1. Why did attitudes change towards the poor?
LO- Answer National 5 level question
SC- Note taking
Answering questions
Group Discussion

2. Changing Attitudes The liberals were elected in 1906
By 1900 “laissez faire” was not working and public attitudes to poverty and other social issues were changing
The liberals were elected in 1906
they took a much larger role in helping those sections of society who could not help themselves

3. Reasons for Liberal Reforms
National Security
Boer War
Influence of Germany
National Efficiency
Fears of the new Labour party
Report by Rowntree and Booth
Fear of Communism
Municipal Socialism

4. National Security Boer War
Boer War (South Africa)
Britain had a small but well trained army up against farmers
A 3 year war required recruits - Britain couldn’t find healthy and able bodied men
40% of recruits were rejected for health problems including rickets, poor eye sight, under height/ weight, flat footed
All problems due to poor health

5. National Security Influence of Germany
Germany had introduced sickness insurance for workers so Lloyd George/ Churchill felt inspired to introduce similar reforms in Britain
Germany had recently overtaken Britain as the world’s biggest power. Germany did have a range of welfare benefits such as pensions, unemployment benefits etc.

6. National Efficiency
Many feared that Britain was in decline as a world power
If Britain was to remain a world power, it needed a strong, healthy and well-educated workforce

7. Fear of communism
Karl Marx’s ideas of communism were attractive to the poor and the government were very worried that unless they did something, that there would be a communist revolution in Britain.

8. Municipal Socialism
This is the idea that councils were already charging residents local taxes to pay for essential services – water and gas supply, parks, bin collections, buses and schools. You paid these taxes whether you used the services or not. Why not get the government to do the same – collect tax money and use it for everyone’s benefit.

9. Rowntree and Booth Report by Booth and Rowntree
– these shocked the government and everybody in the UK. The government vowed to act and ‘Laissez-Faire’ and Samuel Smiles idea of self-help were dead.
Agree that the main causes of poverty are:
illness
unemployment
age
the young and old were at risk of poverty

10. Liberals vs Labour
New Liberals
Ideas emerged in 1900 suggesting that the Government should intervene with the poor
This group included Lloyd George and Churchill
Labour Party
Formed at the turn of the century
Feared it might lose working class support to this new party if they did not try to help the poor

11. Fear of new Labour party
The Liberals had been out of power for 10 years. With more and more working men now getting the vote (80% by 1900), the Liberals felt if they didn’t give the poor welfare reforms, then the poor would vote instead for the new Labour Party.

12. The result – people clearly wanted to give the Liberals a chance
Jan 1906
Liberal
49.0% 400 MPs
Conservative
43.6% 157 MPs
Labour
5.9% 30 MPs
Irish Nationalist
0.6% 83 MPs
Liberal majority 130 ( = 270)