British Spec Point Four Flashcards
Background
In the 19th century the government didn’t help the poor by taxing the rich and using their money to help the poor because of Laissez Faire. However the scale of the poverty has made the government realise that they had to do something as they can’t have a bad economy and lots of people with poor health especially with a World War coming up.
Booth and Rowntree
Charles Booth and Seeholm Rowntree investigated poverty in London and York and reported shocking results to government (not essential but good reminders for context).
Booth n Rowntree Surveys K1
1889 Booth investigated poverty in East London and found that 39% of population in deep poverty
Booth n Rowntree Surveys K2
1903 Seeholm Rowntree produced a report while investigating poverty in York-defining poverty as Primary (Person doesn’t earn enough to be above poverty line) and secondary (person only below poverty line because wasted money on unessential such as alcohol).
Booth N Rowntree ANP
It took almost 20 years after Booth’s report for the reforms to happen suggesting that the government and public wasn’t ready for intervention and needed more persuading-so maybe not the main reason.
Booth N Rowntree Eval
Despite the wait still main reason because as historian D.Fraser said “Booth and Rowntree gave to the growing public concern over poverty the statistical evidence of which to build the case for state aid.”
Fears over National Security
1906 Gov concerned poverty would decrease chances of winning a war against a powerful country.
Nat Security K1
Pre 1906 25% of volunteers who signed up to war v South African Boers (which U.K. struggled to defeat) were unfit to go to war.
Nat Security k2
By the end of 19th century Germany was building a strong economy after introducing reforms and benefits.
Nat Security ANP
Government could bring in conscription if desperate for soldiers.
Nat Security Eval
Quite important but A.Sytes said “The high proportion of army volunteers from large towns rejected as physically unfit” confirmed Booth and Rowntree’s surveys
New Liberalism not essential
By 06 Liberals considering introducing news reforms.
Lib k1
1908 Campbell Bannerman (Lib Leader and PM) died opening the opportunity for revolutionary ideas
Just need to know surname not full name
Lib k2
New PM (Lib leader) appointed David Lloyd George as chancellor (had interventionist ideas)
Lib Anp
Not all Liberals were interventionists and some believed children were the parents not the government’s job to look after and that reforms would be too expensive.
Lib Eval
Not main reason as according to National Archives website some Libs worried about reform costs as the Old Age Pension Act cost the government “millions each year”
Labour Party
Created in 1906 for working class people.
Lab k
1906 Labour competed for the same voters (working class) as Liberals.
Lab ANP
Lib-Lab Pact made Labour threat small as they did not want to split the anti-Conservative vote.
Lab Eval
Labour only won 29 seats in Parliament in 1906 because they were a small, new party so not main reason.
Municipal Socialism
Birmingham mayor Chamberlain in 1873 bought new waterworks in response to poor water supply in the city.
Municipal ANP
Took about over 30 years for Liberals Social Refroms to come in after this.
Municipal eval
Municipal Socialism introduced completely different reforms in Glasgow and Birmingham than the Liberal Government’s reforms. For example there was no old age pension or free school meals in municipal socialism.
If have time for Eval plus and conclusion
Talk about how surveys made gov realise POV much bigger issue, surveys proved not everyone deserved to be in poverty (good for Lib eval
