The Introduction of Social Reforms by the Liberal Government in 1906-1914

The Introduction of Social Reforms by the Liberal Government in 1906-1914

There are multiple reasons why the Liberal government introduced acts

of social reform between 1906 and 1914. The obvious reason is that

there was a great need for reform(change) but there are also many

other factors that played a part in the decision for a reform. This

change was really required to help and improve Britain. The reason for

this need for change was the poor conditions that all parts of Britain

had been left in after the conservatives had been in power.

It is often said that the Liberals had to introduce in social reforms

due to pressure from the Labour party. This new party was formed in

1903 and had very little major union connections even though there

policies were committed to reform Britain. This idea is very realistic

as three reforms were influenced by the Labour party. Both parties

main aim was to eliminate the poor and introduced benefits for the

unemployed, elderly and ill. By introducing just some social reform

the Liberals believed it would stave off threats from the Labour party

and hopefully lessen the demand for more.

There were two key event that brought the Liberals into reality and

made them realize what poor health Britain’s population was facing and

the actual need for reform. The first reason was that of the Boer War.

There was many difficulties experienced in trying to defeat the Boer’s

(south Africa). The reason the war was so poorly fought was because

recruitment for the war, especially in cities such as London showed

that many potential troops had to be turned away as they were

physically too unfit to s...

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safety net to prevent them from becoming too poor or unhealthy to

survive. The Liberals therefore had to introduce new reforms to help

support their people.

In 1906 there were many young and ambitious politicians who became

part of the Liberal government. Two of the most important were David

Lloyd George and Winston Churchill. Both of these men felt that the

state of Britain’s poor was a national disgrace. Lloyd George had big

ideas about the reform after he visited Germany in 1908 and saw their

welfare system

In 1906 the Liberals decided that they needed to take action on the

poverty of British people. The main reason being that the Liberals

were faced with so much evidence of such terrible poverty, hardship

and ill health and something had to be changed to bring Britain back

to its strong Empire again.