In 1847, the first Swedish social help system separate from the church had been organized by the Poor relief regulation of 1847.
The law from 1847, which was influenced by the liberalism of the 1840s, came to be regarded as too generous, and gradually the authorities came to practice it more and more strictly.
This was illustrated during the Swedish famine of 1867–1869, when emergency relief was delivered almost exclusively to those willing to work for it.
By this reform, social benefits was banned for everyone except for those physically or mentally unable to work, such as orphans, the aged, the insane and the mentally or physically challenged, and further more banned the right to appeal a decision made by the Poor Care Board.
The law of 1871 was thereby a severe deterioration of social help in Sweden, and those needing no longer qualified to apply for help from the state because of the new regulations was forced to rely on private charity (foremost the local Fruntimmers-skyddsförening) as well as old outdated customs such as rotegång, the pauper auction and child auctions.