Britain Transformed: Social Welfare Provision- Welfare Provision 1918-39 Flashcards
(26 cards)
What was government provision for the poor based on in 1918?
-The Victorian Poor Laws
-Liberal welfare reforms of the early 20th century
How were Poor Laws administered until 1930?
Poor Law guardians levied a poor rate on local landowners or businesses to support the system of workhouses
What unemployment support did the 1911 Liberal government introduce?
The Liberal government introduced unemployment insurance in 1911, providing unemployed men with seven shillings a week for up to fifteen weeks in a year.
How did 1911 unemployment benefits compare to average wages, and who was covered?
Payments were relatively low: average wages in 1911 were around twenty shillings a week. Women workers were also covered, and women, including wives of working men, were entitled to a maternity allowance.
What percentage of working men were covered by the 1911 scheme and where was the money collected?
The scheme covered only around 10 per cent of Britain’s total working male population. Money had to be collected from labour exchanges.
What shift occurred between 1900 and 1918 in attitudes toward welfare provision?
Until 1914, welfare was mostly provided by local, voluntary, and charitable organisations. However, by the early 20th century, it became widely accepted that the state had a much bigger role in poor relief.
What happened to workhouses in the early 20th century?
Workhouses, originally designed to house impoverished families, had become homes for the sick and destitute, with some evolving into hospitals.
When and how was the workhouse system officially abolished?
The workhouse system was abolished by the Local Government Act of 1930, but many remained open as public assistance institutions.
What was the significance of the 1920 Unemployment Insurance Act?
It extended national insurance from 4 million workers in 1919 to 11.4 million in 1921, and increased benefits to 75p for men and 60p for women.
Though payments remained low compared to average wages (e.g., bus drivers earned about £3 a week).
Why did the state’s role in welfare become larger than originally planned after 1920?
Lloyd George expected insurance to be self-financing through employer and employee contributions, but the 1920 Act covered millions of non-contributors affected by mass unemployment, creating a state-funded ‘dole’ available without means testing.
Why was the extension of state spending on welfare after 1920 justified?
It was justified by the need to support high unemployment levels, fears of revolution like Russia in 1917, and the popular desire to support WWI soldiers.
Did the state reduce its welfare commitment as unemployment fell during the 1920s?
No, even as unemployment receded during the 1920s, the state’s commitment to welfare provision did not decrease.
Why did the size of the welfare budget become controversial in the early 1930s?
Due to the poor state of the British economy, Chancellor Philip Snowden proposed a 10% cut in unemployment benefits, leading to a cabinet revolt and the fall of the government.
What political change followed the cabinet revolt over benefit cuts in the early 1930s?
Labour leader Ramsay MacDonald was forced to form a National Government with the Conservative Party.
What was the purpose of the National Economy Act of 1931?
It introduced a means test for unemployment benefits to limit the overall benefits bill.
How did the 1931 means test affect short-time workers?
It disqualified ‘short-time workers’ from benefits, affecting those with occasional work days but who depended on welfare for the rest of the time.
What was the impact of the 1931 means test on workers in deprived areas?
It was most keenly felt in deprived areas such as Tyneside and south Wales, where many worked reduced hours and became worse off if they took work instead of benefits.
How long could benefits be claimed under the 1931 National Economy Act before reapplying?
Benefits could only be claimed for six months, after which people needed to reapply.
What were transitional payments introduced in the 1931 Act, and what was required to receive them?
Transitional payments supported unemployed people after six months. Claimants had to register at a local labour exchange and be authorized by the local Public Assistance Committee, which investigated their circumstances to ensure they weren’t abusing the system.
What was the effect of the means test on working families and their children?
Unemployed parents with working children could lose benefits if their children lived with them, forcing some working-age children to leave home.
How was the means test received by the public?
It was the most unpopular legislation passed by the National Government in the 1930s and sparked protest marches from the poorest parts of the country to London.
What changes did the 1934 Unemployment Act introduce?
It reversed the 10% cut in benefits for the short-term unemployed, restored payments for the first six months, and created the Unemployment Assistance Board for long-term unemployed benefits, which remained means-tested but at lower rates.
How did the public react to cuts in long-term unemployment benefits under the 1934 Unemployment Act?
Large protests occurred, such as 300,000 people demonstrating in south Wales, leading to the introduction of ‘standstill regulations’ in 1935 that suspended the cuts.
What do the ‘standstill regulations’ of 1935 indicate about welfare provision in the 1930s?
They show the extent to which popular pressure protected welfare provision during that decade.
