Changing attitudes to poverty

Question 1

Topic sentence

Answer 1

Some historians argue that concerns over poverty arising from the reports of Booth and Rowntree were more important to the passing of the Liberal reforms.

Question 2

Evidence 1

Answer 2

In 1900, Charles Booth published his survey on poverty in London which revealed that 30% of the urban population was living bellow the ‘poverty line’ and had insufficient income for the bare essentials. Seebholm Rowntree’s survey of York reveals similar findings - around 30% of the poverty lived in poverty.

Question 3

Analysis 1

Answer 3

These findings were crucial to the passing of the Liberal reforms because it finally proved that far more people were living in poverty than once thought and consequently, New Liberalism gained support with Churchill and Lloyd George believing that the state should intervene.

Question 4

Evidence 2

Answer 4

Furthermore, Booth and Rowntree revealed that poverty was caused by low wage, unemployment, old age, illness and that the young suffered due to poverty of their parents.

Question 5

Counter analysis

Answer 5

However, the impact of Booth and Rowntrees reports could be limited because poverty in rural areas was ignored by the surveys as they put their whole focus into inner- city areas e.g London and York.

Question 6

Evaluation

Answer 6

Undoubtedly, the findings of Booth and Rowntree were crucial to the decision to pass reform because they led to a major shift in public opinion, with more and more people - including New Liberals - believing that the government had a responsibility to support the ‘deserving poor’. As Morrison and Morrison argue the reforms were moving in line with a seachange in public opinion which resulted from Booth and Rowntrees findings.

Question 7

Analysis 2

Answer 7

This was crucial to the passing of Liberal reforms because they were largely focused on dealing with poverty amongst these very groups – the Old the Young the Sick. and the Unemployed