Reasons for Liberal reform

Question 1

List of factors

Answer 1

Fears over national security
Surveys of Booth & Rowntree
Municipal socialism
Party advantage

Question 2

Fears over national security

Answer 2

• The Boer war, 1899, 25% of people who signed up to fight were rejected as they were unfit.
• Improving national health was not only in the interest of the poor but in ensuring that there were enough soldiers to fight for Britain
• Germany shared Britain’s desire for power, so began stocking up for a potential war
• Many reforms put in place were aimed at such future soldiers, e.g free school meals
• Many of reforms introduced, for example old age pensions, were of no benefit to the war effort, showing it was not the sole driving force for the Liberals

Question 3

Surveys of Booth & Rowntree

Answer 3

• Upper classes had no idea how bad poverty was, Joseph Rowntree educated people about the poverty in Victorian England, with Charles Booth finding that poverty was very severe in London.
• Politicians now had evidence that no matter how hard working, some were unable to lift themselves out of poverty without the government’s help.
• Prior to the 20th century, many believed that the poor were in bad circumstances due to their own mistakes, so the government did nothing. But due to these surveys the idea of the ‘deserving poor’ was born.
• This was significant in the introduction of reforms and broke the stigma that poor people were lazy and wasted their money.
• However Rowntree’s survey also shed light on secondary poverty, when a family had enough money to live on but spent it on alcohol and cigarettes.

Question 4

Municipal socialism

Answer 4

• Most help for the poor came from charities, but local governments began spending taxpayer’s money on social reforms. Notably in Glasgow (lighting and water systems).
• Paved the way for similar reforms on a national scale and set a trend that the Liberals would continue.
• Similar changes happened around Britain. Some councils provided better water like in Glasgow, whereas others paid for free meals for impoverished children.
• Councils’ success with these reforms set a good example of how the government could have a positive impact on people’s lives.
• However municipal socialism was still opposed by many, especially the middle and upper classes who weren’t interested in helping the poor (Tory cunts).

Question 5

Party advantage

Answer 5

• Creation of the Labour Representation Committee gave working class men their own political voice.
• Working class votes that once went to Liberals now went to Labour, so Liberals were forced to back social reforms to keep up.
• Became the Labour party in 1906, offered better housing, equal votes, more jobs and an eight-hour working day.
• Labour policies improved working class lives and gained mass support, even more encouragement for the Liberals to follow suit.
• However it was not only Labour looking out for the working class, many Liberal councils put policies in place to combat poverty, e.g free school meals.