Liberals & the poor

Question	Answer
What was the problem with employment at the end of the 19th century?	Unregulated - Dock workers employed on a casual basis. Common for them to get only 3 days a week. Harsh conditions- coal backers- earn money quickly but unable to work past 40. Sweated trades- Long hours, paid per item
What was the Sweated Trades?	Trades like making matchboxes and other household goods such as pins, chains, shovels. Long hours in very poor conditions. Tiny wage for what they produced- not by the hour.
Why were the wages of the Sweated Trades so low?	Competition for work. e.g. in 1890's Jewish immigrants fleeing from Russia found work in this trade in East End London. new, desperate workers competed with existing workers and drove down wages even further.
In 1890 what did the Anglican Christian Social Union do to try and combat the Sweated Trades? What effect did it have?	tried to prepare 'whitelist' of employers who paid & treated their workers well&whose products Christians could buy with a clear conscience. They had to drop the idea because so few employers passed. Parliamentary Report investigated in 1890.
What was published in 1872? How did it change attitudes towards the poor?	Book of drawings - 'London: A Pilgrimage' by Gustave Dore. Commercial success. People gripped with fascination and horror at the appalling scenes. Not much impact- known as an artist with a fantastic imagination
What was the general attitude towards the poor before the 1890's?	Spent most of their money on drink It is their fault they are poor If they want to lift themselves out of poverty they could
Name 3 social reformers acting in the 1890's.	Charles Booth Seebohm Rowntree John Galt
Who was Charles Booth? How did he become interested in social reforms? Why did he carry out investigations?	successful businessman- owner of Liverpool shipping line Wife's friendship with Socialist - Beatrice Webb Believed the reports were exaggerated- found them to be underestimates!
What were some of Charles Booth's main findings?	Found the reports to be underestimates! Showed the idle, criminal or underserving poor only 1% population 30% London pop. under poverty line Problems due to low wages, casual work, trade depressions, old age & illness
What was the poverty line- and who came up with this phrase?	Unable to afford decent food, accommodation and clothing Charles Booth
Why was Booth's reports taken more seriously than other before him? When was his report published?	He was a respectable businessman who had set out to show reports as exaggerated. Avoided sensational reporting & focuses on the scale of the problem. 1st of 17 volumes published 1889
Booth % of population who were: loafers, criminals, occasional labourers Casual work, widows, deserted women Casual workers, vulnerable 2 trade conditions Casual & low paid regular workers	1.25% 11.25% 8% 14.5%
Who was Seebohm Rowntree? What did he publish and when? What did it contain?	Head of famous confectionery company & committed social reformer 1901- 'Poverty- A Study of Town Life' 2 years research on York- statistical and other evidence of housing, health, wages, hours of work
Rowntree's % on causes of poverty: Unemployment Death of wage earner Illness/ old age Low wages Large family Other	Unemployment = 5% Death of wage earner = 10% Illness/ old age = 5% Low wages = 22% Large family = 52% Other = 6%
What were Rowntree's main findings?	Poverty cause mainly be old age, illness etc. not by lazy or careless with money Poor suffered from ups and downs of Britain's trade cycle York- 27% below poverty line State should introduce measures to protect young, old, ill and unemployed
Why did Rowntree's findings have a big impact?	Figures for York were shocking. York not a big industrial city with slums but a respectable town. Such levels of poverty unexpected Rowntree was a successful, respectable, well-known businessman
Who was John Galt?	Not as well known as Rowntree or Booth Played important role in raising awareness of the life of the poor in the East End Religious missionary in East End London Amateur Photographer
What did John Galt do?	Turned his images of the poor into a magic lantern show for middle-class people. Showed the majority of poor were hard working and not 'sub-human', not lazy and had poorly paid jobs which were usually the result of early deaths.
When did the liberals win a landslide election? What issues did they speak about before the election and in what order of popularity?	1906 1. Attacks on the policy of previous Gov. 2. free trade 3. improve education 4.ireland 5. opening hours for public houses 6. Chinese slaves 7. poor law
What is New Liberalism?	What Lloyd George called the attitude that the being poor wasn't always the fault of the poor and the government should do something to help.
Why did Rowntree's work have a particularly powerful impact on the Liberals?	He had wealth, connections and had been a supporter of the Liberals all his life. He was a friend of Lloyd George and his family also owned The Nation and the Daily News which publicised the issue of poverty.
What impact did Rowntree have on the Liberals?	Asked to carry out a study into rural poverty in 1913. Also he was a important influence behind Old Age Pensions Act and the National Insurance Act.
Where was the increasing information about poverty in the 1900's coming from?	Social reformers Salvation Army - research & training programmes for the unemployed Other charities Government's own civil servants Officials of the local authorities
The scale of the problem Life expectancy for poor people in 1900 and now No. of deaths per 1000 in 1900 and now Top 10% of population owned ...... % of the countries wealth	Life expectancy of poor people- 1900= 45 Now=70 Deaths 1900= 163/1000 Now= 12/1000 Top 10% of population owned 92% of the countries wealth
Explain how the Boer War influenced the Liberals to introduce welfare reforms?	Between 1899 and 1902 Britain was at war to defend its territory. 1/2 recruits volunteered were unfit for service because of ill health. Army had to lower minimum height in order to find enough infantrymen- badly fed. Committee on Physical Deterioration set up and made recommendations for the Liberals.
How did the need for an effective workforce encourage Liberal reforms?	from 1870 onwards Britain's position as the leading industrial power was being challenged by USA and Germany. Lloyd George impressed by German welfare programme. Germany's rapid development linked to healthier, better-educated, more efficient workforce. Gov. helped unemployed.
How did Lloyd George influence welfare reforms?	Lloyd George lived with poverty-stricken mother and supported by Baptist minister in Welsh minster. he hated the way the English upper-class dominated Welsh life and sympathised with ordinary people. By 1908, became Chancellor of Exchequer.
How did Winston Churchill influence welfare reforms?	Switched sides in 1906. 1908- became President of Board of Trade. Had read the work of Rowntree and social reformers and felt poverty needed to be tackled. Aware of contrast between Britain's vast wealth and it slums.
How did political rivalry influence the Liberals to introduce welfare reforms?	Conservative Party- main rivals. Needed vote winners among working class. Wanted Liberal Party to have a big idea to unite and inspire Liberals and show difference between Conservatives. Way to fight socialism. Undermine support for Labour Party.
Name 7 reasons for the why the Liberals introduced welfare reform.	Social reformers Increasing info. about poverty Scale of the problem The Boer War National efficiency- effective workforce Lloyd George and Churchill Political Rivalry
What measures did the Liberals introduce for children?	1906- allowed local authorities (LA) to provide free school meals 1914= 14 million meals served. Only 1/2 LA's set up a meals service. 1907-school medical service to provide regular check& 1912 provide treatment too. 1908- Children's and Young Persons Act- status as Protected People, illegal to insure a child's life. Borstals set up- young offenders prison
What measures did the Liberals introduce for the old?	1908- Government funded, non-contributory old age pension set up. Over 70 with no other income, lived in Britain for last 20 years, and who had worked to their best abilities receive 5s per week. 650,000 in first year collected pensions. people claiming outdoor relief fell by 80,000
What measures did the Liberals introduce for the unemployed?	1909- government labour exchanges 1913- labour exchanges put 3,000 people into jobs every working day.
What was The National Insurance Act of 1911?	All men and women earning under £160 per year had to pay 4d a week. In return the worker received up to 26 weeks of sick pay at 10 shillings a week & free medical care. To deal with unemployment the worker had to pay another 2 1/4 d per week and when unemployed would receive 7 shillings a week for up to 15 weeks.
The opposition to the reforms from: conservatives doctors friendly societies workers *labour party	opposed the cost and the idea of a 'nanny state.' not convinced about health insurance * prevented NI being given to widows workers resented the reduction of their wages criticised the fact the poor had to fund their own benefit.. Thought it should come from taxation of the wealthy.

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