Issue 4 (Mr Beveridge) Why did the Liberal government of the early 20th century become involved in passing social reforms?

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Issue 4 (Mr Beveridge)Why did the Liberal
government of the early 20th century become
involved in passing social reforms?

• Higher

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Big Picture

• By end of 19th century there was increasing
  evidence that poverty had causes that were often
  beyond the ability of individuals to help
  themselves. When the Liberal government came to
  power in 1906 they began a series of social
  reforms.
• Issue looks at REASONS WHY the Liberals
  intervened to help ease the problem of poverty.

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Some background (context)

• Mid 19thC most people accepted poverty and
  hardship not things government should or could do
  anything about
• If the government became involved in helping poor
  it would cost money -gt taxes would increase
• Middle class would have to pay more tax yet money
  would not be spent on them
• Why should they help people they believed were
  too lazy to help themselves?

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19th Century Attitudes to Poverty?

• Changed considerably public and government
• Government policy towards social issues
  laissez-faire
• to leave alone
• Feeling that poor should look after themselves at
  core of Samuel Smiles book Self Help
• He meant that an individual had obligation to
  look after himself and his family through effort
  and determination

Self help is the root of all genuine growth
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More Primary Sources

• Norman Pearson (late 19thC voice on poverty)
  believed poor were
• seldom capable of reform and that they tended
  to be made of inferior material....and cannot be
  improved
• He also argued that the poor were poor in their
  blood and bones and that they should be
  prevented from breeding

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Last Resort

• Scottish Poorhouse and English Workhouse existed
  to help absolutely destitute
• Places feared/hated institutions
• Signalled persons failure
• To enter was shameful/to be avoided at all costs
• Alternative was to depend on charitable
  organisations

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Philanthropy
Scrooge

• individuals doing good works to help less
  fortunate
• Strong theme running through Victorian/Edwardian
  society
• Wealthier people in society felt it was their
  moral duty to help poor encouraged by Christian
  belief that it was better to give than receive
• Contemporary historian J.R Green hundreds of
  agencies at work over the same ground with no
  co-operation between them

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Changing Attitudes to Poverty

• Increasingly clear poor could not deal with
  circumstances beyond their control
• Assumption that poverty was in some way the fault
  of the individual being questioned
• 1889 writer George Sims argued for government
  intervention
• There is a penalty for packing cattle too
  closely together why should there be none for
  improperly housing men and women and children?
  The law says that no child shall grow up without
  reading, writing and arithmetic but the law does
  nothing that children may have air, and light,
  and shelter

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• 1. Pressure from reports on poverty?
• Rowntree and Booth showed that poverty had
  causes, was not inborn and was widespread

• 3. National Efficiency?
• Britain was no longer top industrial nation

• 5. New Liberalism?
• New ideas on state interventionism entered the
  Cabinet

Why did the Liberal Reforms of 1906 happen?

• 2. National Security?
• Boer War scare raised the question - Could
  Britain defend itself in a major conflict?

• 4. Political Pragmatism/Advantage?
• The Liberals could lose votes to Labour if
  nothing was done to help the condition of the poor

• 6. Municipal socialism?
• Programmes of social welfare started by Liberal
  controlled local authorities were used as a model
  to influence national government to do likewise

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1. Reports of Booth Rowntree

• Investigations by Charles Booth and Seebohm
  Rowntree revealed true extent of poverty
• Charles Booth London businessman who doubted
  claims of socialists that ¼ population lived in
  extreme poverty
• Worked with team of researchers,
  weekends/evenings Booths work based on hard
  statistical facts not opinion
• Booth published Labour and Life of the People
  (1889) 35 Londons population lived in extreme
  poverty
• Continued all over London, over next 12 years
  between 1891 and 1903, Booth published findings
  in 17 volumes
• Argued poverty was such a big problem that only
  government could help
• If nothing done to improve, Booth argued, Britain
  in danger of socialist revolution

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1. continued

• Rowntrees study of York (inspired by Booth)
  Poverty, A Study of Town Life (1901) 30
  population York lived in extreme poverty
• Investigations proved causes were often beyond
  the control of poor themselves
• Problem therefore national
• Defined poverty poverty line least a family
  could survive on
• Also defined poverty as primary or secondary
• Primary family lacked sufficient earnings to
  buy minimum necessities
• Secondary earned enough but wasted on items
  eg alcohol, gambling, smoking
• Concept of deserving poor (poor through no
  fault of their own) took root

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2. National Security

• 1899 Boer War
• - South Africa (part of British Empire at time)
• Britain had relatively small army, volunteer
  recruits needed
• Government alarmed when almost 25 volunteers
  rejected because physically unfit to serve
• Figure even higher among volunteers from
  industrial cities
• Politicians public asked could Britain survive
  a war/protect its empire against a far stronger
  enemy if nations fighting stock so unhealthy?

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2. contd

• Interdepartmental Committee on Physical
  Deterioration created to examine problem of
  ill-health in England Wales
• Royal Commission in Scotland did same
• Reports 1904 physical condition many male
  adults poor made recommendations about
  improving diet/overcrowding
• Recommended free school meals and medical
  examinations for school children
• Direct influence on Liberal Reforms

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3. National Efficiency

• End of 19thC Britain no longer strongest
  industrial nation
• Facing serious competition from new industrial
  nations eg. Germany
• Believed that if the health and educational
  standards of Britains workers got worse,
  Britains position as strong industrial power
  threatened

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3. contd

• Concern that in times of economic depression
  unemployment soared in certain in some areas
  whilst jobs existed in others!
• Politicians eg. Churchill part of problem was
  unemployed did not know where new jobs were
  inefficiency and weakening Britains industrial
  output
• In Germany a system of welfare benefits and old
  age pensions already set up (1880s)
• 1898 New Zealand introduced old-age pensions
• Lloyd George witnesses/approved of German scheme
  of sickness insurance on visit 1908
• Why couldnt Britain not do likewise?
• In response Liberals opened Labour exchanges
• - helped unemployed seek jobs

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4. Political Advantage 5. New Liberalism

• 1884 most working class men had vote Liberals
  had tended to attract many of those votes
• 1906 newly formed Labour Party competing for same
  votes
• Selfish reason to retain working class votes?
• Liberals argued Liberalism individual freedom
  with least possible involvement of government in
  lives of ordinary people
• Old Liberal attitudes believed poverty due to
  personal defects of character but as realisation
  grew, definition changed/grew
• New Liberals argued state intervention
  necessary to liberate people from social problems
  over which they had no control
• Party had been out of power since 1886 large
  number of Liberals willing to swallow their
  concerns

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4. contd

• Nevertheless New Liberal ideas not important in
  1906 general election campaign
• Liberals made no mention of social reforms in
  party manifesto
• When Liberals took over government in 1906 some
  reforms introduced mostly associated with
  public concern over national security
• Only when Old Liberal Prime Minister Campbell
  Bannerman died in 1908 did door open for new
  interventionist ideas
• Prime Minister Asquith appointed New Liberals
  eg. David Lloyd George and Winston Churchill
  given top jobs -gt led to flood of social reforms

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6. Municipal Socialism

• By end of 19thC public become used to increasing
  levels of local/national govt intervention
• Improvements carried out by local (municipal)
  authorities - paid for by system of local
  taxation - used to improve lives of people
  locally
• Wealthy did pay most but was poor who gained most
  benefit
• In this sense, basic socialist idea of
  redistributing wealth could be seen in operation
• For this reason, local auth action to use local
  taxation income for social improvement was called
  Municipal Socialism
• Nationally host of laws improved working
  living conditions
• - Factory Acts
• - Public Health Acts

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6. contd

• In growing towns/cities, some Liberal-controlled
  local auths became deeply involved in social
  welfare programmes
• 1873 Liberal Joseph Chamberlain became Mayor of
  Birmingham and for next 3 years he used his
  influence in municipal politics to introduces
  reforms
• eg. Birminghams water supply considered danger
  to public health. Piped water only supplied 3
  days per week, ½ citys population dependent on
  well water, much of it polluted by sewage.
  Chamberlain purchased Birminghams water works
  gas works. Also cleared many of Birminghams
  slums
• Chamberlain became known for his brand of
  municipal socialism
• Words of one report he left Birmingham parked,
  paved, gas and watered and improved

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6. contd

• City authorities spent money on improving wide
  range of services
• - hospitals established
• - attempts made to improve housing
• - although as late 1886 Glasgow still had 1/3 of
  its families living in 1 roomed houses
• - By 1850s, Glasgow Town Hall had control of the
  city water supply, by 1860s was involved in
  providing gas street lighting
• Long before national government got involved in
  social reforms to improve lives of citizens,
  local authorities were well on way. Such a trend
  towards social reform and government control can
  be considered a factor in setting scene for
  Liberal reforms (A)