To What Extent Were the Liberal Welfare Reforms 1906-1014 Introduced Due to the Social

To what extent were the Liberal welfare reforms 1906-1014 introduced due to the social studies of Booth and Rowntree?

When the liberals came to power in 1906 they introduced a series of welfare reforms such as national insurance and free school meals. It is a source of debate why the liberals introduced the reforms, with some arguing it was due to the social studies of Booth and Rowntree. However it important to consider other factors which may explain their introduction such concern for national security and efficiency and also as tool for political survival. This essay intends to argue that while they may have increased awareness of poverty other factors also contributed to the introduction of reforms.

POINT ( Sign posting what you will argue)

(Basic – The reforms were introduced due to the studies of booth and rowntree)

(Better)The Liberals introduced welfare reforms due to pressure from a growing awareness of poverty due to studies of Booth and Rowntree.

They found 1/3rd of the population lived in poverty by doing surveys in London and York respectively.Rowntree found the real causes of poverty being low wages, unemployment and large familes. These studies were important as they were hard statistical evidence, for example Booth’s study was over 17 years, therefore they more reliable and put more pressure on the govt to act as opposed to authors and teachers who had tried to raise awareness of poverty but who were dismissed as opinion.

Secondly rowntree’s causes made it clear that poverty could no longer be blamed on the individual and that state intervention would be required to tackle poverty.

Finally by using the capital and a small town they showed clearly the scale of poverty and that itwas a national problem and that the poor law was inadequate in helping to deal with it as it only helped 3% by 1/3rd were in poverty. Therefore the studies acted as a stimulus to the governemt by revealing the extent of the problem of poverty. The intro of the reforms can thereby be explained as a response to this.

( Balance) – However the liberals knew of these studies before the election campaign yet focused on free trade rather than welfare which would suggest that it was not the only factor to consider.

POINT (ARGUMENT)

It can be argued that concern for the state of Britain’s soldiers and workers put the govt under pressure to introduce reforms.

EVIDENCE

This concern was prompted by the Boer war which lasted for 3 years and it was 400,000 Gb against 35,000 Boers. (ARGUMENT)THIS raised concern because a short easy war and victory, however the state of her troops was letting her down. (EVIDENCE)In Manchester 8,000 men volunteered but only 1,200 were accepted, nationally 34% of recruits were rejected on health grounds. (ARGUEMNT) (This is important because….) If they could not defeat poorly armed African farmers, how would they be able to maintain and defend her Empire. It was not only concern for soldiers but also the state of our workers which threatened national effiency. Germany and the USA were threateneding to overtake GB’s position as the leading industrial nation, especially by offering cheaper prices for steel. The govt were also concerned as employers were complaining that workers were not healthy enough to complete a full day work. Therefore the introduction of the reforms can be explained as an attempt to improve the health of the people to make better soldiers and workers.

However it is impossible to argue that the introduction of the reforms can be explained purely for the good of the country as they introduced the old age pensions costing over £7 million a year, yet these people would not work or fight.

The fear of losing political power and the threat of the Labour party also played a part in the introduction of the reforms.

The franchise had been extended to the majority of working class men and by 1900 6/10 men could vote. THIS INFLUENCED the liberals because they had to be seen to be meeting the needs of these working classes in order to maintain/ gain their political support. The labour was a threat because they offered reforms specially for the working classes such as old age pensions and national insurance. Also they were popular with the w/c given in the space of 6 years they had gone from 2 to 29 in parliament. This put pressure on the libs, not from the size, but from the speed and unless the liberals could offer some incentive to the w/c Labour could have the potential to replace libs as the main alternative. In light of this, theintrocudiotn of the reforms can be as a tool to win votes.

In conclusion the studies of booth and rowntree influenced the intro of reforms to a fair extent.

On the one hand by increasing public awareness of the extent of poverty and its causes, it called for state intervention which the govt was under pressure to respond to. On the other hand the effect of this poverty on the state of the army and industry was also significant in making the govt reassess their position on helping the poor. Finally while B and R may have made the extent of poverty clear, the liberals realised that by dealing with these issues they could win essential political support.

Therefore although the B and R did play a part in the intro of the reforms it is likely that even without their studies the govt would have used reforms to win votes and improve the state of the country.