How important was new Liberal ideology in leading to the welfare reforms of 1905-11?

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How important was new Liberal ideology in leading to the welfare reforms of 1905-11?

In answering this essay it is probably best to understand what is meant by ideology. Ideology is defined as a set of beliefs and aims by a group or groups of individuals who share the same common views. The word ‘liberal’ means being ‘free.’ The Liberal party is seen as a party that has an open mind over issues and follows what the majority of people want.

In this essay I will explain the key issues that might have led to the Liberal party implementing these welfare reforms in Britain between 1905-11.

‘New’ something ‘-ism’ is often just a name given by a party to show that their ideologies have evolved from previous, outdated times. ‘New’ Liberal ideology is looked at in the context of older Liberal beliefs. This idea of renaming the ideology of a party was seen as an attempt by a party to gain support by claiming to bring in new, unique policies (Simon Potter). However, these thoughts cannot be used when referring to ‘New Liberalism.’ Under the leadership of politicians such as Asquith, Churchill and Lloyd-George the Liberal party seemed to break away from its past. In fact, in 1906 after two decades of political failure, the Liberal party came to power. It introduced the biggest number of social reforms of its time in Britain. It is the reasons behind these reforms that I will be looking at.

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               The main difference between ‘Old’ Liberal thinking and ‘New Liberalism’ was that more emphasis was put on collectivism rather than individualism, which had previously been preached. People began to change their minds from earlier thinking and began to believe that it was the government’s duty to improve life for the community. These ideas as well as those of positive liberty only seemed to appeal to a small minority of Liberal ministers. However, it did appeal to influential Liberals that were in power. This included the future Prime Minister Herbert Asquith.

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