Malthus was born into a wealthy family. He was educated at home before studying at Cambridge University, where he became the institution’s first Professor of History and Political Economy. British society became increasingly industrialised and urbanised with a rapidly growing population, and Malthus grew concerned by his perception of a consequent decline in living conditions. He saw this as the inevitable consequence of the inability of resources to keep up with a rising population, but blamed the irresponsibility of the ‘lower classes’. Malthus proposed a population could only remain within its resource limitations by ’positive’ and ‘preventative’ checks. ‘Positive’ checks, such as disease, war and starvation, raised death rates. ‘Preventative’ checks, such as birth control, late marriage and celibacy, lowered the birth rate.

Malthus’s ideas were seen by many as harsh and uncaring, but his work influenced several major social changes in Britain. Most notable was the reform of the Poor Laws in 1834 to introduce the grim regime of the workhouse. Darwin read Malthus’s work in 1838 and was struck by Malthus’s observation that animals and plants produce more young than could survive. This creates a ‘struggle for existence’, which fitted with Darwin’s natural selection theory.

Key dates:

1784 - entered as a pensioner at Jesus College, Cambridge

1788 - graduated BA and ninth wrangler

1789 - ordained deacon by the Bishop of Winchester

1791 - graduated MA

1793 - became a fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge

1798 - published (anonymously) An Essay on the Principle of Population

1799 - travelled with Otter, E. D. Clarke, and J. M. Cripps to northern Europe

1803 - appointed Rector of Walesby, in Lincolnshire

1805 - was appointed Professor of History and Political Economy at the newly founded East India College, set up by the East India Company to educate young men for service in India

1815 - published a pamphlet on rent (he is credited with being one of the discoverers of the classical theory of rent)

1818 - became a Fellow of the Royal Society

1820 - published his Principles of Political Economy

1821 - was one of the initial members of the Political Economy Club

1824 - licensed perpetual Curate of Oakwood Chapel, Wotton

1825 - became a fellow of the Royal Society of Literature

1834 - along with Richard Jones, Charles Babbage, and others, he inaugurated the Statistical Society of London (later the Royal Statistical Society).