A bit of History: Britain 1890-1919 (PART 2)

The Liberal Party formed the British government in the early 20^th century and came up with reforms to improve the lives of the citizens, namely children, old people and workers.

Why did the Liberal Government introduce Welfare Reforms from 1906 to 1912?

1.       POLITICAL CHANGE

•          Was worried that the Labour Party might take over.
•          The majority of the country lived in poverty and working class men had votes.
•          They also feared the growth of trade unionism and people turning to communism if they didn't help the poor.

2.       SOCIAL & ECONOMIC CHANGES:

•          The 1899 Boer War showed that working class men were unfit for work or the army.
•          Britain could not compete economically with Germany and USA with a poor, unfit work force.
•          Local councils have taken responsibility and raised the possibility of what could be done nationally.

3.       CHANGE IN ATTITUDES:

•          The ‘laissez-faire’ policy has been changed
•          The philanthropists influenced many to help

4.       POVERTY:

•          Realised poverty was widespread
•          It affects the country, hence their work

5.       OUTSTANDING NEW POLITICIANS:

•          David Lloyd George (Chancellor of the Exchequer) and Winston Churchill began to challenge the ‘laissez-faire’ policy.
•          They wanted to gain good reputations as young politicians.

The Liberal Reforms

1906- Free School Meals

This applied to children of the poorest families.

1907- School Medical Inspections

This applied to all children in school but free treatment was not offered.

1908- Children’s Act

There was a Children’s Charter to help children in need or in trouble, to stop cruelty.

1908- Pensions Act

It was for over 70s with an income of less than £21 but excluded those in prison or out of the country. 

But very few lived up to 70 to receive the benefits.

1909- The Labour Exchanges Act

This benefitted the unemployed and employers as jobs can be found more easily.

1911- National Insurance Act (1)

This was to provide a considerable amount of income to ill manual and low-paid white collars when they were out of work. But this did not consider the dependents of the workers.

1912- National Insurance Act (2)

This applied to seasonal workers at times when they couldn’t work.

1912- School Clinics

All children in school where the clinics were set up benefitted but there were some local councils who did not implement the law. 

In 1906, the Liberals defeated the Conservatives with a ‘landslide victory’ and had the power to bring 

in many important reforms. 

However, some reforms were controversial and led to opposition. The Liberals won the next two 

elections in 1910 but just had a couple more seats than the Conservatives. 

So, why had there been opposition to the Liberals?

The reforms involved increased expenditure and they meant higher taxation.  For instance, the Pensions 

Act was particularly expensive. Lloyd George introduced the ‘People’s Budget’ in 1909 and then things 

went a bit pear-shaped...

The Budget increased taxes on luxury goods and the incomes of the wealthiest people but also led to a 

constitutional crisis. The Budget was unsurprisingly rejected in the House of Lords, where the rich 

Conservatives had a majority. When the Budget was then re-introduced, the Lords passed it but rejected 

the Parliament Bill that limited the powers of the Lords.

Then, much to Liberal’s advantage, the King agreed to create enough Liberal Lords to cancel the Tory 

majority if the House of Lords did not pass the Parliament Bill. The Lords had no choice but to accept 

this time.

The Parliament Act, 1911, said the Lords could only delay a Budget for one month and other Bills for 

two years only- provided they were passed by the Commons three times.

Arguments for and against the Reforms

For	Against
The infirm (ill) and the unemployed need help.	Britain is built by the independence of the British people
It’s not the poor’s fault to be living in poverty.	The poor will become lazy.
The dependents like the children are suffering.	High taxes are unjust to the rich.
It’s the business of the state to deal with.	This is a form of extortion.