3.6 Social&welfare Reforms 1880-1914

Question 1

How long did Charles Booth’s investigation last

Answer 1

17 year s

Question 2

What did booth believe

Answer 2

That most of the poor were in distress through circumstances out of their control

Question 3

What did Booth conclude

Answer 3

The class system is the reason why people are poor and the attitude that people hold 
He concluded that around 30% of the population in London were living in poverty

Question 4

Reliability of Booth’s findings

Answer 4

They were only based of observation - subjective and unreliable
Ungeneralisable - only done in London
Did not take into account income when defining poverty

Question 5

What did rowntree do

Answer 5

He completed 3 surveys in York

Visited 11560 households and obtained information from 46754 (2/3 of the cities population)

Question 6

What is Rowntree’s findings

Answer 6

He found 28% of the population were in obvious need and living in squalor
10% were living below the poverty line - primary poverty and 18% were living in secondary poverty

Question 7

What did rowntree do

Answer 7

He worked out a minimum wage of 21 shillings
He drew the poverty line and found
Began to uncover the poverty cycle

Question 8

Reliability of rowntree’s investigation

Answer 8

Helen bosanquet from COS claimed he over estimated level of poverty because he set the poverty line to higher
It was subjective at how he came up with primary and secondary poverty

Question 9

Who are the key members of the Fabian society

Answer 9

George Bernard Shaw, HG Wells, Annie Besant, Ramsay MacDonald, Emmaline Pankhurst

Question 10

What did the Fabian society do

Answer 10

They have a public meetings publish numerous pamphlets and

lobbied politicians on a wide range of topics

Question 11

How did they prefer to bring about change

Answer 11

Through local government and trade unions

Question 12

What did the Fabian society do in 1906

Answer 12

They lobbied for the introduction of a minimum wage in order to stop British companies trying to remain competitive by lowering wages

Question 13

What did the Fabian society do in 1911

Answer 13

They wanted the creation of a universal health service that would enable the British to be sufficiently physically fit to defend and develop their empire

Question 14

Why did the Fabian society support the Britain’s in the boer war

Answer 14

They believed that small nations had no place in a world of empires

Question 15

When and where was the boer war

Answer 15

In 1901 in South Africa

Question 16

Who was fighting in the boer war

Answer 16

The British and Dutch farmers (boers)

Question 17

What did the boer war reveal about the poor

Answer 17

Recruits were unfit - 50%
2 out of 3 potential recruits did not pass the army medical examination
Due to poverty
Working people are physically weak
The success of the army depended on fit and healthy soldiers

Question 18

What did the government do in response to what the boer war revealed

Answer 18

In 1983 they set up the interdepartmental committee on physical deterioration
They had 53 recommendations, medical inspection of children, free school meals, training in mothering skills
The committee overall suggested that phase of national deterioration are largely unfounded – no evidence

Question 19

What was the ‘national efficiency’ campaign

Answer 19

Started by individuals
Some did it for the military some for economic reasons
The campaign focus peoples attention on the meeting improve conditions for the pool

Question 20

The royal commission II

Answer 20

Set up in 1905 by the Conservative government
Visited 200 Poor Law Unions, 400 institutions took evidence from 450 witnesses and read and analyse 900 statements of written evidence
Produced two reports majority and minority report
There were 20 members

Question 21

Strength of the royal commission II

Answer 21

Members had expertise
Visited over 400 unions
Practical solutions of minority report
both reports condemn the existing system of relieving poverty
Criticise the failure of central government to show that local board of guardians behaved in a uniform way when providing relief

Question 22

Weakness of the royal commission II

Answer 22

Changes tended to be overlooked as the government did not feel compelled to act on I have a set of recommendations
Majority report encouraged negative attitudes of paupers – moral
The liberal government had already started their own program of reform
Second royal commission

Question 23

Sidney and Beatrice Webb

Answer 23

Part of COS, joined the Fabian society were on the minority report
Set up schemes to help the unemployed find jobs
Set a legally enforceable minimum wage criteria

Question 24

Helen Bosanquet

Answer 24

Main author of the majority report
Felt that the origin of poverty was moral and that gaurdians allowed too much relief
Her views encouraged negative attitudes of paupers
Founded work training programmes
Denounced the work of the Webb’s

Question 25

Who was winston church hill

Answer 25

On the board of trade

Question 26

David Lloyd George

Answer 26

Treasury - responsible for budget

Question 27

Herbert Asquith

Answer 27

Prime minister in 1908

Question 28

What were the 4 liberal reforms

Answer 28

Old pensions act - 1909
Labour exchanges act - 1909
Trade boards act - 1909
National insurance act - 1911

Question 29

Strengths of the old pensions act 1909

Answer 29

> Single person receives five shillings a week married couple seven shillings later race to 10 shillings
For pensions are paid to those whose income is a Leston eight shillings a week
Paid to people over 70

Question 30

Failures of the old pensions act 1909

Answer 30

> Strict criteria - To qualify for a pension men and women need to have been British citizens or resident in Britain for 20 years
Pensions were non-contributory and were funded by tax

Question 31

Strengths of the labour exchanges act 1909

Answer 31

> helped the underclass who travelled hours for causal work 
> helped the unemployed find work that was available 
> feb 1910 there were 83 labour exchanges by 1914 there 450 and 3000 people were finding work a day

Question 32

Failures of the labour exchanges act 1909

Answer 32

> if you had no qualifications you would struggle to find work
it was voluntary the liberals chose to tackle the problem of destitution by relieving the unemployed rather than preventing unemployment

Question 33

Strengths of the trade boards act 1909

Answer 33

> 200000 workers were involved

> provided for the creation of boards in specific sweated reads - lace making, match box making, tailoring

Question 34

Failures of the trade boards act 1909

Answer 34

> Only offering advice

> No attempt made to define what was meant by minimum wage

Question 35

Successes of the national insurance act 1911

Part 1

Answer 35

Support the poor when the breadwinner was sick
Offered sick and maternity pay
Free treatment was given by medical practitioner
All drugs and medicines free

Question 36

Successes of the national insurance act 1911

Part 2

Answer 36

Insurance against unemployment
By 1913, 13 million had been insured
Workers could claim unemployment benefits of 7shillings a for 15 weeks in 1 year

Question 37

Failures of the national insurance act 1911

Part 1

Answer 37

Although £1.5 million to set aside for treatment of tuberculosis it was only available for contributors to this game
It was a flat rate

Question 38

Failures of the national insurance act 1911

Part 2

Answer 38

Doesn’t apply to all

Could not be paid if unemployment resulted from being dismissed for misconduct