History. Britain 1890-1920

The five main reasons for liberal reforms are...

Rise of labour party- liberals didn't want to lose seats so aimed their campaign at the working class.

Fears over national security-the boer war showed the British government that one In three men were unfit for service so if they were invaded they wouldn't have much of an army

Developments in other countries-Germany had introduced welfare acts for workers and was now ahead of Britain in producing goods.

New liberals-DLG and Churchill both believed in helping those in poverty to make a better Britain.

Concerns over poverty- social reformers such as Booth and Rowntree both found 28-31% of people were in desolate poverty which is concerning for the government.

Poor law of eighteen thirty four means the poor had to turn to indoor or outdoor relief. Indoor relief was working in The workhouse for several hours a day where outdoor relief was food and goods delivered. Both of these options had huge social stigma attached. This meant those in poverty often declined the help they desperately needed and starved. Another form of help was charities like the salvation army which found jobs for the unemployed and Dr Barbados which took an 26 new children a week.