Why did the Liberals intoduce welfare reforms between 1906-1912?

There were multiple reasons why the Liberals introduced reforms, scuh as the old age pensions of 1908 or the National Insurance Acts of 1911 and 1912.

The Boer War
Between 1899 and 1902, the Boer war occured. Half of the recruits who volunteered were found to be unfit for service owing to ill health and the army had to lower the minimum height. This was because many men were undernourished, so their growth had been stunted. This was extremely alarming and showed the government that something had to be done to improve the country's health.

Key Individuals in the Liberal Government
Key individuals supported the welfare reforms. For instance. Lloyd George. Lloyd George became Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1908. His father died when he was one and his mother and him had to live with her brother. Lloyd George hated the way the English upper class dominated Welsh life and sympathised with ordinary people. Another key figure that played a role in creating the welfare reforms was Winston Churchill. In 1906, he switched from the conservative party to the liberal in support of the reforms, though his ennemies said it was because he didn't want to be in opposition. Both Lloyd George and Churchill were appalled by the contrast between Britain's vast wealth and it squalid lums.

Lloyd George and Winston Churchill, 1915

Political Rivalry
In 1905, the conservatives had introduced the Unemployed Workmen Act, this made the Liberals feel that they had to compete.

The rise of Socialism
Liberals believed that these reforms would make the working class healthier and happier, making them less likey to vote for the British Labour Paryt (founded in 1900), which was calling for pensions, better education and unemployment benefit. Moreover, there were revolutionary movements happening in France, Germany and Russia; the Liberals felt that they would gain less support if these welfare reforms were implemented.

Industrial Decline
By 1900, both the USA and Germany had overtaken Britain as an industrial power. It appeared that Germany's rapid development was closely linked to its healthier, better-educated, and therefore more efficient workforce. Lloyd George was very impressed by Bismarck's welfare system. Moreover, politicians were beginning to realise that some unemployment was not because of laziness, but because of competition from the USA and Germany. The government therefore had a responsibility to help the unemployed.

The Social Reformers
Leading Liberals were influenced by the works of researchers and social reformers. One of them was Seebohm Rowntree. In 1901, Rowntree published Poverty: A study of Town Life. The book was based on 2 years of research in York, his hometown. It contained a huge amount of statistical and other kinds of evidence on wages, hours of work, diet, health and housing. It also demonstrated that approximately a quarter of the population was living below the poverty line and that people suffered from the ups and downs of Britain's trade cycle.

Before the 19th century, there was a self-help policy. This meant that people were expected to look after their own welfare by working hard and saving money. It was thought that anyone could climb out of poverty by working hard enough, and that it was your own fault for being poor. The texts of social reformers, such as Rowntree, demonstrated that this was untrue.