National Security + National Efficiency Flashcards
Introduction
Some historians argue that fears over National Security and National Efficiency resulted in the passing of the Liberal social Reforms.
Knowledge 1
Many volunteers signed up to fight in the Boer War yet, many were rejected on medical grounds.
Analysis 1
This contributed to the passing of the Liberal Reforms as other countries such as Germany were building up their army successfully and so Britain began to feel weak and slightly threatened.
Knowledge 2
The Royal Commission on Physical Training in Scotland investigated the physical condition of children in Scotland. It compared the weight and height across many places.
Analysis 2
The encouraged the passing of the Liberal Reforms because the children in Glasgow and Edinburgh were found to be severely underweight and under height. It also came out in favor of providing free school meals.
Knowledge 3
Otto Van Bismarck’s welfare reforms were introduced which provided German workers with a system of welfare benefits and old age pensions.
Analysis 3
This helped the Liberal Reforms being passed as Britain wanted to keep up in the economic battle and so to keep up this strong, industrial power, the health and educational standards of British workers had to improve.
Counter Analysis
However, this was challenged by many historians as many thought that the government and politicians did have a genuine concern for the welfare and the poo, not just political advantage and competition with other countries.
Evaluation
Clearly, these fears the government had reinforced the concerns already made clear by Booth and Rowntree and as a result, put more pressure on the Liberals to pass these reforms. Therefore, historian Sydney Wood is correct when he argues “Those who believed it was morally wrong to allow widespread poverty to exist in Britain were therefore joined by other who saw the scale of poverty as weakening Britain’s place in the world”.
