Liberal social reforms 1906 1914 aj

Liberal Government’s Social Reforms 1906 - 1914

Topics to cover Why did the Liberals pass reforms between 1906-1914?

What reforms were passed?

How effective were these reforms?

Poverty What Causes Poverty?

Poverty How do we Tackle the Problem?

Background to the reforms During the 19th Century, Britain was climbing to the peak height of its power Industrialisation had led to the growth of many towns and provided jobs for thousands of people

Background to the reforms During the 19th Century, Britain was climbing to the peak height of its power Industrialisation had led to the growth of many towns and provided jobs for thousands of people The Empire had played a vital role in expanding this wealth

Britain exploited her Empire for trade purposes

Which group of people would benefit from Industrialisation and the Empire in British Society?

Why did these conditions exist?

Who is responsible for combating poverty?

Nowadays, the Government is responsible in combating poverty But during the 19th Century, the Government believed that it was only responsible for the following: to provide law and order to protect life and property; 2. To ensure defence from foreign aggression; 3. To regulate foreign affairs.

1.

The Governments of the 19th Century (both Tories and Liberals) believed that domestic and economic policy would work best if they did not interfere in it This policy was known as Laissez-Faire This means to literally leave alone

GOVERNMENT ATTITUDES 1850s - 1906 The attitude of the government towards the state of the people in Britain was one of ‘selfhelp’.

People were expected to deal with their financial and social hardship on their own.

The government did not believe it was their responsibility to intervene in the lives of the British people.

How were you viewed if you could not cope?

The Government believed that saving money, living a sober life and working hard was the best way to avoid poverty They did not believe that the economic climate had an effect on the prospects of the unemployed in getting a job If you were living in poverty it was self-inflicted You were considered as being idle (not willing to work), a drunk or a gambler

The Government also believed that if they provided aid, they would simply encourage people to remain out of work and live off the state

Examples...

Giving people child benefit was seen as encouraging them to have more children than they could afford.

Unemployment benefit would simply encourage people to be lazy and not work.

Samuel Smiles (a Scot) -1859 ‘Self-Help’ book typified the attitude of the time; -In his book, Smiles argued that those living in poverty had only themselves to blame and could get themselves out of poverty through hard work and saving!

“No laws, however stringent, can make the idle industrious, the thriftless provident, or the drunken sober.”

“The poor will only be helped by means of individual action, economy, and self-denial; by better habits rather than by greater rights.”

What problems can you see with this attitude and approach to dealing with the poor?

So…what help DID exist during the laissez-faire attitude of the British government?

1844 1866

R.S.P.C.C 1869

1884

The Poor Law system England & Wales

Scotland

Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834

Poor Law Amendment Act of 1845

This allowed those who could prove themselves to be poor into the Workhouse.

This allowed disabled, widows, deserted wives children into workhouses

There was no help for the able-bodied poor outside the workhouse.

They were not forced to work but the ablebodied poor, without working, were not allowed in.

the and and the

The Workhouse One thing that the Poor Law system did successfully was to make state help appear very unattractive to the poor.

It has been calculated by historians that 90% of the unemployed never opted for poor relief despite the fact that they lived in poverty.

“The Archway of Tears”

BREAKFAST

Women: One pint of tea, with bread and butter.

Men, boys and girls: Bread and gruel (of flour and oatmeal) excepting some old men, who are allowed a pint of tea, with bread and butter.

DINNER

Monday: Pease soup, herbs, with bread; men and women a pint of table-beer; boys about half a pint.

Tuesday: Beef and mutton puddings, with vegetables; the beer same as Monday.

Wednesday: Boiled beef and mutton (sometimes pork with it), hard puddings, bread, vegetables, beer same as before.

Thursday: Mutton and beef-suet puddings; beer same as before.

Friday: Beef and mutton puddings, with vegetables; beer same as before.

Saturday: Irish stew-meat, potatoes, herbs, beer same as before.

Sunday: Boiled beef and mutton (sometimes pork with it), hard puddings, bread; vegetables, beer same as before.

This was actually one of the better menus provided at a poorhouse!

SUPPER

Women: One pint of tea, with bread and butter or cheese.

Men and boys: Bread and butter or cheese; men, one pint of beer or tea each; boys, about half a pint.

Girls and small children: Bread and butter; drink, milk and water.

One day I went into the dining-room and found women sitting on the long forms, some sullen, some crying. In front of each was a basin of what was alleged to be broth‌ The staple diet when I joined the Board was skilly. I have seen the old people, when this stuff was put before them, picking out black specks from the oatmeal. These were caused by rats, which had the undisturbed run of the oatmeal bin. No attempt was made to cleanse the oatmeal before it was prepared for the old people.

SOURCE A: Ex-Inmate, 1906

I was invited to taste the dinner of the day, which happened to be soup. I was rash enough to take a breakfast cupful, with a piece of their excellent bread, and I paid the penalty of a severe attack of indigestion.

A professional cook and five bakers are employed here, and have half-a-dozen inmates to assist them. Black beetles, are a great nuisance, and occasionally get into the food, but vigorous steps are being taken to decimate them.

SOURCE B: Visiting doctor, 1896

So far‌ The Governments of 19th Century Britain had adopted the policy of Laissez-Faire The poor were expected to pick themselves out of poverty Some charities did exist to help those in poverty and the Government had provided Poor Houses

However these were unattractive options that were only used in desperation – 90% of those in poverty did not use the poor houses

Why did the Liberals make social reforms between 1906-1914?

Quick Recap How were you considered by the Government if you were poor?

What does Laissez-Faire mean?

What support did the Government offer to the poor?

What percentage of those living in poverty actually used the Poor houses?

When the Liberals returned to power in 1906, they did not have a plan to introduce any radical reforms during their term However it became evident to some members of the party that if Britain were to retain her status as a Great Power, reforms had to be carried out

The Social Surveys

The German model

Why the Liberals introduced social reforms “National Efficiency�

The New Liberals

The Rise of The Labour Party

“National Efficiency�

At its height the British empire was the largest in world history. It covered around 25% of the world's land surface.

British army storming stockades in Rangoon – Myanmar

The Empire was massively important to Britain’s power, reputation and wealth – it is what made Britain “great”.

What did Britain need to maintain control of her vast Empire?

“National Efficiency�

The recruitment of soldiers during the Boer war had presented the British Government with some problems that they had not expected to experience

The Boer wars - 1899 – 1902 between Britain and two independent “Boer” states.

“National Efficiency” Recruitment for the Boer war highlighted significant levels of ill-health among working class recruits.

Almost 1/3 of all soldiers enlisting for the British army during this conflict were rejected on medical grounds.

Often the men were too small, under-developed or malnourished

Some historians argue that around 50% of men were turned away The army’s ability to fight was put into question!

Manchester - 1899 In Manchester, out of 11,000 volunteers for war service 8,000 were too unfit to carry a rifle. Of the 3,000 accepted only 1,200 had the minimum standard of muscular power and chest measurement required by the military.

In other words, 2 out of every 3 men willing to fight in Manchester were virtually invalids.

A Picture showing early casualties in the Boer War, 1900. Overall, 22,000 British lives were lost.

“National Efficiency” It took 400,000 troops to defeat the Boers – who numbered 35,000 troops Furthermore, if Britain’s population was not as fit, or healthy, or educated as her main competitors in the world – Britain might decline as a power.

“National Efficiency” Problems with national efficiency were made all the more urgent by the Naval arms race – Britain and Germany building dreadnoughts…

…which of course is hugely important to our Empire

Social Studies: Booth and Rowntree

“Poverty Line” 19th Century Poverty Cycle

The poverty cycle

Above the Poverty line

Below the Poverty line

The poverty cycle Why would you be above the poverty line here?

Above the Poverty line

Below the Poverty line

The poverty cycle

Above the Poverty line

Below the Poverty line

Why would you be below the poverty line here?

The poverty cycle Why would you be above the poverty line here?

Above the Poverty line

Below the Poverty line

The poverty cycle

Above the Poverty line

Below the Poverty line

Why would you be below the poverty line here?

The poverty cycle

Above the Poverty line

Below the Poverty line

The Social Surveys of Booth and Rowntree The massive surveys into British poverty by Booth and Rowntree provided the Liberal Government with detailed evidence which had not been available to previous governments.

Charles Booth’s “Survey of Life and Labour in London” completed in 1903, showed the huge level of poverty in London nearly one third of the population

AA working working class class family’s family’s meals meals in in 1901 1901

Poverty led to poor diet among working class families

Seebohm Rowntree’s Survey of Poverty in York o Rowntree’s study of working class families in York: “Poverty: A study of Town Life” confirmed Charles Booth’s findings that one third of Britain’s population was living in poverty o Booth and Rowntree’s surveys revealed the scale of Britain’s poverty for the first time and its causes: low wages, unemployment and retirement in old age.

Both Booth and Rowntree defined poverty in a very similar way:

Booth (1903) “My‘poor’ may be described as living under a struggle to obtain the necessities of life while the ‘very poor’ live in a state of chronic want.”

Rowntree “Families whose total earnings are insufficient to obtain the minimum necessities for the maintenance of physical efficiency” (i.e. basic health and fitness) were described as “very poor” Rowntree went further than Booth by giving an actual figure for the poverty level - 21 shillings and 8d (£1-08) per week This was the amount needed to pay rent and buy food clothing etc. necessary just to survive

When the Liberal Government came to power in 1906, Booth’s and Rowntree’s surveys gave them a clear picture of the scale and the causes of poverty across Britain and made it impossible for them to ignore the problem.

A Party Divided: The Influence of ‘New Liberals’ For example – David Lloyd George & Winston Churchill

The ‘Old Liberals’ o

‘Old Liberals’ such as the Prime Minister Henry Campbell Bannerman, believed in the ‘laissez-faire’ ideal

o

The poor were seen as largely undeserving of help and poverty was seen as something which was a result of personal defects (i.e. laziness)

o

Thus between 1906 and 1908 only limited reforms were introduced

o

In 1908 however Campbell Bannerman was forced to resign (Illness) as PM and was replaced by the Chancellor Herbert Asquith

‘New Liberals’ When Asquith came to power in 1908, he brought with him two men who were eager to reform Britain David Lloyd-George and Winston Churchill

These two politicians were genuinely concerned for those struck by poverty and wanted to introduce reforms to help the elderly, sick, unemployed and the poor

David Lloyd George

Winston Churchill

Lloyd-George had grown up in the Welsh Valleys It was during his childhood that he experienced what it was like to live in poverty His father died of pneumonia at the age of 44

Winston Churchill started his political career with the Conservative Party However when he realised that the leadership was not committed to making social reforms, he joined the ranks of the Liberal Party

Fear of the Labour Party

Fear of Labour Although the “New Liberals� did have genuine sympathy for the poor, they were also worried by the rise in support for the Labour Party which they believed would affect the Liberals If they did not issue reforms, many of their working class voters would switch allegiances to the Labour Party

The The Rise Rise of of the the Labour Labour Party Party The growth of the Labour Party played an important role in convincing the Liberal Government to introduce their social reforms The Labour Movement which had developed at the end of the 19th Century under the leadership of Keir Hardie, represented Britain’s working classes and was dedicated to improving their living and working conditions. The Labour Party had increased their number of MP’s from 2 in 1902 to 29 in 1905. The Liberals were worried that failure to improve the social conditions of the working classes would lead them to desert the Liberals and vote for the Labour Party.

Keir Hardie

Historians views on Labour “Socialism and the organisation of labour represented a threat to the other two parties in view of the more democratic franchise that existed” (D. Fraser) “Though socialists were…a minority of the electorate they had an influence far beyond their numerical strength”. “…the pressure for social reform from the working class was politically negligible before the first world war” (Henry Pelling).

German Rivalry

The The German German model model of of Social Social Welfare.

Welfare. The Thegreat greatGerman GermanChancellor, Chancellor,Bismarck, Bismarck,had had introduced introducedaasocial socialwelfare welfaresystem systemin inGermany Germanyat at th the theend endof ofthe the19 19thcentury. century.Bismarck Bismarckwanted wantedto to gain gainthe thesupport supportof ofthe theGerman Germanworking workingclasses classes and andprevent preventthem themfrom fromturning turningto tosocialism socialismand and communism. communism.Germany’s Germany’ssocial socialwelfare welfaresystem systemwas was the thefirst firstin inEurope.

Europe. ‘New ‘NewLiberal’ Liberal’politicians politiciansincluding includingLloyd LloydGeorge George visited visitedGermany Germanyand andwere wereimpressed impressedby bywhat what they theysaw. saw. The TheGerman Germanmodel modelhelped helpedto toinfluence influencethe the Liberals Liberalsto tointroduce introducereforms reformsin inBritain Britain German Germanreforms reformshad hadcreated createdaafairer, fairer, fitter fitterand andmore moreefficient efficientsociety society––Britain Britain hoped hopedshe shecould coulddo dothe thesame same

2008 Higher Paper

How important were concerns about the extent of poverty in Britain in the Liberal Government’s decision to introduce social reforms?

Why did the Liberal Government pass the Reforms?

Introduction

Context Before (the Liberals came into power in 1906).

Britain operated without large-scale government intervention, following the principles of Laissez Faire (leave it alone).

After (what did they do once they had got into power?)

However, once in power the Liberals acknowledged that, for the first time, the government needed to intervene to help the poor

Define Factors Reasons why the government passed reforms…

“National Efficiency” Booth and Rowntree reports – highlighting poverty.

The influence of the “New Liberals” like Lloyd George Traditional methods of dealing with poor (e.g. poor law) were not working properly.

Fear of Labour party.

German rivalry

Line of Argument Concerns about the extent of poverty in Britain influenced the Liberal Government’s decision to introduce social reforms but…….