What Brought On The Liberal Reforms Flashcards
Municipal Socialism?
By the end of the century some Liberal controlled local authorities had become involved in programmes of social welfare. The shocked reaction to the reports on poverty was a pressure for further reform.
In Birmingham particularly, but in other large industrial cities, local authorities had taken the lead in providing social welfare schemes. These served as an example for further reforms.
The social surveys of Booth and Rowntree?
The reports of Charles Booth and Seebohm Rowntree demonstrated that poverty had causes such as low pay, unemployment, sickness and old age. These were largely outwith the control of the individual.
The extent of poverty revealed by the surveys were also a shock. Booth’s initial survey was confined to the East of London, but his later volumes covering the rest of London revealed that almost one third of the capital’s population lived inpoverty. York was a relatively prosperous small town but even there poverty was deep seated.
Foreign examples?
Germany had introduced a much admired system of social security. This raised the issue whether Britain was no longer a major European nation.
National Efficiency?
By the end of the 19th century Britain was facing some serious competition from new industrial nations such as Germany. It was believed that ill health and educational standards of Britain’s workers got worse then Britain’s position as a strong industrial power would be threatned.
Fears over national security?
The government became alarmed when almost 25% of the volunteers to fight in the Boer war were rejected because they were physically unfit to serve in the armed forces. There was concern whether Britain could survive a war or protect it’s empire against a far stronger enemy in the future if the nation’s fighting stock of young men was so unhealthy.
Link between national security concerns and national efficiency concerns; financial or economic security.
The rise of new liberalsim?
New liberals argued that state intervention was necessary to liberate people from social problems over which they had no control. New liberal ideas were not important issues in the general election of 1905. Only when old liberal Prime minister campbell Bannerman died in 1908 when the door was opened for new interventionist ideas.
Party advantage?
Since 1884 many more working class men had the vote and the Liberals had tended to attract many of those votes. Social reform was a means of appeasing this constituency.
The rise of labour?
By 1906 the newly formed labour party was competing for the same votes. It can be argued that the reforms happened for the very selfish reason or retaining working class votes.
