GCSE
History
Paper
Two
2
Key Question 1: How was British society changed, 1890–1918? The Liberal Welfare
Reforms
What were working and living conditions like for the poor in the 1890s?
How were social reformers reacting to the social problems of the 1890s?
Focus
Points
Why did the Liberal government introduce reforms to help the young, old and
unemployed?
How effective were these reforms?
Poverty and distress in the 1890s, the work and impact of Charles Booth and
Seebohm Rowntree.
Reasons for the liberal victory in the 1906 election.
Specified
Content
Reasons for the liberal reforms for example the extent of poverty, New Liberalism,
the roles of Lloyd George and Churchill, the threat from the recently formed
Labour Party.
The Children’s Charter, compulsory medical inspections in schools,
free medical treatment and free school meals for the poor, the establishment of
juvenile courts and borstals
borstals. Old age pensions 1909
1909, Labour exchanges 1909
1909, the
National Insurance Act 1911.
3
Old Age
Death
Fathers would often die
young and leave behind a
family. Widows would be
poor.
Illness
People who were ill would not be paid. p
Also they had to pay for medical Treatment.
People who were too old to work were poor and could not afford to live.
Why were
people
poor in the
late-19th
Century?
Unemployment
M
Men who lost h l t
their jobs did not have enough money to support
money to support their families.
Large families
Families with lots of children often
of children often found themselves short of money.
Disability
If someone was y
disabled they would not be able to work. Many people were disabled after work
accidents.
4
Who looked after the Who
looked after the
poor in 1890? The Poor Law:
This was the only form of government
help and was provided by local officials
known as the “Board of Guardians” or
the “Parish”. It was a form of help
d d db
dreaded
by most people.
l If you went to
the local “Parish” you were seen as
being a pauper and would receive help
in one of two ways – either “indoor” or
“outdoor” relief.
Indoor relief meant going into the
Workhouse. This was a harsh place
where people were given help but they
were treated badly by being separated
from their families and being given
boring physical work to do. It was
meant to discourage people from being
poor and was very unpopular.
Outdoor relief was given to people in
their own home. Food, money or help
would be given to people while they still
p p
lived at home. This was still unpopular
as it carried great shame and many
people were too proud to accept it.
The Sick
They could get some outdoor
relief and in some cases
access to free Poor-Law
hospitals.
The Unemployed
Help was usually indoor
relief, but in some areas
there was outdoor relief.
The Old
Help was usually outdoor
and had improved
significantly by 1900.
The Young
Children went to the
workhouse with their
parents. They were
sometimes fostered by
local families.
Who looked after the poor in 1890? Charity
There were many charities set up in the 19th Century. Many wealthy Victorians felt it was their Christian duty to help people less fortunate than themselves. Charities would provide money, food, medical care, education and other basic p
needs. An example would be Dr Barnardo who provided homes for orphaned children. The Salvation Army also provided help for the poor. However, not all areas of the country were covered by these charities and some poor people were seen as more worthwhile and fashionable than others so df h
bl h
h
they got more help. Also many people were very proud and did not like the idea of charity.
5
How did people find out about the poor?
How
did people find out about the poor?
Social Investigations.
Charles Booth wrote a number of
studies between 1886 and 1903,
Booth’s
Booth
s writings were published in a
book called “Life and Labour of the
People in London”. He carried out
interviews with poor people. Doctors,
teachers and priests. He also
collected
ll t d h
huge amounts
t off d
data
t on
the way the poor people in London
lived.
Booth said that people were poor, or
in poverty, if they earned less than
21s per week. Booth said that 30%
of people lived in this way.
Booth used his study to prove that
poverty led to illness and death.
He also said that most people who
lived in poverty were not responsible
f their
for
th i condition.
diti
In 1901 Rowntree published his work
on the life of poor people in York.
He said that people needed around
21s per week
eek to lilive.
e He said again
that around 30% of people lived
below what he called the “Poverty
Line”.
Rowntree said that most people
could not help being poor. They were
simply not paid enough to live on.
However, he said that large families
was the main cause of poverty in
York.
6
Why did the Liberal P t Wi Th 1906
Party Win The 1906 Election?
Who were the main Liberal Reformers?
In 1906 there were two main
political parties –
The Conservatives who did not
want the government to do much to
help the poor.
The Liberals who were keen to
help the poor and give the
Government more power
power.
There was also a small Labour
Party who wanted to spend much
more on helping the poor and said
the government should control all
important aspects of life and
business.
In 1906,, the Conservatives were
divided and the public were angry
with the way they were running the
economy. The Liberals ran a good
election campaign and won a
massive victory
victory. The Labour party
remained small, but it was clear
that it could keep on growing.
Herbert Asquith:
Prime Minister between 1908 and 1916. Was at the head of the
government during many of the reforms.
reforms
David Lloyd George:
Chancellor of the Exchequer during most of the reforms. He designed
the National Insurance Act and Old Age Pensions scheme. He raised
the money though taxes to pay for the reforms. Supporters of the
reforms loved Lloyd George, opponents hated him!
Winston Churchill:
A keen supporter
pp
of the reforms who helped
p design
g the National
Insurance Act and the Labour Exchanges scheme. He later left the
Liberals and became a Conservative.
7
Why
y did the
e Libera
al Goverrnment of
1906--1914 In
ntroduce Socia
al Reform
m?
Background
The General Election of 1906 saw the Liberal Party come to power. They won a massive victory in the election
and managed to beat the Conservatives quite easily. Over the next few years they introduced many reforms that
helped improve the living conditions of ordinary people in Britain
Britain. WHY?
1) The Labour Party
In the 1906 General Election, there were two main political parties, the Liberals and the Conservatives. Most rich
people voted Conservative and most of the poorer people voted Liberal. However, in 1900 a new political party
had been set up—the Labour Party. The Labour Party said it would help the poor people by taxing the rich and
spending the money on social reform—this is known as Socialism. The Liberals were afraid that the Labour
Party’s ideas would be very popular with the poor people and that the Labour party would win all the poorer
peoples’ votes. The Liberal Social Reforms were a way of keeping the poorer people voting Liberal.
2) Social Investigations
By the end of the 19th Century a number of famous people were carrying out investigations into how people lived
in Britain. In 1901, Seebohm Rowntree (of the famous chocolate family) published a report into life for poor
people in year. His report said that over 1/4 of people in York were poor and that their poverty was not their own
fault. He said that the government should help them. At about the same time, Charles Booth found the same
g were true in London. These reports
p
shocked p
people
p in the Government and made them take some action
things
to solve these problems.
8
Why
y did the
e Libera
al Goverrnment of
1906--1914 In
ntroduce Socia
al Reform
m?
3) National Efficiency
The Liberal Party was supported by many businessmen and important politicians. They wanted welfare reform for
another reason. They argued that Britain could not be a major world power if it did not look after its people better.
They said that a well educated, well fed and healthy workforce would be better at producing goods in the factories.
They said that other countries such as Germany were already providing welfare for their people and that their
factories were doing much better than Britain’s.
During the Boer War of 1899-1902 (fought against South Africa) 69% of all British men who volunteered were
considered unfit for military service. This had caused some alarm. This meant that some people believed that
Britain’s
Britain
s Armed forces would be better off if there were welfare reforms. They said that a well educated and healthy
population would provide a better army to fight rivals such as Germany and defend the British Empire.
Britain needed to be more efficient if she was to compete with France, Germany and the USA.
4) Key Individuals and new ideas
There were some leading members of the Liberal Party who wanted to reform the lives of ordinary people. They
were very important
i
t t in
i designing
d i i the
th reforms
f
and
d making
ki sure they
th gott through
th
hP
Parliament.
li
t David
D id Lloyd
Ll d George
G
and Winston Churchill were probably the most famous Liberal Reformers.
More and more people began to accept that it was OK for the government to interfere in the lives of ordinary
people. The old idea of Laissez Faire (leaving things alone) was no longer fashionable. Many people in the Liberal
Party were keen to use the power of government to help the poor. This was known as New Liberalism.
5) To Win Votes
The Liberals were politicians and they introduced the reforms because they hoped they would be popular.
9
Reform
Free School Meals: (1906)
Chiildren and
d the Liberal Refo
orms
Local councils were given the power to provide a free
school meal for children of poor families. This had to be
paid for by local rate payers.
School Medical Inspections: (1907)
Doctors and
D
d nurses went iinto school
h l to provide
id ffree
compulsory medical checks for children. Their job was to
spot the
signs of illness.
School Clinics: (1912)
Evaluation
By 1914, over 158,000 children were receiving a free
meal each day.
The scheme proved that the government should provide
help.
However, most local authorities were slow to act and
However
did not provide the free meals. Most children went
without.
Many children were diagnosed with diseases that could
have threatened their lives.
However, even when a child had been diagnosed, the
medical treatment was not free. Many parents could not
afford the treatment.
This helped close the gap left by the 1907 scheme so
more children received free medical care.
These clinics were set up to treat children who had been
diagnosed as having an illness during a School
These clinics only covered children of school age.
Medical under the 1907 scheme.
Younger children and adults in the same family could still
be suffering from the disease
disease.
The Children’s Act: (1908)
This Act gave protection to children and made them
A whole range of measures known as the Children’s
“special”. It laid out that children should not be abused.
This was an important
p
p
principle.
p
Charter. For the first time it made it illegal
g to neglect
g
or
abuse children. Children under 14 were banned from
pubs and it was illegal to sell tobacco to children under 16.
Children under 14 who broke the law were put on trial in
children’s
children
s courts and were sent to children’s
children s prisons
known as “borstals”.
Children were seen as special and in need of care.
10
Old People and the Liberal
Reforms
The Old Age Pensions Act (1908)
This gave a weekly pension from government funds to the elderly. From January
1909 almost everyone over the age of 70 was eligible for a state pension.
Single people had 5s per week and married couples 7s 6d
6d.
Evaluation
Old people no longer depended on the Poor Law or Charity.
650,000 Old people claimed their pension in the first year.
The government was providing a free benefit to help the elderly.
Many people were too old to work long before they were 70—they had worked from a very young age and
theyy were ill or disabled. Most p
people
p died before they
y were 70!
Only very poor people got all of the money. Old people with some other income lost some of their pension.
Anyone
y
who was known to be lazy
y or always
y drunk was banned from the p
pension.
Anyone who had been to prison in the last ten years was also banned.
11
The Unemployed the Sick and the Liberal
Reforms
The National Insurance Act (1911)
This was the main reform that set out to help the sick and the
unemployed. It was in two parts. Part One dealt with Sickness and Part
Two dealt with Unemployment.
Labour Exchanges Act (1909)
This Act set up a system of Labour
Exchanges—the first Job centres. They
were aimed at getting men into jobs as
quickly as possible so they would not be
without wages.
Before this men had to wander around to
try and find a job. By 1913 3000 men a
day were finding work through one of the
government’s Labour Exchanges.
g
g
What the Unemployment Insurance
Scheme Did
Was the Scheme Any Good?
This was a government run insurance JMany people were helped by the
scheme aimed at stopping workers
scheme
being poor if they became
unemployed.
JIt did force employers and the
government to help workers.
All workers in some jobs had to join
the scheme. Jobs that were seasonal
such as shipbuilding and construction LNot all people could join—only some
were covered.
covered
jobs could become members of the
scheme.
The employee, the employer and the
government paid 2d each per week .
LThe benefits were low and would not
family. Even the most basic
If the employee was unemployed then keep a family
lifestyle
needed around 21s per week
they could receive 7s 6d per week for
15 weeks.
LIf a man was unemployed for a long
time his benefits would run out and
then he would be without help.
12
What the Health Insurance Scheme of the
National Insurance Act Did
This was a government run insurance
scheme aimed at stopping workers being
poor if they became ill.
Was the Scheme Any Good?
Many people were helped by the
scheme
It did force employers and the
All workers in low paid jobs had to join the government to help workers.
scheme.
The family of sick men were not
covered.
Each week the employee paid 4d, their
employer paid 3d and the government
paid 2d.
Not all people could join—only some
jobs could become members of the
If a worker fell ill they were given sick pay scheme.
10s a week for 13 weeks and then 5s a
week for another 13 weeks.
The benefits were low. Even the most
basic lifestyle needed around 21s per
week
Workers in the scheme could get free
medical treatment and maternity care.
If a man was very ill for a long time or
Tem million men and 4 million women
was ill more than once in a year, his
were in the scheme.
benefits would run out and then he would
be without help.
13
Who Opposed the Reforms?
The Labour Party: They wanted more reforms and said the Liberal
reforms were too limited.
The Conservative Party: They said it was wrong to use taxes to help
the poor—benefits would make them lazy and unwilling to work.
Rich People: They had to pay the taxes to fund the reforms.
The Middle Class: People like shopkeepers, doctors and lawyers.
They had servants and had to pay national insurance contributions for
them. They objected to paying the money.
The Insurance Companies: They had always provided insurance
schemes for things like sickness and illness. They were afraid they
would lose business.
The working class: Many ordinary working people hated the reforms.
They disliked being told how to bring up their children and hated having
to pay National Insurance Contributions.