# Old Age Pensions Act (1908)

URL: https://english-history.com/timeline/1908-old-age-pensions-act
Categories: main-event

A state pension was introduced for qualifying elderly people. Within the broader Early 20th Century & World Wars period, mass democracy, the two world wars, Irish partition, economic crisis and the rise of Labour remade the political and social order. This event is placed at 1908 in the chronology so it can be read alongside the political, military, social and cultural changes around it. The measure was one of the landmark Liberal welfare reforms before the First World War.

## Why it matters
The measure was one of the landmark Liberal welfare reforms before the First World War.

Ruler at the time: [Edward VII](https://english-history.com/rulers/edward-vii)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia topic lookup — Old Age Pensions Act](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Search?search=Old+Age+Pensions+Act&go=Go)
- [Encyclopaedia Britannica topic lookup — Old Age Pensions Act](https://www.britannica.com/search?query=Old+Age+Pensions+Act)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of British history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_British_history)
- [The National Archives — twentieth-century resources](https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/)