what were the liberal reforms?
- Between 1906 and 1914, the state accepted greater responsibility for protecting people from poverty, illness, unemployment, and old age.
- Liberal governments introduced a programme of welfare reforms between 1906 and 1914
- they aimed to improve the lives some of societies most vulnerable groups, e.g. young, old, poor, sick, unemployed
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
what were the liberal reforms? | - Between 1906 and 1914, the state accepted greater responsibility for protecting people from poverty, illness, unemployment, and old age.
- Liberal governments introduced a programme of welfare reforms between 1906 and 1914
- they aimed to improve the lives some of societies most vulnerable groups, e.g. young, old, poor, sick, unemployed |
before liberal reforms? | - government followed a laisses-faire approach of limited intervention
- believed that poverty was a persons fault and their own responsibility |
5 reasons for liberal reforms | - the social investigations of Booth and Rowntree
- New liberalism
- municipal socialism
- the rise of the labour party
- national security/efficiency |
What was Charles Booths Aim going into his investigation? | He didn't believe in extreme poverty and he intended to prove it with an investigation into poverty in London. |
What did Booths investigation discover? | - poverty was a far bigger issue than they thought
- 30% of East London lived below the poverty line
- only 3% received help through the poor law |
what was surprising in these findings | - most people were not poor due to a fault of their own
- most people were in poverty due to economic issues e.g. changes in employment & economic cycles
- many willing to work were in poverty
- Unemployment, irregular employment, illness, and low wages could push families below the level needed for a decent life
|
what is Booths poverty line? | below the poverty line represented an income to low to afford basic necessities e.g. food, clothes, rent |
Importance of Booths report | - Booth wanted to prove extreme poverty didn't exist, but his own evidence forced him to reach the opposite conclusion
- showed poverty was widespread in London
- showed it wasn't peoples fault - things like economic cycles, low wages, illness, age |
Why was Booths report influential? | used scientific methods and statistical evidence rather that relying on opinion about poverty. |
What did Rowntree discover about poverty in York? | 28% lived in some degree of poverty |
What did Rowntree class as Primary poverty? | families earning below 21 shillings left them unable to afford basic necessities |
What did Rowntree class as secondary poverty? | families that had enough income for basic needs but spending on things like alcohol left them in poverty |
What the 2 reports challenge about self help? | showed most were in poverty due to illness, unemployment, age, low wages, economic cycles outwith their control. |
how did it change attitudes towards government resonsibility? | showed that the government should take more responsibility for the welfare of vulnerable groups in society. |
what was a limitations of the reports? | - they focused on inner city areas and rural poverty was largely ignored
- some MP's still believed it was not wide spread and it was caused by wasteful spending
- the idea of secondary poverty backed up the idea that it was the persons own fault |
what was new liberalism | the idea that the government should intervene in peoples lives when necessary, to address poverty and social issues |
What were the New Liberals backgrounds? | Lloyd George in Wales and Churchill in Dundee represented poorer area and had a better understanding of working class struggles
Asquith become |
Why were the New Liberals essentials to the welfare refoms? | They had the political authority and determination to turn evidence and public concern into legislation.
Created the taxation system to pay for the reforms
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What was Lloyd George's 'the peoples budget of 1909' | aimed to raise money for social reforms by increased taxation on the land and incomes of the wealthy for mainly the poors benefit. |
Why was the peoples budget helpful? | it allowed and helped to fun reforms and was responsible for the idea of a fairer society where fair taxes were used to make improvements for the benefit of the public. |
How did the social investigations help the New Liberals? | provided hard evidence to help persuade parliament that poverty was widespread and not self inflicted |
What was socialism in the reforms? | the idea of social equality and that the rich should contribute to helping the poor. |
What was municipal socialism? | using local government to provide social improvements and redistribute resources for the benefit of the people, For example, local authorities carried out improvements paid for by taxes taken based on the individuals wealth. |
What did reforms did local authorities introduce through municiple socialism? | better sanitation, improved water supplies, gas lighting and slum clearance |
What did Joseph Chamberlain do as mayor of Birmingham from 1873?
+ Glasgow | introduced major municiple reforms, including public control of the water and gas works and slum clearance for public benefit
why its also called 'gas and water socialism'
Glasgow took control of water supply and street lighting |
how did municiple socialism influence national welfare reform? | established a precident showing that government intervention could improve peoples lives. |
What was a limitation of municipal socialism? | - Not all councils introduced reforms so benefits varied across Britain.
- Limited local improvements could reduce pressure for a national solution |
What led to the creation of the Labour party? | The extension of the franchise leading up to the 1900s meant that 2/3 of men had the vote + many more working class men gained political influence |
What were the Labour parties initial policies? | better housing, equal votes, more jobs, 8 hour working days which would have helped the working class |
Why would the working classs not be able to do this? | Because the party was still small early on and was not likely to win a electoral majority. |
Why was Labour a threat to Liberals? | when working class gained the vote they would have voted Liberal. but Labour represented working class issues more directly. |
what effect did the Labour party have on the liberals? | they introduced reforms partly to retain and attract working class voters. |
why is it too simple to claim that liberals introduced reforms due to threat from Labour? | many of the reforms by the Liberals were introduced before the Labour Party were seen to be a major threat |
how did Lloyd George and other Liberals feel about reforms? | genuinly believed that society should be fairer and that a healthier and more secure population would make britain stronger |
How did the Boer War worry british government? | 25% of volunteers weren't healthy/fit enough to be soldiers |
What were the worries connected to Germany? | Britain and Germany were in an arms race and Germany was becoming a major economic, industrial and military force |
How was this connected to the idea of national efficiency? | They realised that reforms were needed for a healthier, better educated, more productive population to remain powerful. |
What did Churchill and Lloyd George see in Germany? | German welfare benefits, including pensions and free school meals had a huge impact on national health |
Which Liberal reforms were connected to national security concerns? | free school meals and medical inspections introduced 1906/7 |
What weakens the national security argument? | - The old age pensions were not improving the health of future soldiers and workforce.
- welfare reforms took money away from military preparations e.g. dreadnoughts |
Overall argument about the reasons for the reforms? | - Social investigations proved that laissez faire failed
- new liberals implemented reform
- municipal socialism proved intervention could work
- labour created political pressure
- national security fears added urgency |