Toynbee, Arnold (1852-1883), a British social reformer and economist, worked to help the poor. He supported free education, the free operation of trade unions, and the regulation of working conditions in Britain. Toynbee thought religious groups should work for social progress. He taught that imitation of Jesus’ service to humanity was true Christianity. His best-known book was The Industrial Revolution (1884).
Toynbee was born on Aug. 23, 1852, in London. He was educated at the University of Oxford and later taught economics there. He lived in a shabby dwelling in Whitechapel, a London slum district, and his hard work to improve social conditions ruined his health. He died on March 9, 1883. Shortly after his death, Toynbee Hall, the world’s first settlement house, was set up in Whitechapel to help the poor. Toynbee was the uncle of Arnold Joseph Toynbee, a noted historian.
