Do you agree with the view that the Second Boer War advanced the cause of social reform in Britain?

Source 5 also comments on the physical conditions of working class men. This source is findings from the Select Committee on Physical Deterioration and was set up purely to discuss the poor conditions of recruits. This committee could suggest that the government was very aware of the situation and was inclined to act to try and change it. The government in 1904, when the source was published, was conservative and the prime minister was Arthur Balfour. The fact that the conservative government did not react to the committee’s reports could suggest that the Liberal’s had a ‘one-up’ from them as they were prepared to change the state of the working class men. In the source, it says that recruiters were not to send men for physical examination unless they would be able to be “passed fit” which shows that a high proportion of recruits would have been overlooked in statistics. The fact that the men are unfit shows the how poor the conditions are that they live with, and the committee realises this. They know it is a problem as it “causes anxiety for the future as regards recruiting”. Solving the problem would mean a drastic change in how the poor were helped and so in this source, the physical condition of men outlined that reforms should be made.  

Source 4 is from Rex Pope’s book published in 1991. It confronts the idea that the war advanced the cause of social reform but the rejection rate of men did cause concern for the “condition of the mass of the population”. The pope suggests that the war was a political diversion from the two major concerns of the 1890’s; old age pensions and working class housing. So this suggests that the war did not cause the reforms but merely put more pressure on the government to address the existing problem that they previously had tried to avoid. The pope also suggests that the massive debts that Britain had after the war hindered the immediate action to instate the reforms. Like source 6, this source could also suggest that there was no sincere wish from the British government to change the conditions of the working class for their benefit, but only for the benefit of protection the empire.

I agree with the statement that the Boer war advanced the cause of social reforms in Britain because the government was reliant on the quality of its troops to protect the British Empire. The reforms would have improved the quality of life for the working class and consequently improved their physical fitness meaning they would be more effective in fighting wars. However, it could be argued that the reforms were just a political stunt for the Liberals to take government. Also, it could be seen that the war was just the moment where it came to public concern that the troops were inadequate and the government needed to make changes. All in all, the Boer war did contribute to the social reforms, whether it being out of genuine concern for the living standards of the working class, wanting to build the men up for the good of the empire, or because the government was almost forced to make changes.