Higher History:Essay Skills

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Higher HistoryEssay Skills
What are the key words in this question?
Essay Question Simply a Response to the growth
of the Labour Movement How Adequate is this
explanation of the social reforms of the Liberal
Government between 1906 and 1914?
What does the question really mean?
Did the Liberals introduce their social reforms
only because they were worried that if they did
not, people would vote for the Labour party?
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How to answer your essay.
Firstly
Discuss all the factors that led the Liberal
Government to introduce its social reforms
Secondly
Decide how important the response to the growth
of the Labour Movement was compared to the other
reasons you have described.
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The Social Surveys
The German model
Liberal social reforms
The New Liberals
National Efficiency
Try to deal with these factors in a logical
order.This does not have to be the same as the
order in this presentation. Try to make a link
between each factor
The Rise of The Labour Party
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Introduction
A good introduction to an essay should have 3
elements

• Briefly describe the subject/topic of the
  question and establish the dates
• Identify the key factors you will be writing
  about.
• Briefly outline your line of argument in the last
  sentence of the introduction.

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1. Suggested Introduction (check to see if this
has the 3 elements listed in the previous slide)
Paragraph 1
Between 1906 and 1914, the Liberal Government
introduced a series of social reforms. The
reforms were the result of a combination of
complex factors. The Liberal Government were
worried by the growth in the popularity of the
Labour Party. They were also responding to fears
of Britains decline in national efficiency
shown up in the Boer War. The social surveys of
Booth and Rowntree also convinced the government
that social reforms to help the poor were
urgently needed. New Liberals like Lloyd George
and Churchill also played a part in convincing
the government of the need for social reform.
Although some historians have suggested that the
Liberal reforms were introduced in response to
the growth of the Labour movement, the fear of
Britains decline and the influence of the New
Liberals were equally important.
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MAIN BODY OF THE ESSAY
Paragraph 2 Briefly set the scene before
starting the next paragraph
When the Liberal Government came to power in
1906,they did not have a detailed programme of
social reforms already drawn up. Once in power,
it quickly became clear to the government that
social reforms were urgently needed to help
children,the sick,the elderly and the unemployed.
What factors influenced this change of attitude?
One important factor was the rise of the Labour
Party
Link the last sentence of this paragraph to the
first sentence of your next paragraph
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The Rise of the Labour Party

• The growth of the Labour Party played an
  important role in convincing the Liberal
  Government to introduce their social reforms
• The Labour Movement which had developed at the
  end of the 19th Century under the leadership of
  Keir Hardie, represented Britains working
  classes and was dedicated to improving their
  living and working conditions.
• The Labour Party had increased their number of
  MPs from 5 in 1902 to 29 in 1905. The Liberals
  were worried that failure to improve the social
  conditions of the working classes would lead them
  to desert the Liberals and vote for the Labour
  Party.

Keir Hardie
Link to the next paragraph
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The New Liberals
Dont be afraid to take a big step
http//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1
8/170px-David_Lloyd_George.jpg
http//logo.cafepress.com/0/489562.151740.gif

• The New Liberal politicians like David Lloyd
  George and Winston Churchill wanted the Liberal
  Party to introduce social reforms to help the
  poor, the unemployed, the elderly and the sick.
• They had genuine sympathy for the poor but were
  also worried by the rise in support for the
  Labour Party which they believed would affect the
  Liberals.
• The New Liberals convinced the Liberal leaders to
  do more to help the poorest in Britain

REMEMBER to link to the next paragraph
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The Social Surveys of Booth and Rowntree
The massive surveys into British poverty by Booth
and Rowntree provided the incoming Liberal
Government with detailed evidence which had not
been available to previous governments.

• Charles Booths Survey of Life and Labour in
  London completed in 1903, showed the huge level
  of poverty in Londonnearly one third of the
  population

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Seebohm Rowntrees Survey of Poverty in York

• Seebohm Rowntrees study of working class
  families in York Poverty A study of Town Life
  was published in 1901.It confirmed Charles
  Booths findings that one third of Britains
  population was living in poverty
• Booth and Rowntrees surveys revealed the scale
  of Britains poverty for the first time and its
  causes low wages, unemployment and retirement in
  old age.
• When the Liberal Government came to power in
  1906, Booths and Rowntrees surveys gave them a
  clear picture of the scale and the causes of
  poverty across Britain and made it impossible for
  them to ignore the problem.

http//www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/RErowntreeS.h
tm
REMEMBER to link to the next paragraph
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National Efficiency

• The Boer war which broke out in 1899 between
  Britain and South Africa brought to a head many
  of the fears that the Government had about the
  decline in Britains National Efficiency
• It was believed that the mental and physical
  health of the working classes was very poor and
  that Britain was falling behind its main
  competitors like Germany and the USA.
• The Government realised that it would have to do
  more to improve the lives of Britains poorest
  workers.

British officers pose for a photo in South
Africa. Up to 60 of ordinary soldiers enlisting
in the army in 1900 were rejected on medical
grounds!
Link to the next paragraph
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The German model of Social Welfare
http//www.preussen.de/Bilder/Geschichte/wilhelm_I
./bismarck.jpg

• The great German Chancellor, Bismarck, had
  introduced a social welfare system in Germany at
  the end of the 19th century. Bismarck wanted to
  gain the support of the German working classes
  and prevent them from turning to socialism and
  communism.Germanys social welfare system was the
  first in Europe.
• New Liberal politicians including Lloyd George
  visited Germany and were impressed by what they
  saw.
• The German model helped to influence the Liberals
  to introduce reforms in Britain

Remember to link to the next paragraph
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Conclusion
A good conclusion should have 4 key elements

• Summarise your conclusions on each of the factors
  you have discussed
• Present a clear line of argument using the words
  of the question
• Make sure that you have answered the question you
  were asked.
• Try to use a good quotation in your summing up.