what is your take on the poor laws and the workhouses in gret britain in the 1800s?
This was a big step. It started with the Speenhamland System and evolved through the Poor Laws (and is still evolving today). Moving from the idea of semi-religious charity to an understanding that all wealth derives from people's labour and belongs to society. That and the poorest in society needing more help than most in order to reduce poverty being generational.
Worth mentioning that the people had to fight for every gain, however small and there are those today who would happily reverse 200 years of hard work, live in a dog eat dog world and say screw everyone else as long as they've got a big metal fence to protect their banal suburban booty.
keep the rich richer and the poor poorer?
There are those actively trying to do that today. Musk is one of them.
babies out of wedlock back then and being punished so bdly they hd to commit infantiside by going to baby farms?
That is something our forebears fought to change. One of many good reasons for Socialism or at least social demoracy.
That and not giving a sh1t about all the whining from conservatives about 'morality' which is just the fear of change and the fear of what is different that characterises the less intelligent.