Why The Liberal Reforms Happened

National Security
1. Boer War 1899
  1. British army lost the war to the Boers in south africa
  2. they lost due to the poor health of the army
  3. 25% of the volunteers willing to go and fight were sent away for being physically unfit to serve
  4. Many started to doubt the capability of the army to defend the British empire
  5. As a result of this the government introduce reforms to monitor the health of the nation and give suggestions on diet and lifestyle
2. R.C Birch feels that national security and national efficiency were the real reasons for the liberal reforms.
National Efficiecy
1. By the end of the 19th century Britain's status as a strong industrial power was slipping
2. It be came evident that as the health and education standards for Britain deteriorated so did her position of high power.
3. However, national security was slightly more important to the government as they were more concerned about keeping Britain safe and maintaining the empire.
4. Germany was becoming more efficient and she has put in place a welfare system in the 1880s which proved a well looked after work force was much more efficient
The reports of Booth and Rowntree
1. Booth lead an investigation into poverty in the east end of london to prove the socialists were wrong in claiming a quarter of London's population was in poverty however the results were quite different
  1. Booth's results showed that 35% of people in London lived in extreme poverty
    1. Booth told the Government that they were in danger of a socialist revolution if they did not deal with the poverty levels
2. Rowntree was inspired by booth and conducted a similar investigation in york
  1. His results showed that 30% of York's population was in poverty
    1. Showed that it was a nation wide problem
  2. He created the poverty line- the minimum amount a family needed for essentials
3. he results of booth and rowntree showed that poverty was not a choice, and made them realise something must be done
  1. However, the results were not a priority for the government and were somewhat over looked as they were more concerned about national security and efficiency
Political Advantage and New Liberalism
1. From 1884, most working class men voted liberal, however by 1906 labour was competing for the same votes.
  1. This would suggest that the liberal reform were done simply to gain more votes, however reform was not mentioned on the 1905 manifesto
2. New Liberalism
  1. nature of liberalism was changing
    1. New Liberals like David Lloyd George spread the ideas of state intervention and collectivism
Municipal Socialism
1. second half of 19th local governments had been intervening more in people lives.
2. Liberals like Joseph Chamberlain helped to improve people's lives by building baths parks and hospitals as well as supplying fresh water and sewage management
3. In the words of one report, Chamberlain left Birmingham "parked, paved, gas and watered and improved"
4. However this did not affect the national politicians in their decision making as they were not interested in what was going on at a local level

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Why The Liberal Reforms Happened

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