19.6 Plans for reconstruction

Question 1

What did the December 1942 bestseller Beveridge report suggest? (6)

Answer 1

• Slaying of the 5 giants
• Proposed National Health Service to lead to adequate healthcare
• Family allowances paid to all parents
• Full employment (3%)
• Universal National Insurance and benefits
• End means testing

Question 2

What evidence is there that the creation of the welfare state was not simply a Labour creation? (3)

Answer 2

• Beveridge = Liberal
• Report commissioned by war time coalition government
• Family allowances granted in 1944 under war government and built upon existing social welfare reforms

Question 3

How was the system of insurance proposed by Beveridge clearly inspired by Liberalism rather than socialism?

Answer 3

Contributory insurance rather than paid for by general taxation (stemming from socialism)

Question 4

Which act raised the school leaving age from 14 to 15, made secondary education compulsory and free and gave grants for university education?

Answer 4

1944 Butler Act

Question 5

What did the 1944 Butler act do?

Answer 5

• Raised the school leaving age from 14 to 15
• Made secondary education compulsory and free
• Local authority

Gave grants for university education

Question 6

What was the name of the new education system and why were the reforms to education limited?

Answer 6

Tripartite system = grammar schools, technical schools and secondary modern 11+ exam needed

• private and church schools not changed

Question 7

Who commissioned the Beveridge report?

Answer 7

War-time coalition government

Question 8

What % of students went to

• Grammar
• Technical
• Secondary modern

schools?

Answer 8

Grammar: 30%

Technical: 4%

Secondary modern: 65%

Question 9

Who introduced the Butler Education Act 1944 and what role did they play in government?

Answer 9

Richard A. Butler

Conservative Education Minister in the wartime coalition

Question 10

What were the 5 giants?

Answer 10

• Want
• Sickness
• Lack of education
• Bad housing
• Unemployment

Question 11

How did the report propose to fund reforms?

Answer 11

Weekly insurance contributions covering health, unemployment and old age pensions

Question 12

Who would administer the benefits proposed by the 1942 Beveridge reports?

Answer 12

A single government department - Ministry of Social Security

Question 13

Apart from the reforms proposed why was the Beveridge report so popular?

Answer 13

The generation which had lived through the 1930’s Great Depression and WW2 the White Paper offered a vision of a safe, secure and prosperous future

Question 14

What did the White Paper published in 1944 outline?

Answer 14

The white paper published in 1944 outlined a commitment to high and stable employment

Question 15

What did the coalition government introduce in 1944 showing their commitment to the Beveridge report? (2)

Answer 15

• White Paper (employment)
• Introduced family allowances: 5 shillings/ week for all children (after the first) up to 15/16 if still in full time education

Question 16

What did the Beveridge report 1942 say (revolution)?

Answer 16

“A revolutionary moment in the world’s history is a time for revolutions, not for patching”