CDHS Higher History Flashcards
Reasons for Liberal Reforms
Why do some people consider the threat of the Labour party to explain the introduction of the reforms?
- Labour was a new party who targeted the working classes.
- Labour had only 2 seats in 1900 but had grown to 29 in 1906.
- In 1907 Labour won the by-elections in Liberal safe seats of Colne and Yarrow Valley.
- David Lloyd George said himself that they would be ousted from power by Labour unless they helped the working classes.
- The Liberals seem to have copied some ideas from Labour such as free school meals.
Why do some people disagree that the growth of Labour inspired the introduction of the reforms?
- By 1910 Labour only had 40 seats, so were not a real threat to the Liberal’s position.
- By 1910 the Liberals only had a majority of 2 over the Conservatives who were the real threat.
Why do some people argue that it is invalid to say that the reforms were politically motivated?
- They lost the working class support through reforms such as National Insurance which was a pay cut and so unpopular with some, evidenced by strikes in Aberdeen over it’s introduction.
- Their determination to implement the People’s Budget which taxed the rich to pay for welfare reform and provoked a constitutional crisis and election lost them support of the wealthy.
Describe the investigations into poverty by Booth and Rowntree.
- Booth investigated poverty in London for 17 years and interviewed over a million families.
- Rowntree investigated poverty in York, both men found that poverty levels were around 1/3rd.
- Rowntree found that the real causes of poverty were low wages, old age, sickness and unemployment and large families.
Explain why Booth and Rowntree’s studies explain the introduction of the Liberal reforms.
They raised awareness of poverty and so put pressure on the government in various ways.
- Using the capital city and a small town to show similar poverty levels they showed that poverty was a nationwide problem.
- The revealed high levels of poverty, while only 3% of the population were being helped by the poor law. Only the government, not charities could cope with this.
- Rowntree identified the real causes of poverty as not being drunkeness or laziness meaning that the government could no longer justify it’s policy of laissez-faire.
Describe in detail municipal socialism
It refers to when local councils made steps to tackle problems and took steps to remedy them. For example in Birmingham Mayor Joseph Chamberlain introduced gas lighting, fixed water supplies and built parks.
Why do some people think that municipal socialism influenced the introduction of the reforms?
Successful reforms at local level such as Birmingham provided a model for the government to copy. Free school meals and medical inspections were already introduced by some councils.
Why do some people think that municipal socialism reforms may have delayed the introduction of the reforms?
By tackling problems in local areas, local councils were able to ‘fix’ problems and improve conditions of the poor. This alleviated social problems and so removed pressure on the government to deal with them.
Who were the New Liberals
- David Lloyd George who went on to become Chancellor of the Exchequer and was hugely influential in the introduction of key reforms such as old age pensions, the People’s Budget and National Insurance.
- Winston Churchill who was very influential in the 1909 Trade Board Act.
Both men believed the government should move away from laissez faire and that they had a duty to help the poor.
Why did the Boer war cause panic in the government?
- Lasted 3 years but was expected to be a quick victory.
- 400,000 British soldiers against 35,000 Boer soldiers.
- Massively high rejection rate for soldiers being conscripted into the British army. 34% but higher in industrial areas. E.g. Manchester 8000 applied but only 1,200 were accepted.
- It showed that the impact of poverty was having a negative impact on the country and her ability to defend and maintain her Empire.
Why was the government concerned by her industrial position by 1906?
- Britain was the leading industrial power however countries like USA, Germany and Japan were threatening to replace her.
- The USA and Germany were producing cheaper steel.
- Firms such as Cadbury’s were complaining that their workers were too unhealthy to complete a full day of work.
Why do some consider it invalid to argue that the reforms were introduced to make better workers and soldiers?
- £7 million were spent each year on pensions yet the elderly would not work or fight for the empire.
- Reforms for children were woefully inadequate and don’t look like a government determined to make better soldiers and workers given that free school meals were not made compulsory till 1914.
