Liberal reforms

• Reasons for the Liberal Reforms

  • Surveys of Booth and Rowntree
  • Municipal Socialism
  • Fears over national security
  • New Liberalism
  • Rise of Labour
• To what extent were fears over national security the main reasons for the Liberal Reforms, 1906-1914?
• For most of the 19th century, there had been limited Government action to help solve the problem of poverty, thanks to 'Laissez Faire' attitudes to government. Most poor relief depended on local initiative and varied widely.
• The reforms enacted by the Liberal Government were far reaching and prompted by a variety of factors: perhaps the most important was fears over national security and Britain's place in the world.
• Secondly, the surveys of Booth and Rowntree were vital in providing the evidence for the need for reform.
• Lastly, changing political ideas in the shape of New Liberalism and the threat to the Liberals posed by the rise of the Labour party were also significant in causing the Liberal reforms.
• Surveys of Booth and Rowntree

  Demonstrated that the main causes of poverty were irregular employment, low pay, unemployment, sickness and old age
• Booth's seventeen volume survey of London revealed that almost one third of the capital's population lived in poverty.
• Rowntree's survey of York, which although relatively prosperous, revealed similar levels of poverty in a main regional town.
• The evidence of poverty from Booth and Rowntree was highly significant in leading to the Liberal Reforms but not as important as fears over national security.
• Before 1914, the Liberal government was consumed by the threat posed by the imperial ambitions of Germany, which meant the Liberals felt it was necessary to take action to ensure that the fighting population was sufficiently fit to deal with such an existential threat and enact their reforms as swiftly as possible.
• Municipal Socialism

  Local council-led action on social reforms seemed to show what could be done if solutions were centrally planned and funded
• Chamberlain's reforms inspired Beatrice Webb, one of the leaders of the Fabians, who wanted more government action to solve social problems
• Municipal socialism was significant in causing the Liberal Reforms but not as important as fears over national security.
• The examples of Birmingham and elsewhere showed that provincialism could work, and that national government action was not necessary. The incentive for a national system from welfare reforms came from fears over national security as only national action would provide a proportionate response to the policy issues facing the Liberal Government.
• Fears over National Security

  The government was worried when almost 25% of the volunteers to fight in the Boer War were rejected because they were physically unfit to serve in the armed forces
• The Boer War broke out in 1899 in South Africa. It took the British Army nearly three years to defeat an irregular army of Boer farmers.
• Fears over national security were more important than the surveys of Booth and Rowntree in causing the Liberal Reforms.
• Fiascos like the Boer War had not only demonstrated a worrying lack of military competency but also shown the world that the mighty British Empire was vulnerable. Britain's competitors also took note of the publicly published findings of Royal Commissions of inquiry that confirmed the poor physical condition of Britain's working poor. Therefore, national security gave the Liberals the incentive to overcome political opposition to implement the Liberal Reforms.
• New Liberalism


  Liberal politicians such as Lloyd George wanted to introduce similar social security reforms to those introduced in Germany, partly to show that Britain was keeping up
• New Liberalism was less important than either fears over national security or the surveys of Booth and Rowntree in causing the Liberal Reforms.
• New Liberalism as an idea only gained prominence after 1908, after the date at which the impetus and need for reform had been set from 1899 onwards. Therefore, fears over national security and the surveys of Booth and Rowntree established both the need and evidence for reform, New Liberalism was just how Lloyd George and Winston Churchill overcame internal Liberal party opposition to pass their reforms.
• Rise of Labour


  The newly formed Labour Party was directly representing the interests of the working classes; the largest social group in Britain
• The rise of Labour was less important than fears over national security, or any of the other factors in causing the Liberal Reforms.
• The rise of Labour represented only a mild political threat before 1914 - without the Liberal-Labour electoral pact of 1906, Labour would not have gained as many MPs as it did. Therefore, if Labour did not seriously threaten the Liberals then it does not stand as a major argument for the Welfare Reforms.
• Fears over national security were the most important reason for the Liberal Reforms because it was self-interest that sparked government policy action.
• Municipal Socialism provided evidence that social reforms could alleviate poverty but were less important in causing the Liberal Reforms than fears over national security because they showed that provincialism was working, and perhaps national reforms were not necessary.
• New Liberalism and the rise of Labour do help explain the political motivations of the Liberals but are less important than fears over national security in causing the Liberal Reforms because these developments happened after fears over national security had already promoted extensive Royal Commission inquiries that had made recommendations on Government action.