Liberal Reforms

Question 1

Who was the new government in 1906?

Answer 1

The liberal government

Question 2

What were the new laws the Liberals made in 1906?

Answer 2

Old age pensions, national insurance, laws to protect children

Question 3

Why were the reforms introduced?

Answer 3

• Germany + USA were overtaking Britain’s economy
• Worried about British workers being weak
• In certain cities 2/3 of volunteers were turned down, so to help poor people get stronger and get people to defend the empire
• Liberal party scared of new Labour Party
• In 1900 labour won 2 seats, in 1906 they won 29

Question 4

What was the new liberalism in society?

Answer 4

People realised that some people couldn’t work

Question 5

Who released the people’s budget?

Answer 5

David Lloyd George

Question 6

What was in the people’s budget?

Answer 6

1. Income tax and death duties were both raised and a new supertax
2. There were capital gains tax on the ‘unearned increment’ in the value of land

Question 7

Who was opposed to the people’s budget?

Answer 7

The conservatives

Question 8

What happened initially to the people’s budget?

Answer 8

In 1909, it passed the House of Commons but was stopped by the House of Lords

Question 9

What did the Prime Minister do to change things ?

Answer 9

He had the power to create new lords and so he created life peers.

Question 10

When were the liberal reforms passed?

Answer 10

29 April 1910

Question 11

How did the Liberal reforms help children?

Answer 11

Free schools meals
The children’s act
School medical inspections
School clinics

Question 12

How did free school meals help children? (1906)

Answer 12

• local councils had the power to provide free school meals for children
• by 1914, over 158,000 children were having free meals

Question 13

How did the children’s act help children? (1908)

Answer 13

• children became ‘protected persons’ which meant parents could go to prison for cruelty against them
• poor law authorities were responsible for visiting and supervising children who had suffered cruelty or neglect
• all children’s were to be registered and inspected
• children under 14 were not allowed into pubs

Question 14

How did school medical inspections help children? (1907)

Answer 14

• doctors and nurses went into school to give pupils compulsory check ups and recommend anymedical treatment required
• checks were free
• but until 1912, parents had to pay for any treatment

Question 15

How did school clinics help children ? (1912)

Answer 15

• network of school clinics was set up that provided free medical treatment for children
• necessary as some parents could not afford treatments that doctors wanted to give

Question 16

How did the liberal reforms help sick and unemployed?

Answer 16

Labour exchange act
National insurance act
National insurance act, part II

Question 17

How did the labour exchanges act help the unemployed?(1909)

Answer 17

• people could go to a labour exchange to look for a job instead of tramp from workplace to workplace to find it
• much more efficient for those looking for work and those offering it

Question 18

How did the national insurance act help the sick and unemployed? (1911)

Answer 18

• this set up a insurance scheme that aimed to prevent poverty resulting from illness
• workers could insure themselves against sickness and draw money from the scheme if they fell ill and could not work
• In the beginning around 10 million men and 4 million women were covered by national insurance

Question 19

How did the national act, part II help the sick and unemployed?(1912)

Answer 19

• This part of the National Insurance act aimed to prevent poverty resulting from unemployment by insuring workers against periods when they were out of work
• It covered 2.25 million - skilled trades - ship building, engineer, builders

Question 20

How did the liberal reforms help the elderly?

Answer 20

Pensions act

Question 21

How did the pensions act help the elderly? (1908)

Answer 21

• It gave weekly pensions from government funds to the elderly
• everyone over the age of 70 was eligible for a state pension
• 500,000 qualified, had to be British and had lived in Britain for 20 years
• wouldn’t get a pension if 10 years before had been to prison