Liberal Reforms for the elderly

Today we understand the Liberal reforms for the elderly

Success criteria

• Successfully complete a Source Comparison question

• Describe the Liberal reforms for the elderly

• Explain why some people felt that these reforms did not go far enough (Nat 5)

Children born, expenses up and mother quits work

First married, couple both working

First children go to work, bringing in income and mother can again work

These children leave home to begin own families; old age spent in poverty

The poverty trap

Poverty line

Old age pensions

David Lloyd George, Chancellor of the Exchequer (1908-1914) and New Liberal was the driving force behind this reform

The Pensions Act (1908)• Weekly pensions were

provided by the Government for the elderly by the above act

• A shilling (5p) per week to single people over 70, (5s) 25p to married couples

• Full amounts were paid to those who earned less than £21 per year

• A sliding-scale of payments for those earning between £31 and £21 per year

1908- single person over 70 got a pension of 5 shillings a week, a married couple got 7 shillings a week and 6 pence

Pensions helped, but were not the answer to poverty in old age.

Only paid to those earning less than £21 a year-who had not “avoided work”-who had not been jailed for inebriation

Downfalls- payment was too little to make a difference and many people did not live to 70

The Liberal social reforms were in no sense good enough to meet the needs of the people. They provided a small pension for some elderly people over 70…Those not included still needed a safety net, which meant that it was necessary to keep the poor law and the workhouse.

SOURCE A is adapted from the historian Stephen Merron, written in 1969.

SOURCE A

The historian Maurice Kirby wrote SOURCE B in 1983. 

SOURCE B

The reforms of the Liberal government 1906-1914 were impressive, the greatest ever passed by one government up to that time. They developed a new plan of action to meet the most urgent social needs of the working classes and did so by breaking away from the workhouse system.

Task 1 Compare the views of sources A and B about the Liberal reforms (4)

The Liberal social reforms were in no sense good enough to meet the needs of the people. They provided a small pension for some elderly people over 70…Those not included still needed a safety net, which meant that it was necessary to keep the poor law and the workhouse.

SOURCE A is adapted from the historian Stephen Merron, written in 1969.

SOURCE A

The historian Maurice Kirby wrote SOURCE B in 1983. 

SOURCE B

The reforms of the Liberal government 1906-1914 were impressive, the greatest ever passed by one government up to that time. They developed a new plan of action to meet the most urgent social needs of the working classes and did so by breaking away from the workhouse system.

Task 1 Compare the views of sources A and B about the Liberal reforms (4)

The sources disagree about how effective the Liberal reforms were.

Source A states that ‘The Liberal social reforms were in no sense good enough’ but source B claims ‘The reforms of the Liberal government 1906-1914 were impressive’

They also disagree about whether or not the reforms got rid of the workhouse and Poor law.

Source A says ‘it was necessary to keep the poor law and the workhouse’, however, Source B says the reforms ‘ broke away from the workhouse system’

Old Age Pensions were introduced on January 1, 1909 and were very popular. To raise the money wealthy people would have to pay more tax. Single people over 70 could receive 5 shillings (25 pence) per week and a married couple got 7 shillings and 6 pence (38 pence).

Task 2

Explain why the introduction of Old Age Pensions was very popular in Britain

(Use the source and B and recall)

Liberal Old Age Pensions Were Successful

•Very popular among the elderly as 970,000 had claimed by 1914•Made life slightly better•Was the only thing keeping many elderly people from sliding under the poverty line•Paved the ground for further pension reforms in the future

Liberal Old Age Pensions Were Not Successful

•Only for British citizens who had lived there for over 20 years•Not for anyone who had been in prison in the 10 years before claiming•Rowntree noted that 7 shillings a week was the basic minimum to survive so the pension was not enough •Many elderly people did not live to 70

Nat 5 taskOverall, how happy were people with the Liberals’ pension reforms?