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History Assignment To what extent were the Liberal Reforms of 1906-1914…

- - - - Booth and Rowntree had been publishing for years before the Liberals came to power - Booth 1889 (16 years), Rowntree 1901 (5 years).
        Yet it wasn't until the Liberals allowed New Leadership that the reforms happened, hence they were not influenced by the surveys as much.
  - - - Many of the Reforms e.g. school meals, help for unemployed, old age pensions – appear to very closely correspond to B & R’s work.
        
        The surveys of Booth and Rowntree are not the main motivating factor in the implementation of the Liberal Reforms although they may have had an influence.(J)
        This can be argued because the reports were extremely lengthy and the vast majority of people in Britain did not read them (S)
        
        Genuine Concern wasmain factor that influenced the reforms (J). This is because
- - - - Genuine concern is the strongest and most credible explanation for the Liberal Reforms.(J)
        This is because the Liberals were actually willing to damage their electoral chances and make themselves very unpopular to push them through. Also, they faced huge difficulty in pushing through some of these reforms. (S)
    - - Lloyd George was from a working class background and is likely to have genuinely cared about the conditions of the poor.
        
        Lloyd George objected strongly to"[w]idespread poverty in a land glittering with wealth."
        
        Thus proving that he does care for condition of the poor.
- - - - It appeared that even in conflict Britain had lost its military supremacy. Proven by the fact that they found it difficult to defeat poorly equipped Boer farmers.
        
        Some of the Liberal reforms had nothing to do with N. efficiency and N. security for example old age pensions.
        
        Concerns over National efficiency/security are not the main motivating factor in the implementation of the Liberal Reforms although they may have had an influence. (J)
        This can be argued because National E and security does not explain the most costly reform which the Liberals had to fight hardest to implement. (S)
        
        Genuine concern with the poor is the main factor (J). This is because
  - - - Lloyd George had visited Germany and had seen first hand the positive effects of Germans social reforms.
- - - - Threat of Labour Party
        
        The Liberal party had been the traditional party of the poor – this was under threat from Labour.
        
        Many Liberals could see that Labour posed a threat in the longer term. This turned out to be true as after the Labour Party won its first election the Liberals never won an election again.
        
        However, there were occasions when the Liberals worked with the Labour party. They would hardly have done this if they had considered them as immediate threat.
        
        "Indeed Labour's leaders worked closely with the 1906-14 Liberal Governments, and relied on their majority to agree measures to help Labour[...] -"History of the Labour Party" found in Labour.org.uk
        
        In support of the fact that Labours and Liberals worked together
      - Socialism
        
        A leading Liberal from 1908 onward was Winston Churchill who was rabidly anti-socialist.
        Churchill had used police and the army to break up strikes in the past.
        
        “Socialism is a philosophy of failure, the creed of ignorance, and the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery.” - Winston Churchill
        
        This shows that Winston was really against socialism.
        
        Socialism and trade unionism were growing in Britain in the early 1900’s
        
        There was concern that if nothing was done about poverty then a much more radical form of socialism (communism) could develop.
      - Threat of Conservative Party
        
        The conservative party were the more immediate threat to the Liberals
        
        They had produced some limited social reforms before 1906 and if the Liberals were voted out they would be the next government.
        
        This means they would be in the position to deliver social reform and therefore undermine the Liberals electoral chances if they did not act.
        
        The reforms, rather than being a vote winner, arguably damaged the chances of the Liberals winning the next election
        National Insurance was unpopular with poor workers as they were seen as an extra tax. By taxing the middle and upper classes they risked handing votes to the Conservatives who were their main rivals in the next election.
        
        Overall, selfish political motivations are not the main reason why the Liberals introduced political reform after 1906. (J)
        The main reason for this is that the Liberals actually drove both middle class and working class voters away by taxing them to pay for the reforms. (S)
        
        The main factor was genuine concern (J). This is because some of the reforms can have no other motivation than genuine concern e.g. old age pensions. People over the age of 70 in 1900 did not work or fight. (S)