Reasons why Liberals introduced Social Welfare Reforms Essay Plan

Introduction

During the 19^th Century, a large portion of the British population were living in poverty, and at the time, the government believed that people in these situations were there because of bad choices such as drinking and gambling, and that they could get out of poverty whenever they so chose to do so. This ‘laissez faire’ attitude meant that the only help that people in poverty received was from local churches, the poor law, and charity. As well as this, because of the amount of poverty in the nation, British economic growth was falling behind many other world powers. However, when the liberals got into power in 1906, a series of social welfare reforms were passed in order to combat the large amount of poverty and harsh living conditions.

Municipal Socialism - K

Joseph Chamberlain was mayor of Birmingham between 1873 and 1875, whilst in this position of power, Joseph encouraged a policy of Municipal Socialism which raised local taxes to spend on projects like purchasing gas and waterworks in order to make them government run. He also helped to clear out some of the worst slums and introduced designated areas to be used as public parks. Many other local communities adopted the model, and it consistently received positive feedback.

Rise of Labour Party - K

The Labour party mainly caused concern for the liberals due to some believing that the, at the time, newly enfranchised working class would be more likely to vote for Labour than Liberals. In the 1906 general election, the Labour party won 29 seats, which is albeit small compared to the Liberals, however showed that the Labour party might be gaining some traction. Concerns worsened in the 1910 snap election wherein the liberals lost 123 seats.

Booth and Rowntree - K

Booth’s report, published in 1903 found that 30% of people in London were living in poverty. Further supporting these findings, Rowntree discovered that 28% of the population in York were below the poverty line. Both proved that poverty was not caused by laziness or moral failings, but by factors such as low wages, illness, and unemployment things individuals could not control. This helped to dismantle the governments laissez faire attitude leading to increased awareness of the struggles of poverty, which helped the reforms to be passed. Furthermore, they helped bring about social reform as they brought attention to the fact that the system for dealing with poverty at the time required serious changes and major state intervention, e.g. the reform acts passed from 1906-1914.

‘New’ Liberalism

Within the liberal party in the 19^th Century, most of their beliefs revolved around a system called traditional or ‘old’ liberalism, as defined by William Gladstone who was one of the most significant members of the party at this time. However, in 1898, Gladstone, and in 1908, Henry Campbell-Bannerman, another senior member who supported more traditional liberalism, both died. These deaths helped to push members such as Winston Churchill, David Lloyd George, and Herbert Asquith, to the forefront of the party. These members brought about new ideologies that focused on the relationship between the state and the individual, as opposed to ‘old’ liberalism wherein the government rarely interacted with individuals. Asquith becomes prime minister

Fears over National Security - K

• Poverty weakened Britain’s military and economy

• In the Boer War (1899) many volunteers failed medicals due to malnutrition and poor living conditions

• The war took almost three years to win, despite the Boers lacking a professional army

• This caused serious concern among politicians

• Britain’s working-class-based economy was underperforming

• The UK was falling behind industrial rivals, particularly Germany

• German social reforms under Bismarck were linked to strong economic growth

• Social reforms were seen as a way to reduce poverty and strengthen Britain