The document discusses the impact of the Liberal Reforms introduced in Britain between 1906-1914. It examines the reforms' impact on young people, the elderly, the sick, and the unemployed. While the reforms provided some benefits, such as free school meals, pensions, sick pay, and unemployment insurance, they also had limitations and mixed success in solving social problems. The reforms were not always effectively implemented across Britain and did not fully address poverty for many groups.

1. Making of Modern Britain
Liberal
Reforms:
overall impact

2. In today’s class, I am learning to:
• Explain why the Liberal Reforms were
effective in tackling social problems
• Explain why the Liberal Reforms were
not always effective in tackling social
problems
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

3. The Liberals introduced various social reforms to help
young people, the elderly, sick and unemployed
people. Their overall impact is the subject of debate.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

4. Young
people
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

5. Free school meals helped
improve children’s health
by giving them at least one
nutritious meal per day.
However not all councils
chose to introduce this
policy. In addition, children
continued to go hungry at
weekends and during
school holidays.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

6. Medical inspections meant
that children whose family
could not afford to do to
see a doctor could get their
illnesses diagnosed.
However free treatment
was not initially part of the
inspection, and many
children were too poor to
pay for treatment.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

7. More secondary school
places for poor children
meant they could get a
better education, helping
them escape from poverty.
However many families
needed their children (14+)
to work and so many
children never had the
chance to stay at school.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

8. The Children’s Charter
took children out of the
adult prison system, where
children were often
exposed to violence.
However, conditions in
borstals could also be very
unsafe, including extreme
violence, meaning no real
improvements.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

9. The
elderly
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

10. Pensions made a huge
difference to the lives of
older people.
They allowed many people
to be able to retire without
living in abject poverty.
In addition they no longer
had to worry about going
to the poor house.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

11. However pensions also had
certain limitations.
Poverty studies at the time
suggested that you needed
at least seven shillings per
week to avoid poverty.
However pensions were
set below this level (five
shillings).
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

12. In the early 1900s, the
average life expectancy for
men was 49 and 50 for
women. However you had
to be 70 to get a pension.
In addition some people
were not allowed to get a
pension, for instance, if
they had been in prison in
the previous ten years.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

13. The
sick
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

14. The sick pay scheme
brought many benefits.
Workers knew that if they
became sick they would
still have money, saving
them from abject poverty
or homelessness.
They were also given free
access to a doctor too.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

15. However there were also
problems with sick pay.
Workers received ten
shillings per week for the
first 13 weeks and then
five shillings per week for
another 13 weeks.
However after this they
received no income.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

16. Many workers also
complained that being
forced to pay money each
week (even if they were
not sick) left them poorer
than beforehand.
Also, only the worker was
eligible for medical care.
No treatment was available
for their family.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

17. Worker compensation to
injured workers meant that
they did not immediately
face poverty due to being
unable to work.
In addition this possible
cost forced employers to
improve working
conditions so that it was
safer for their staff.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

18. However employers often
avoided paying this
compensation.
It often required workers
to go to court to prove that
the injury had been their
employer’s fault, and many
people could not afford to
do this, at least without
trade union help.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

19. The
unemployed
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

20. Introducing Labour
Exchanges meant that
workers no longer had to
walk aimlessly in the hope
of finding work, helping
more people get a job.
By 1914, around 3000
people per day found work
at the Exchanges.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

21. However some people
criticised the Exchanges.
Trade unions said it would
lead to lower wages if
employers could find
workers all across Britain.
Also, not all employers
used the scheme to find
workers.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

22. Unemployment insurance
meant that people who
lost their jobs did not face
immediate poverty or even
homelessness.
By 1914, around two
million workers in Britain
were benefitting from
being covered as part of
the scheme.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

23. However there were many
problems with
unemployment insurance.
Many people objected to
having to pay money each
week, even if they did not
use the scheme.
There were riots in various
places, including Aberdeen.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms

24. The temporary nature of
the scheme meant that
people in areas of long
term unemployment soon
fell into poverty.
Most of the jobs covered
were only for skilled men,
so women generally did
not benefit from the
insurance scheme.
Impact of the Liberal Reforms