The old

Question 1

Topic sentence

Answer 1

The first group of people targeted by the Liberal reforms were the “old”.

Question 2

Background

Answer 2

Before 1906 old people were not sufficiently supported by the state. They has to rely on their own savings, family money or the poor law if they were to fall into poverty

Question 3

Evidence 1

Answer 3

The Liberals introduced the old age pensions act in 1908 which paid old pensions to people over 70 who had lived in Britain for the past 20 years and had been out of prision for the past 10 years.

Question 4

Analysis 1

Answer 4

This act improved the lives of British old people because by 1914 970 000 old people were benefiting from it which meant that it was a great success.

Question 5

Evidence 2

Answer 5

Additionally, people over 70 were given up to 5 shillings per week and married couples were given 7 shillings 6d per week through this act.

Question 6

Analysis 2

Answer 6

This helped the old as it made life more financially bearable for old people and helped prevent some of them from falling below the poverty line.

Question 7

Counter analysis

Answer 7

However, the old age pensions act wasn’t fully successful in preventing all old people from falling into poverty because the maximum pension was 5 shillings per week but Booth and Rowntree had established the poverty line as 7 shillings per week.

Question 8

Evaluation

Answer 8

Overall, the introduction of pensions was a significant improvement to the lives of old people when compared to the previous poor law relief. This was because it was extremely popular amounts t the elderly working classes as no individual contributions had to be made.
However, very few people lived to 70 which was the threshold for receiving the old age pensions, therefore meaning that the acts success was limited. Therefore, the social welfare reforms were more successful in helping the unemployed than the old because the government helped the unemployed of any age.