Britain 1906 - 1918 (Liberal Reforms)

Britain 1906 - 1918

1906 - 1918 saw some of the biggest changes to British society. A welfare state was established to try and eradicate all poverty, women fought for greater equality and the right to vote and WW1 had a devastating impact on social values and the class structure.

Why were the Liberal Reforms introduced?

There were two schools of thought regarding poverty:

1) The Self Help school of thought which opposed government 'handouts' because it encourages people to be lazy and not stand on their own two feet.

2) The Welfare reformers who argued that poverty was a result of forces beyond the control of ordinary people. This group of people won the argument.

The liberal reforms were introduced for the following reasons:

Research

There were a number of investigations into the causes of poverty. The most famous was conducted by Seebohm Rowntress titled 'Poverty: a study of town life'. His findings were shocking. For example, he estimated that 27% of the population of York lived below the poverty line and, in nearly all cases, it was not their own fault - illness, large families, the death of the bread winner and trade cycles were…