‘Life improved for the poor ’ How far do you agree with this interpretation? Use your knowledge and the sources to explain your answer (16 marks + 3 for SPAG)

Brainstorm - ‘Life improved for the poor ’ According to my knowledge yes! The reforms – Pensions (1908), School meals (1909) prevented Rickets etc, Medical inspections (1907), NI 1911/12 – benefits War – employment – army, industry and agriculture According to my knowledge no! Pensions – life expectancy 50 (70), less for couple, not a lot 5s School Meals – up to local councils to implement Inspections – no free treatment until (1912)

‘Life improved for the poor ’ Source A

‘Life improved for the poor ’ Source B

‘Life improved for the poor ’ Source C

‘Life improved for the poor ’ Source D

‘Life improved for the poor ’ Source E

‘Life improved for the poor ’ Source F

Part 1 – Poverty in 1908 I strongly agree with this statement. When the Liberal Party came to power in the 1906 conditions for the poor people of Britain were appalling. 30% of the population lived below what Charles Booth termed ‘the poverty line’. They lacked the money to buy decent food, clothing or shelter. This is supported by Source A, an extract from a report of the Poor Law Commission requested by the new Liberal government in 1909 which states that conditions for the poor are a ‘disgrace ’. Despite this successive governments had adopted a ‘lassiez- faire’ attitude towards the problem providing little help beyond the hated Poor Law and its workhouses and blaming the poor for their own poverty. In reality it was unemployment, sickness, low wages and old age rather than drunkenness and stupidity that caused poverty.

Part 2 – Lib reforms Once in power the Liberals introduced sweeping reforms which improved the lives of the poor. These changes included the Pensions Act of 1908 which gave everyone over the age of 70 a pension of 5 shillings a week and the National Insurance Act Part 1(1911) and 2 (1912) which provided an insurance scheme for sick and unemployed workers. Source B captures the feeling of relief the pension gave the poor by depicting the pension as being presented by an angel and therefore ‘heaven sent’. I know that on receiving their pension for the first time pensioners would cry “god bless Lloyd George”, then Chancellor of the Exchequer. Similarly Source C, a Liberal poster from 1911, depicts the National Insurance Act as a lifeboat rescuing the poor from ‘sickness’, ‘unemployment’ and ‘destitution’.

Part 3 – Limits to reforms However despite these changes the life of all poor Britons did not improve significantly or even not at all. The pension was a tiny amount, and despite being better than nothing did not reach the majority of the population, the average life expectancy being only 50 in In addition to this the National Insurance Act was only available to employees and workers such as ‘small traders, bootmakers and window cleaners’ did not benefit as identified by a Conservative MP in 1911 (Source D). Also the act did not help the long-term unemployed who were neither sick nor seasonal workers. For example in the East Lancashire cotton industry in 1914 there were some 7000 unemployed or part-time workers (Source E).

Part 4 – Home Front The coming of the war in 1914 surprisingly improved the lives for many poor Britons and righted some of the wrongs not addressed by the Liberal Government before the war. The army provided much-needed employment to areas like East Lancashire, and it was attractive employment for unskilled workers with army pay totalling £1.05 a week at a time when a skilled man could earn only £1.25 (Source E). In addition to this the unskilled workman who stayed at home saw a significant increase in earnings which led to an improvement in food consumption, which was identified in an official government report in 1918 (Source F). In addition to this I know that rationing, which was introduced in 1917 on a voluntary basis yet made compulsory for sugar, meat, butter and jam in 1918 helped contribute towards the improved diet and health of many poor Britons, when compared with pre-war days.

Conclusion So overall I agree with the statement. On the whole despite the failings of some of the reforms and the millions of poor who were among the casualties of the War, both the Liberal reforms and the First World War improved the lives of the poor people of Britain. The reforms provided relief from some of the major causes of poverty such as old age and the war provided much needed employment and saw improved diet for poor families.