Causes Of Liberal Welfare Reforms

Causes Of Liberal Welfare Reforms

1. Social Investigations

   • Booth
     • East London
       • 30% Lived below the poverty line
     • The Life & Labour Of The People Of London
     • Poverty Line- Family income could not meet basic needs E.g. Food/rent/clothes
   • Rowntree
     • York
       • 28% were living in some degree of poverty
     • Primary Poverty
       • Family income fell below the 21s required to maintain physical efficiency
     • Secondary Poverty
       • Spending took the residual income below the poverty line
   • Highlighted that poverty was not caused by personal inadequacies but to: low wages, unemployment, sickness & old age
   • National Problem

2. Boer War

   • Showed the inadequacies of a non-interventionist state
   • Poor physical condition of recruits
     • Brought the scale of poverty to the surface
     • Manchester- 8000 of 11,000 volunteers were unfit for service
     • 25% of volunteers rejected
   • Britain's imperial supremacy could be in danger
     • Lack of military efficiency
     • Concerns for the security of Britain

3. New Liberalism

   • Responsibility to help the poor (Philanthropy)
     • Interventionist ideas
   • Broke away from Gladstonian Liberals
   • New generation of politicians
     • DLG
     • Asquith
     • In Government positions to implement ideas
     • Churchill
     • Aware of social problems, failures of the Poor Law
     • Used positions & personal motives to change direction of Govt. Social Policy
       • Personal ambition?

4. Threat Of Labour

   • Chance for Liberals to prove they can do what Labour offers
     • Competing for same votes
       • 'Out- trumped' Labour
         • Old age pensions
   • 1909 onwards
     • Recession
       • Unemployment
     • Timed with workers reforms
       • Occurred just before & after 1910 election following bad run of by-elections in 1907 & 1908
         • Personal ambition of DLG & Churchill
   • Compromise- reduced chance of a more radical form of socialism

5. Threat Of Germany

   • Decline in British economy & industry
     • Britain was weak in comparison to Germany
   • Germany's strength
     • Model Army
     • Bismarkian network of social insurance
       • Compulsory sickness & accident insurance
       • Old age pensions
       • Copied by DLG
     • Highly organised educational system
     • Proved state intervention worked
       • If Germany could afford to do it so could Britain
       • Was needed to secure Britain's imperial position
   • Reforms wouldn't have been so rapid