H. Pelling argue that the reforms were actually unwanted by the working class: “the extension of the power of the state at the beginning of this century, which is generally regarded as having laid the foundations of the Welfare State, was by no means welcomed by members of the working class, was indeed undertaken over the critical hostility of many of them, perhaps most of them”. Pat Thane gives further evidence for this theory. The fact that the more far-reaching of the Liberal reforms only begun in 1908, after Campbell-Bannerman’s resignation, also seems to count against any theory which ascribes sole responsibility for the reforms to Labour and the working class: nothing major changed in terms of Labour MPs or working class opinion in these two years; the major change was a “New Liberal” politician taking over from a Gladstonian liberal. The ideology of individual politicians was arguably more important, and this was influenced by Booth, Rowntree, and T.H. Green. It is also important to consider the timing of the reforms – had they been due entirely to working class enfranchisement and pressure, surely they would have occurred immediately after the 1867 Reform Act, rather than in the early twentieth…
The Liberals made many social reforms which were not necessarily directly helpful to the individual issues at hand but they did create grounds for the welfare estate to be built upon and highlighted the areas which needed attention for a better minimum quality of life. Areas focused on were free meals and health checks at schools, pensions and insurances. For example, the 1906 School Meals Act allowed children to have a free daily meal. This was effective in 1914 as by then, 14 million were receiving the free meals which duly led to a better economy however the negatives outweighed the positives as the issue with having the act voluntary until 1912 meant that over half of the authorities didn’t provide meals. Furthermore, proving eligibility was very difficult so there were many errors which occurred with the system. Rather similarly, Old Aged Pensioners couldn’t receive their money due to identity proofing issues. Household issues were ignored which was one of the Liberal’s negatives however, this is without taking into account that only so many areas could have been focused on. Although the Liberals never catered for the needs of all people, their reforms managed to always bring some improvement into areas of health, education and the future of citizens, no matter how poor in places they were. The Liberal Social Reforms did improve the lives of the British citizens to some extent, the main achievement being that the existence of the reforms themselves allowed to building of the welfare estate which is a factor that makes Britain as strong as it is today.…
Many people do not know all of the welfare services that are provide by the United States. The…
During 1906-12 when the Liberal Party were in power started the Liberal Reforms, which were several programmes with the intent to help British citizens living in poverty. There is a debate amongst historians whether or not the Liberal Reforms were effective and helped the people living in poverty. The quote from the historian Martin Pugh suggests that the reforms were not introduced to create a welfare state but only focusing on solving specific problems that poor people have faced. There are other interpretations that further support Pugh’s interpretations and there are interpretations that go against Pugh’s interpretation. There were acts of parliament that were trying to help the elderly and the main one was Old Age Pension in 1908 which…
Our book presentation was based on the book, $2 A Day. In the book, the authors argue that the 1996 welfare reform is incomplete with poor consequences. They argue that the new welfare reform not only cannot help the families in crisis, but also increase the number of individuals that live on only $2 a day. Throughout the book, the authors point out the flaws of the 1996 welfare reform and provide suggestions to modify it. The authors argue when we are trying to help the poor to live off poverty, we have to help them in a supportive way. Having to spend hours, days and weeks to apply and obtain cash assistance from the new welfare program when they are needed will greatly decrease their self-confidence in the society, which is very important…
Federally funded and governed us welfare began in the 1930s. Welfare isn’t bad to get. Some people get welfare and some don’t. Some people get them because they be broke and being on welfare. The use welfare stayed in the hands of federally government and the the type and amount of aid available to individual and dependent children varies from state to state. Once an appointment is completed a case worker will review all required documents, applications and information provided at the meeting and apply for welfare program one must contact the local human service department located in the phone book. Common documents asked for are proof of income, ID, and utility bills or other proof of residency. Once and appointment is completed a case worker will review all required documents application and…
After two unsuccessful electoral campaigns in the late 19th century and early 20th century, numerous splits in the party after William Gladstone's retirement, and the growing awareness of the issue of poverty within the UK, key figures within the Liberal party realised a change in the direction of Liberalism was required. They pushed for 'New Liberalism', a more modern form of Liberalism that stressed numerous key fundamental values, one of which was that intervention by the state was key in establishing a minimum quality of life for people within the country. Thus from their electoral triumph in 1906, and especially from 1908 onwards, the Liberal government passed a series of social and welfare reforms in an attempt to raise the quality of living standards within the UK. The Liberals based these reforms on three main groups within society, the elderly, the young, and the unemployed. This essay will explore several of the reforms the Liberal government introduced including the National Insurance act, the old age pensions act, a selection of educational acts, as well as acts regarding employment issues; assessing the aims of the acts and arguing how successful they actually proved to be in reducing the issue of poverty in the UK.…
Elizabeth Scott (2008) paints an especially revealing picture of the progressive reforms around the beginning of the 20th century. The goal for the progressive reformers at that time was to support the lives of children through various reforms. The juvenile court was only one of the reforms promoted by these progressive reformers. Others included compulsory school attendance laws, restrictions on child labor, and the creation of a child welfare system (Scott, 2008). However, the reformers had a problem. They needed to present to the public a portrait of children as young, innocent, vulnerable, and dependent. This was easier when it came to children working in factories under horrible and unsafe conditions. It was a much harder sell with, say,…
To what extent did the Liberal social reforms mark a significant break with 19th century attitudes to poverty?…
Throughout a person life they will face many troubles and adversities, but how these people handle and face these problems is what will define them as a person. Many people in the United States struggle on a daily basis to get the necessities to live or get what is needed to provide for their families. When hard times like this roll around they need a little more help in the form of government assistance. Government assistance plays a major role in our society today, but these very programs are being ruined for those people who truly need it by lazy drug addicted Americans who use the system for their own pleasure. In order to stop the abuse of the welfare system the requirements for applying for welfare need to be restricted. With routine…
In the early years of the twentieth century with World War I over the American people began to concentrate on reforming America in many ways. Citizens were concerned over issues such as the role of women in society, racial equality, the rights of laborers, and the impact immigration, as these problems arose people looked to make changes and Progressivism began. The progressive era changed our nation for the better, almost ever reform made a great difference in what our nation is now.…
Many people believe our welfare system is poor, unregulated, and unstable. Most individuals who are on welfare abuse the privileges they receive; moreover, a vast amount of the individuals do not even need the financial support. Our welfare system should be changed in order to support those who really need aid. It is terrible to see individuals who truly need help not be able to receive it because of other people who take advantage of something they do not need.…
The welfare reform proposal was an emotional battle as it suggested cutting funding to welfare programs. There was an ideological split between the Democrats and the Republicans. The Democrats argued that that government assistance programs can alleviate poverty. The Republicans believed that the current welfare system created dependency, illegitimacy, and more poverty. The main aspects of change in the welfare reform bill were: turning over welfare funds to the states, imposing a five year time limit on benefits, and requiring recipients to go to work within two year or sooner.…
The aim of this paper is to review the greatest reform of the social welfare implemented at the end of the 20th century. The paper contains an overview of the key factors that lead to the reform development and contributed to its execution. It also describes the main stages of the implementation of the reform. I will touch on the political, structural and the symbolic frames of change implementation. The paper covers the style of leadership and approaches to the management of the Department of Health and Human Services and her role in the reform implementation.…
Chappell, Marisa. The War on Welfare: Family, Poverty, and Politics in Modern America. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 2010. Print.…