Progressives believed that wealth was too present in certain people’s hands; however, they disagreed over how to regulate big business. Some progressives even advocated socialism. A main issue that progressives also focused on was social welfare problems. Health and safety codes were created to protect workers and the public. Child labor laws were passed as well.
Some even argue that the Reforms were introduced for politically selfish reasons as they believed that the Liberals felt threatened by the Labour party. The final factor that can be argued is that the emergence of New Liberals who believed in involvement and had radical ideas meant that it would be unlikely that major changes wouldn’t occur. All of this evidence show that genuine concern was a factor in causing the Liberal Social Reforms however there were other factors that contributed to introduction of these
Therefore Liberals wanted constitutional reform and more power to be given to the Reichstag. Whereas socialists demanded social reform and power to the workers and trade unions. However conservatives, such as Bismarck wanted to conserve to the Junkers – the elite class. To do this he proposed the Anti-Socialist Law in 1879 and also passed the Tariff Law, which appeased the liberals. The years leading up to the war the German people were dreading it, there were protests in Berlin in July 1914.
There were many factors that created a base for the reformist groups to flourish at that time in Russia which in turn created a Revolution. Alexander III was determined to upkeep Russia’s image as a major European power, unlike his father; however he was a conservative, believing that his father’s reforms were a mistake and took to reverse them as much as he could. The counter-reforms initially may have looked like a success due to the period of stability during Alexander III’s reign; however with the Revolution a few years later it seems to be that the counter-reforms were not as successful as they may have seemed. The political oppression resultant of these counter-reforms meant Russia politically was behind its major European counterparts, whilst England and France by now had a form of democracy, Russia was still being ruled by total autocracy, and this increased the resentment against the government and added to the growth of reformist groups. Because of the political structure in place in Russia at the time, without a revolution the only way change was possible was from the Tsar being willing to change things, the Tsar was not willing and he clearly demonstrated this through the counter-reforms, leaving an angry population
This general shift to the centre ground gained voters back, who had previously been Labour, but had voted Conservative recently. These reformers were not against socialism however and previously, many were socialists, yet they saw the need for voters, rather than ideology. Further, New Labour was a lot less socialistic when it came to economic policy. In fact, New Labour adopted a Keynesian approach to the economy, much like the New Right. The Third Way has been enthusiastic when it comes to capitalism.
Explain why Liberal Reforms were successful in appealing to the working class? From the emergence of new Liberalism after Gladstone, the concern for a healthier workforce and the strive to get more votes from the working class, the Liberals had to pass certain reforms that appealed to people like children, workers, sick and elderly. These reforms were overall very successful, as they were start of collectivism in our society and an end to the laissez faire attitude that the government once had. Liberals were very successful in achieving a significant degree of social change in Britain and paved the way for the establishment of a welfare state. The competition with other countries like America and Germany influenced our politicians to look deeper into the society and solve the social and economic issues that weakened our nation.
These factors led to a fragile liberal government, with the main threat in my opinion being posed not by the nationalists but the socialists. The PSI was founded in 1895 and soon became a strong threat to the liberal government. They were fiercely opposed to the liberal regime, saying it was a cover for the capitalist exploitation of Italian working classes, and used evidence that wages were still low and hours were still long in comparison to the rest of Western Europe. Also welfare benefits compared unfavourably. This led to strong support of the socialists from working classes, so much so that a relatively new party was winning over 20% of the vote by 1913.
MPs, bereaved parents, health professionals and junkies themselves say radical measure are needed to stamp out the city’s problem – the worst in Europe. Drugs deaths have risen sharply in recent years. In 1992, 43 young Glaswegians died; last year, the figure was 97 out of total of around 140 north of the border. In a city of 650,000 people the rate is worryingly high. Compared to the rest of Britain, it is shocking.
Liberals; 1906-1914 The Liberal Reforms – Points to Note ~ They were an impressive legislative achievement ~ The Liberals were seen to be responding to specifically identified social problems ~ For the first time the state was interfering in matters previously considered to be the duty and responsibility of the individual; the diet and health of children, the standard of living of the aged poor, the levels of wages and hours of adult workers, unemployment. ~ The poor were no longer to be considered as inferior, but were accepted as unfortunate but equal citizens ~ The roles of Asquith, Lloyd George and Churchill need to be noted. Liberal Timeline 1905. December; Balfour’s Govt resigns. 1906.
During an age of mass industrialization and urbanization, obtaining social justice was of vital importance because with social justice established, social control would naturally be achieved due to the satisfaction of citizens being treated equally. Progressive reformers moved to correct flaws in government and improve societal equality, but they soon found the widened divisions in American society to be difficult, if not impossible, to overcome. (Out of Many, 606) Progressivism was characterized by a series of movements, each of them aimed in one way or another at renovating or restoring American society, its values, and institutions. (Out of Many, 612) The three basic social issues addressed by the Progressives were women suffrage, freedmens civil rights, and working conditions. Each group of reformers challenged the words of our founding fathers as stated in the Constitution, “…in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity,…promote the general welfare…to ourselves and our posterity…,” progressives were searching for a perfect union for every individual to be satisfied with.