effectiveness of liberal reforms Flashcards
intro
context- landslide victory in 1906 GE, liberal parties began to improve the lives of the British people.
- speed of programme increased when Asquith became PM in 1908, supported by the new liberals, Lloyd George and Churchill
- first time a British government had turned away from laissez faire beliefs and takes responsibility for the welfare of citizens in a time where poverty affected you to a third of British citizens, shown in reports by booth and Rowntree
factors- targeted: young, old, sick and the unemployed
loa- did go some way in meeting the needs of British people however far from solved problems
the sick
k- 1911, Lloyd George introduced compulsory NI act for all workers earning less than £160 per year
k- scheme involved the employee, employer and the state paying weekly contributions of 4s, 3s and 2s respectively. if worker fell ill would receive sickness benefit for 26 weeks
a- sig as sickness amongst breadwinner was key cause of poverty and affected not only individual but whole family
a+ - however workers who remained ill more than 26 weeks received nothing and was forced to rely on the poor law again, not yet been abolished
the sick ev
criteria- amount of benefit is considered
(not meet the needs)
-rowntree argued that 22shillings needed for family of five , an amount that NI act at 10shilling for 13weeks and then 5 shillings for 13 weeks, fell way below
the unemployed
k- second part of NI act 1911 NI act targeted unemployment with contributions required from employee, employer and state, that if worker found themselves unemployed, would receive 7 shillings per week for 15 weeks
a- important as allowed those experiencing short term unemployment to maintain income to feed their families
a+ - however not hugely helpful as only 15 weeks could be claimed in any one year period, those in seasonal employment or long term unemployed left with no benefits
the unemployed ev
not successful as only helped the workers who received it, didn’t reach enough workers, not comprehensive or universal enough to keep workers and families out of poverty
- part 2 scheme only included 7 skilled trades, all heavy industries like shipbuilding, part one didn’t cover self employed and omitted healthcare of most women and children
- some workers resented schemes as had to give up part of payroll
the young
k- 1906 education act aimed to enable local authorities to provide free school meals. over 14mil being given daily by 1914.
a- important as allowed all children to be provided with a cheap meal at school, and from those from poor backgrounds given free, paid for by local taxes
a+ - impact on Childs life limited as meals only provided during term time, meaning malnutrition was relapsed during school holidays
k- in 1907, another education act was passed providing compulsory medical examinations for children throughout their schooling
the young ev
criteria- when considering number of people benefitting from improved health or nutrition
(very limited)
-only 330,000 of the poorest children receiving free meals by 1913 and wasn’t until 1912 when basic medical treatment became available fro children in school clinics. the drive to improve lives of children was there but money provided didn’t go far enough to make the reforms successful
the elderly
k- 1908 pensions act gave ‘deserving’ people over 70 a benefit of 5 shillings per week, collected from the post office, excluded drunks and criminals
k- according to sources like Manchester guardian, flora Thompsons lark rise, and huddersfield daily examiner, many pensioners astonished, delighted and even shed a tear
a- important as allowed thousands of elderly to stay out of poverty and claim a pension by right, rather than suffer stigma of poor law
a+ - however failed to provide a basic standard of living as amount given was 2 shillings too low to keep an elderly person above the poverty line distinguished by Rowntree
the old ev
criteria- too many impoverished people couldn’t access the reforms
(compared with the young)
-despite beneficial to those who received them, qualifications attached to applying for benefits like having to supply birth certificate and to be over 70 meant very needy elderly people couldn’t receive benefit. voluntary nature of school meals act meant that by 1913, 2/3 local authorities were not even offering meal provision to school children. shows not successful
conc
clear that lib reforms of 1906-14, did go some way but were ultimately unsuccessful.
introduced school meals and medical provisions to tackle poverty amongst the young.
old age pension and two NI acts to prevent unemployed and sick falling to poverty
- however all had major failings that made them limited in their ability to assist the needy:
- provision that was non-contributory was not accessible to all that needed it, the pension was only available to those who could prove they were over 70, and school councils could choose whether or not to provide free meals, majority did not until 1944.
- acts targeting poverty among the unemployed and workers only helped select groups for a limited period with the unsatisfactory amount.
- finally poor law and workhouses still existed and reforms did nothing to tackle squalid housing or poor education
- therefore clear that the reforms ultimately failed to deal with the needs of the british people
