social and liberal reform: 1900 - 1918 Flashcards
when was the liberal party formed?
1859
what 5 groups created the liberal party?
the whig party, the peelites, the independent radicals, the non-comformists and the chartists
what did type of people were in the cabinet of the liberal party and what did this mean?
lawyers, writers and journalist from the middle class meaning the idea of new liberalism came forward
what was traditional liberalism?
- minimum intervention from government
- strict controls on government spending
- minimum taxation
- more emphasis on individual representation
what was new liberalism?
- greater government intervention
- increased government spending on social reform
- increased personal taxation for the wealthier classes
- more emphasis on collective responsibility
what did the unauthorised programme, led by chamberlain do?
a meeting for the liberals to become united and do things like abolition of school fees, property tax, reform of the house of lords etc
what did the newcastle programme do?
promoted home rule for ireland, limits to hours of working day, increase democracy and voting and sick-pay and pensions
what were the reasons for liberal reforms?
- the influence of new liberalism
- the nature of british society and the studies on poverty
- national efficiency
- the impact of the boer war
who were 3 people who looked into and studied poverty?
booth, rowntree and galt
what issues did booth, rowntree and galt talk about and how did it relate to new liberalism?
looked at not having enough food, fuel and clothing to live. whatever there was wasn’t enough quality to be sustaibable. poor living conditions
> realised it was impossible to get out of this cycle and showed that there was a deep flaw in laissez-faire and that direct intervention was needed
what does ‘national efficiency’ mean?
belief that britain needed to promote greater health and welfare for the poor, as they were behind socially and scientifically, which was weakening the british populations (especially children
what were the issues when trying to recruit for the boer war?
was quickly established that hardly any worker was healthy enough to meet regulations as everybody had poor physical health and bad diet (rowntree report)
what did charles booth do?
carried out studies in london into poverty, produced maps of where the situations were the worst: 35% of people lived in poverty
what did seebohm rowntree do?
investigated poverty in york and published his findings: 40% lived on wage below sufficiency and couldn’t support families
what did john galt do?
published photographs of poverty in newspapers and magazines
how significant were studies on poverty in the introduction of the liberal reforms?
the government could no longer ignore the issue as there was clear evidence which highlighted the struggle. reforms needed to be made based of the studies in order for the public to be happy in belief that liberal government were trying to help
how significant was national efficiency in the introduction of the liberal reforms?
raised question of how britain would fair in a real threat of war from growing european forces
how significant was the importance of new liberalism in the introduction of the liberal reforms?
the belief grew in popularity and therefore the government had to appeal to the people’s belief and forced to act on this effectively if they wanted to stay in power
how significant was national efficiency in the introduction of the liberal reforms?
it threatened every aspect of of britain’s structure so therefore changed needed to happen
what were some of the liberal reforms around children?
school meals 1906, education act 1907 and children’s charted 1908
what was the school meals act 1906 and its limitations?
free school meals provided to school kids
limitations = cant access during the holidays
what was the education act 1907 and its limitations?
three free medical checkups provided to a child
limitation = treatment not given
what was the children’s charter 1908?
made abuse legislation stricter, ruled out neglect and you can’t sell drinks to children
what was the old age pensions act 1908 and its limitations?
over 70s were granted five shilling per week
limitations = requirements meant it was very restricted, couldn’t have applied for poor relief, been in prison in 10 years or if you didn’t have regular work
what were the liberal reforms around workers?
trade dispute 1906, people’s budget 1909, national insurance 1911, health insurance and unemployment insurance
what was the trade dispute act 1906?
overturned taff vale decision, allowing for strikes
what was the people’s budget 1909?
proposed bill to increase social reform and improve the lives of workers by increasing tax on the rich to fund national insurance
what was the national insurance act 1911?
two parts: one which covered health insurance and the other part that dealt with unemployment insurance
what was the health insurance provision (part of the national insurance act 1911) and what were the limitations?
weekly pay taken from workers so they received pay when ill
limitations = didn’t cover women and children or hospital treatment
what was the unemployment insurance provision (part of the national insurance act 1911) and what were the limitations?
aimed to support workers who lost their jobs
limitations = only for construction and engineering workers and wasn’t a long term solution
what was the reaction to national insurance from the workers and the labour party?
- labour wanted the rich to fully fund it
- some people were unsure against state intervention
- happy with some
what was the reaction to national insurance from doctors?
unhappy with it as they believed it would lower status and demean position but positive because they would get more patients
what was the reaction to national insurance from trade unions?
unhappy as they found it harder to negotiate with the liberals therefore limiting their opportunities
what was the reaction to national insurance from friendly businesses?
not happy because it is bad business to them
what are friendly societies and industrial insurance companies?
types of insurance companies providing policies at cheap rates to enable the less well off to provide for funeral, sickness expenses or injuries suffered at work
