The Welfare State (1918-79) Flashcards
What is welfare?
Aid given in the form of money or necessities to those in need (usually the old, the young, the sick and the poor).
What process was used to determine who deserved welfare?
Until the 19th century, if you were seen as the ‘deserving poor’ you qualified. However, healthy people of working age who fell into destitution were often seen as morally at fault and therefore were the ‘undeserving poor’.
List 4 acts that linked to unemployment in the 1918-39 welfare provision:
- The 1911 Unemployment assurance (the 1920 one was better)
- The 1931 Means Test
- The 1929 Local Government Pact
- The 1934 employment act
List 2 acts that linked pension’s to the 1918-39 welfare provision:
- The 1908 pensions act
- The 1925 Widows, orphans, old age contributory Pensions act
List 4 acts that linked housing to the 1918-39 welfare provision:
- The 1919 Housing and Town Planning Act
- The Housing acts of 1923 (labour)
- The 1924 (Liberal) Acts
- The 1930 Housing Act
What was government assistance based on in 1918?
A mixture of Victorian Poor Laws and the welfare from pre-war Liberals.
What was the purpose of the old poor law in 1601?
It said that parents and children were responsible for each other, elderly parents would live with their children. It obliged each parish to collect taxes to support people who could not work.
What did the new Poor Law in 1834 ensure?
That the poor were housed in workhouses, clothed and fed.
What surrounding relief changed in the 18th century?
Many workhouses were built to house the poor and put them to work, becoming known as ‘indoor relief.
What is the difference between ‘in-door relief’ and ‘out-door’ relief?
There were many earlier forms of ‘outdoor’ relief beforehand. Outdoor relief was designed to support people in the community, taking the form of financial support or other necessities. Indoor relief on the other hand, included taking ‘the poor’ to local alms-houses, admitting ‘the mentally ill’ to hospitals and sending orphans to orphanages.
What did you have to prove in order to qualify for ‘outdoor relief’?
That Poor Law Guardians that they were morally upstanding.
What did unemployment insurance introduce in 1911?
Seven shillings a week for only 15 weeks a year (most were paid 20 shillings a week) – only covers about 10% of the male population. Women workers were also allowed to claim and maternity allowance provided
What reforms did the pre-war Liberals make?
It introduced the Ministry of Reconstruction (1917- 19) which was established in 1917 under Christopher Addison (the Liberal MP and medical doctor). It dealt with issues raised by WWI: demobilisation, healthcare, housing, education, and unemployment.
The Unemployment Act (1931) gives __ weeks of payments if their job is lost but was funded by ______ payments. The Unemployment ___________ Board helps unemployed.
- 26
- worker
- Assistance
During WWII, why did the idea that welfare provision needed a radical change to help all become widely accepted?
- The severity of the 1930’s Depression.
- The “Total War” led to the idea of Universalist welfare (or help for all, rather than one group). Equal share of resources should also continue into peacetime.
- Success of the war economy increased the popularity of the idea that state intervention could work.
- The coalition government during WWII ensured that there was cooperation on a number of ideas. Labour’s promotion of increased welfare through White Papers promoted Conservative support.
Who was William Beveridge?
A Liberal politician that investigated the state of welfare provision in Britain. He was appointed to head government committee to investigate welfare provision/ recommend improvements in June 1941.
What is the Beveridge Report?
A book by William Beveridge, published in the midst of World War II, that promised rewards for everyone’s sacrifices. It formed the basis for the post-war reforms known as the welfare state, which include the expansion of National Insurance and the creation of the National Health Service.
Describe the “5 Giants” that the Beveridge Report suggests that the state should tackle.
- Want - national insurance.
- Ignorance - better education.
- Disease – NHS.
- Squalor - better housing.
- Idleness - full employment.
Name another important idea that the Beveridge report recommended.
State welfare to be centralised and regulated by the government.
Funded by compulsory insurance payments – did not see the government having to add extra money.
Despite the Labour party implementing the Beveridge Report once coming to power, what idea did they reject?
The idea of welfare payments being funded by universal insurance from all. Contributions were set at a level affordable by all, not just the rich.
What was the welfare consensus?
Ideas on welfare were shared by Conservatives and Labour until the mid-1960’s. It was part of the Post-War Consensus.
How much children were estimated to be living in poverty in 1965 by the Child Poverty Action Group?
720,000
What are 4 reasons that welfare provision was being challenged in 1979?
1) After being elected PM in 1964, Harold Wilson (Labour) discovered an £800 million budget deficit, from military and welfare spending.
2) As the economy declined during the 1970’s, there was a debate over how much should be spent on welfare and its impact upon the economy and welfare recipients.
3) The cost of unemployment benefits was high so Wilson increased taxation to meet this demand.
4) The unemployment benefits rose from 0.6% of GNP in 1939 to 5.6% (1950) to 8.8% in 1970.
How did the Conservative’s introduce more benefits in 1970 through the National Insurance Act (1970) despite the huge welfare bill from Labour?
- Pension rights to 100,000 not covered by the 1948 National Assistance Act
- Attendance allowance for those who needed long-term care at home.
- Increased child allowance to mothers.
- Rent subsidies for low-income families.
