Britain Transformed: social Welfare Provision- The Labour government and consensus, 1945-64 Flashcards
(19 cards)
What was Labour’s stance on state planning after WWII in 1945?
Labour argued that state planning should continue to rebuild Britain and solve deprivation and unemployment, using wartime planning methods to “win the peace.”
What did Labour’s 1945 manifesto, Let Us Face the Future, claim about welfare and economic success?
Economic success was necessary to pay for welfare, but welfare could also promote economic growth and efficiency by creating healthier, better-educated workers.
What did the post-war Labour government achieve regarding the welfare state?
Created the modern welfare state with laws on social security, welfare, housing, and healthcare, establishing state care ‘from the cradle to the grave.’
What did the Family Allowances Act 1945 establish?
Child benefits for the first time—five shillings (25p) per week per child (except eldest)—paid to mothers, improving their financial status.
Key features of the National Insurance Act 1946?
Levied a weekly 4s 11d (25p) charge on workers’ wages; provided unemployment and sickness benefits to all workers; paid state pensions to men 65+ and women 60+.
What was the principle of ‘universality’ in the National Insurance Act 1946?
Everyone, regardless of wealth, was covered and required to contribute—abolishing means testing.
What was a major flaw of the National Insurance Act 1946?
Poor people paid a higher percentage of their income than rich people because contributions were a flat rate for all.
What did the Industrial Injuries Act 1946 do?
Gave workers the right to compensation for workplace accidents and injuries, funded by the national insurance fund.
What was the significance of workplace deaths and injuries in the 1940s?
An average of 2,425 people were killed annually at work; mining was particularly dangerous, accounting for over one-quarter of deaths and injuries.
What did the National Assistance Act 1948 provide?
Welfare for those not covered by national insurance, including homeless, disabled, unmarried mothers, and poor pensioners; replaced Public Assistance Committees with National Assistance Board.
How did the National Assistance Act 1948 affect local authorities?
Delegated responsibilities like finding accommodation, promoting handicapped welfare, and encouraging voluntary help.
What was the major achievement of the welfare state legislation in 1948?
The creation of the National Health Service (NHS).
What was the welfare consensus between 1945 and 1964?
Broad agreement among major parties that the state should provide welfare as an essential part of modern Britain.
Who was Harold Macmillan and what was his welfare view?
Conservative PM (1957–63) and early advocate of government welfare; believed in preventing a return to 1930s poverty and saw welfare as a moral responsibility.
What was Macmillan’s book The Middle Way about?
Advocated government regulation of private enterprise and welfare to end social deprivation.
How did radical Conservatives like Enoch Powell differ from Macmillan on welfare?
Powell and others advocated cutting welfare; they were a minority compared to the dominant welfare-supporting Conservatives.
How did Britain’s welfare spending in the 1950s-60s compare internationally?
Britain spent less on welfare than France and West Germany, though welfare costs as a percentage of GDP rose from 3% to 4%.
Did welfare spending eradicate poverty by the 1960s?
No; for example, in 1965, 720,000 children were still living in poverty according to the Child Poverty Action Group.
What effect did rising welfare costs and persistent poverty have by 1970?
Led to debates about welfare effectiveness and Conservatives reconsidering their commitment to high welfare spending.
