une moins grande resistance a la misere que les protestants. Le bas-rhin, ou la pauvrete atteint des sommets, presente un des plus faibles taux d'indigence de france. En effet, le fractionnement de la propriete paysanne, le recul de la jachere, le developpement de cultures commerciales et de l'artisanat ont permis d'eviter a beaucoup de bas-rhinois l'indigence sans toutefois suffire a les liberer de la pauvrete. La classification des misereux selon une hierarchie conditionne leur futur traitement: l'assistance reservee aux indigents non mendiants; la repression pour les mendiants. L'assistance publique, de plus en plus financee par les communes, essentiellement composee par les bureaux de bienfaisance s'avere inadaptee aux besoins des indigents auxquels elle ne fournit que des secours derisoires. L'assistance privee, bien que plus efficace, ne s'applique pas a tous et concurrence directement l'aide publique. La charite directe exercee et vigoureusement defendue par les villageois eux-memes pertetue la mendicite. Celle-ci est plusieurs fois interdite dans le departement; elle subsiste pourtant, malgre les arrestations et le redressement applique dans le depot de mendicite de hoerdt. En definitive, l'indigent subit une double exclusion: celle provenant de sa misere meme et celle tisee par les autorites qui ne le placent pas au centre de leurs preoccupations si ce n'est dans un but repressif.