1906-14 Social Issues Flashcards
Describe the Upper Class in 1906
Wealthy landowners whose families had dominated British Society for generations.
Significant transformation with the addition of those who had obtained wealth from industry and commerce. This included owners of factories and those who had invested in industry.
What proportion of Britain did the middle and upper classes make?
The middle and upper classes represented about a quarter of the population at this time
Describe the Middle Class in 1906
Factory owners
merchants
Made as entrepreneurs
Professional men who had received professional training such as doctors lawyers and teachers.
‘professionals’ now numbered 796,000 in 1911.
However, the salary of the middle class could vary with successful Barristers earning £28,000 with school teachers earning £200 annually.
Describe the Working Class in 1906
75% of the population.
Engaged in manual work.
According to the census of 1911
- 7% of population were skilled workers
- 3% semi-skilled
- 6% unskilled
Unskilled workers earned considerably less than skilled.
The average wage of just over £1 a week for unskilled workers was unlikely to provide enough for a family therefore many lived in poverty.
Who was the first man to carry out scientific estimations of poverty? What year?
Charles Booth.
1889
Explain Charles Booth’s investigation into poverty in 1889.
Interviewed 4000 people.
Published his findings in 17 volumes.
Overall conclusion wads that the extent of poverty in London was closer to 30.7% than 25% that was claimed in government statistics.
The people included within the 30.7% lived below the poverty line, unable to afford adequate shelter, food or clothing.
Who was the second man to carry out scientific estimations on poverty?
Seebohm Rowntree
Explain Rowntree’s investigation into poverty
Concluded that the main cause of unemployment was economic, unemployment or low wages.
Built work on Booth.
Investigated in York.
Found that 28% were living in poverty.
Concluded that people needed to earn 21 shillings per week to stay out of poverty. If they earned less than this they were living below the poverty line.
Booth and Rowntree found that some factors caused workers to enter poverty beyond their control. What were these factors?
Old Age Sickness Premature Death of the main wage earner Lack of education Poor diet Decent housing
What did the findings of Booth and Rowntree contribute to?
The Growth of New Liberalism.
This became a driving force in the new government and was to have an impact on the range and extent of social legislation that was passed after 1906
How much were the Liberal Social reforms estimated to cost? How were they planning on raising this money?
Around £16 million.
Through new taxes.
In the budget of 1909, Lloyd George, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, introduced a range of new taxes which were designed to tax the rich in order to fund the new government measures to help the needy and vulnerable.
What new taxes did Lloyd George introduce in the budget of 1909?
- Income tax on a sliding scale. Those with an income of under £3000 paid 9d for every pound they earned. Those with an income of over £3000 a year paid 1s2d for every pound they earned.
- A super tax for people with over £5000; they had to pay an additional super-tax of 6d in the pound.
- A tax on cars according to horsepower
- A 3d per gallon tax on petrol
- An inheritance tax on estates worth over £5000
- A new tax on profits that were gained through selling land
Respond to the budget of 1909
As the rich were taxed more heavily than the poor the budget became known as ‘The People’s Budget’.
It easily passed through the House of Commons however unsurprisingly met fierce resistance in the House of Lords. There was a huge Conservative Majority in the House of Lords where there were large land-owners. The House of Lords threw the budget out, which led to a constitutional crisis.
Inresponce to the Conservative Part’s claim that this was an act of class war against the rich, Lloyd George agreed that it was an act of war. Saying ‘this is a War Budget… to wage implacable warfare against poverty and squalidness’.
Reasons for the Liberal government’s social and welfare legislation
- Start of the 20th century there was virtually no state provision for the poor because of the prevailing belief of ‘laissez-faire’.
- Poor were left to beg or turn to private charities
- The POOR LAW remained the last resort, offering either ‘outdoor relief’ paid to the needy in their own homes, or the parish workhouse.
Did the Liberals create a full ‘welfare state’?
No.
This was never their intention.
They did create a basic minimum, a ‘lifebelt’ as Churchill described their reforms.
Most poor families gained something from this legislation.
The poorest families gained a significant boost in their incomes.
These early steps were crucial for laying the foundation for later social reform.
What did the Liberal welfare legislation fail to do?
- Housing remained in short supply and despite some limited slum clearances under the 1909 Town Planning Act, fighting the entrenched interests of wealthy landlords proved too much of a challenge and the act was left ‘permissive’.
- There was no attempt to reform the POOR LAW. Despite the findings of the Royal Commission on the Poor Laws who investigations, between 1905 and 1909 filled 47 volumes.
- There was no reform to education. After the 1906 Education Bill, designed to change the Conservatives’ 1902 Act, was destroyed by the Lords, the cause was given up.
- Despite the provision of some compulsory insurance, the plight of those in casual employment, particularly in the docks, remained dire.
- Those with large families received no specific aid.
