Why did British politicians see the need for welfare reforms in the early 1900s?

Source 6

An envelope from 1909 with notes by Winston Churchill on a possible programme of government action for 1909-1911

Reference

➜ CHAR 2/39/130

Simplified Transcript

N/A

Original Transcript

1909
Budget – early: land, liquor, schools
Unemployment: Bureaux, Insurance
Afforestation & Roads
Welsh Church kept in Commons
Irish Land Bill to Lords
?London government
No autumn session

If Budget passed-1910
[General Insurance]
Education
Railway Bill

Reform Bill to reach Lords December
1911. Meet in January
Lords Bill
Presentation of rejected Bill
Dissolution Pment [?]
1909
Budget – early: land, liquor, schools
Unemployment: Bureaux, Insurance
Afforestation & Roads
Welsh Church kept in Commons
Irish Land Bill to Lords
?London government
No autumn session

If Budget passed-1910
[General Insurance]
Education
Railway Bill

Reform Bill to reach Lords December
1911. Meet in January
Lords Bill
Presentation of rejected Bill
Dissolution Pment [?]

What is this source?

This is an envelope found in Churchill’s papers from 1909. On it he’s written down a possible programme for government measure in the next year or so.

Background to this source

By 1909 Churchill was a leading figure in the Liberal Party and was a government minister in charge of the Board of Trade. He and the Chancellor David Lloyd George were very much in favour of a plan to introduce free Old Age Pensions.

However, it’s interesting to note that neither the Conservatives nor the Liberals campaigned on the issue of social reform in the 1906 election which brought the Liberals to power. This list reminds us that governments have many responsibilities. When historians are looking at one particular area it can sometimes be easy to overlook this.

How can we use this source in the investigation?

Remember, we’re hoping that this source can be useful to us in investigating why British politicians began to see the need for welfare reforms in this period. Sources usually help historians in two ways:

Surface level

1. What has Churchill set out in his list of measures?
2. Is it possible to tell whether any of these are priorities?

Deeper level

Which of the inferences below can be made from this source?

	On a scale of 1-5 how far do you agree that this source supports this inference?	Which extract(s) from the source support your argument?
This isn’t an official document so it isn’t a useful source.
This source is a valuable insight into Churchill’s thinking.
We’re able to tell what the priorities of the Liberal government were from this document.

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Need help interpreting the source?

• At the time this letter was written the Liberal government had brought in a number of welfare reforms. School Meals (1906) and Old Age Pensions (1908) were the most high profile. Churchill was eager to extend the welfare provision offered by the government including unemployment bureaux (offices which would help jobless workers find work) and National Insurance (which would provide benefits for workers temporarily out of work)
• However, there were many other pressing issues. Britain was concerned about the rise of Germany as a rival, especially after the Germans began building a fleet. There was also discontent at home, with trade unions calling for better conditions and campaigns for female suffrage (votes for women). Perhaps the greatest concern of all was the rising discontent in Ireland and the possibility of a civil war breaking out there between Nationalists, who wanted independence from Britain, and Unionists, who didn’t.
• In addition to the issues mentioned above, the list shows many areas which were less threatening but still important. Some are fairly clear, such as roads and forests or the Railway bill. Others were more technical, such as the proposals to change the Church in Wales which Churchill wanted to go through the House of Commons even though the changes weren’t eventually made until 1914.

➜ Source 7

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