Who was John Galt?
- scottish baptist (non conformist)
- documented the lives and working conditions os Londons east end in 1890s
- particularly concerned with sweatshops
- documented his findings with photos
Who was Charles Booth?
- liverpool businessman
- found that 35% of londoners lived in abject poverty
- strong supporter of old age pensions
- found that the main causes of poverty were old age, illness and irregular/poorly paid employment
Who was Seebohm Rowntree?
- quaker (non conformist)
- produced the report “poverty, a study of town life” in 1901
- based on research of over 45k people in york
- root cause of poverty was inconsistent employment
- had a huge influence on new liberals , provided advice for Lloyd George
- influenced 1942 beveridge report
What was the Majority report and what did it say?
- 1909
- result of government enquiry into poverty
- state should not provide aid for poor as it would undermine charity work and cause a lack of self reliance amongst the poor
- state aid would be too costly and the burden of cost would fall on workers
- a great many people were idle and undeserving of aid as they would bcome dependent on the state
- poverty was a moral issue
What was the minority report and what did it say?
- 1911
- work by the Fabians Sidney and Beatrice Webb
- state had a duty to provide national minimum standards, ensure a living wage and support the elderly
- workhouses should be abolished
- poverty was not a moral issue but a ocial and political issue that needed to be addressed by the state
What was the national efficiency debate?
- the idea that poverty was diminishing britains blood stock of hardworking and efficient people
- britain owes its superiority to the racial superiority of the anglo saxon race
- poverty and immigration had downgraded this as shown by britains poor performance in the boer war
- fear that new industrial nations were forging ahead of britain economically
How did people want to fix national efficiency?
- greater controls on immigration
- greater awareness of eugenics - the idea that physical and moral characteristics such as idleness are inherited
- these ideas appealed to social reformers, liberals and conservatives
Why did the Liberal government bring about a number of key social reforms 1906-14?
the formation of the labour representation committee in 1900 worried them as a new party dedicated to workers rights may draw away voters who only vote liberal as they are anticonservative
what is old liberalism?
- emphasises freedom (religious, economic etc) from the state
- no state intervention
- laissez faire attitude towards welfare
What was new liberalism?
- the state should promote the freedom of the individual from the grip of underachievement and poverty
- state should provide welfare and assistance to level the playing field and help everyone have a range of opportunity
What were LG and WCs motives for new liberalism?
- LG had seen much poverty growing up in north wales and genuinely wanted to see social reform
- both were young, aspiring politicians who wanted to make a name for themself
- LG had visited Germany in 1908 and was impressed with their national insurance scheme
- both wanted to provide a challenge to socialism and the labour party
- WC concerned about national efficiency
What was the biggest change by the New Liberals?
1911- National insurance scheme- the idea that workers had to make a contribution from their wages to cover provision for medical care and in some industries, unemployment was a radical change and required massive expansion of the civil service
What about the NI scheme was too socialist for old liberals?
as employers and the government also had to make a contribution towards NI then some level of wealth redistribution took place
What were the successes of the 1902 education act?
- created 1000 secondary schools
- 349 were for girls
- increase in vocational education
What were the failures of the 1902 education act?
- anglican schools were being funded by rate payers
- loss of school board angered non conformists as they were no longer being represented
- still lots of pressure on children to leave school and start work
What were the successes of the 1918 education act?
children were more educated and less likely to have dangerous working lives
What were the failures of the 1918 education act?
not all families could afford to lose out on the money brought in by working children and struggled to support their children in school
What were the successes of other measures for children eg 1908 childrens act?
- infant mortality fell drastically
- recognised need for separate justice system for children
What were the failures of other measures for children?
- borstals were very brutal and had high reoffence rates
- families still had to pay for doctors
What was the problem with the dual system of elementary education before the 1902 balfour education act?
- uneven in administrative terms
- voluntary scgools were often at a financial disadvantage as they were funded not from local rates but by gov grants
What began happening to elderly people from the 1870s+?
forced into work houses as the 1834 poor law was applied more rigorously
Why did trade unions want pensions?
concerned that hard working people were suffering as they had been unable to make provision for old age
what was the national comitteee of organised labour for old age pensions?
- formed in 1898
- by 1906 many labour and liberal mps had pledged to support pensions
How and why did liberals and tories differ on how to pay for pensions?
tories wanted them to be paid for by import duties whilst liberals didnt want to end free trade
