The Key Function of Government

The Key Function of Government Today, it is widely accepted that a key function of Government should

be to provide for and ensure the welfare of its people. In the early

20th century, that view was not held by the vast majority of people.

The prevailing ideology of Laissez-Faire (“leave alone”) said that the

state should stay out of the lives of the people. Any state

intervention in the economic or social world would be a hindrance to

individual freedom and a step towards tyranny. Poverty and

unemployment were the results of the moral inadequacies of

individuals. It is in this environment that the Liberal Government of

1906 would be elected, with a massive majority of 400. Their manifesto

promised to protect “free trade”, as opposed to the Conservative

policy of tariffs. Social reforms, even if planned, were not

mentioned. Nevertheless, between 1906 and 1914, the Liberals made a

series of welfare reforms including the first state pension, national

health insurance system and unemployment legislation.

The 1906 election was notable for another reason. The emerging Labour

party, promising to improve the lives of working people, gained 24

seats in parliament. Although the MP’s were aligned with the Liberals

on most issues, their mere presence was still significant. For the

first time, there was an organised working class alternative to the

Liberals. This essay will discuss to what extent the Liberal reforms

were motivated by this “threat” from the Labour Party: Or whet...

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...to marginalize rather than accommodate

them.

Motivated by a kind of ‘Imperial angst’ that had sprung up at the end

of the 19th century, the Liberals decided to strive for a new

‘national efficiency. The re-unification of Germany, and it’s sudden

growth into a superpower under Bismarck, coupled with the ever

increasing might of the U.S.A, led many to believe that Britain’s

position as the main Imperial power would be under threat. These fears

were only worsened when the ‘great British army’ had struggled to

victory over a group of disgruntled South African farmers in the Boer

War. It was believed that social and welfare reforms would be a

panacea to these problems, creating a more cohesive society and a

population of skilled and healthy workers who could work productively

and be good soldiers if and when required.