Britain Welfare

Question 1

Welfare state in 1918

Answer 1

• gov assistance in 1918 was based on a mixture of Victorian poor laws and welfare from pre war liberals
• local busi pay for workhouse
• unemploy insur intro in 1911 seven shill a week for only 15 weeks a year- only covers 10% of male population
• women workers allowed to claim+ maternity allowance provided
• the view that gov should provide help becomes more pop during the 1st world war

Question 2

Welfare provisions 1918-39

Unemployment

Answer 2

• Nat. Insur act 1911 seen as ideal sol, employed give mine to find which gives out £ if they become unemploy
• many troops returning were illegible as hadn’t contributed enough
• dole money handed out known as out of work donations given to war veterans
• unemploy 1920 increase amount of people covered
• “seeking work test”introduced mar 1921
• seeking work test had rejected 3 million claims in 9 years
• 1931 means test intro which was hated for being invasive by end of year 400,000 rejected

Question 3

What did the unemployment act 1931 do

Answer 3

It helped long term unemployed, 26 weeks of benefits payments for the employed in case they become unemployed. It also helped those in long term unemployment with aid from the unemployment assistance board, only a few not helped by UAB including deserted wives and widows

Question 4

Pensions

Answer 4

• state pensions into 1908 pensions at for over 70s but had to work most of life, didn’t cover widows or children of deceased
• 1925 widows orphans and old age contributory pensions act gives 10 shillings a week to those between 65 and 70 and widows and children, funded by contributions
• self employed were allowed to join after 1937
• lack of change suggest good job but gov more worried about unemployment

Question 5

Clearance of slums 1918

Answer 5

They were worried about crime and disease so mains and water were added to homes in early 1900s, in 1899 only a quarter of homes in Manchester had flushing toilets

Question 6

What did the 1919 housing and town planning act do

Answer 6

They aimed to build new houses through central government funds for returning soldiers

Question 7

How many houses were build before the geddes axe

Answer 7

Only 213,000

Question 8

Housing act of 1923 and 1924

Answer 8

There was an estimated shortfall of 822,000 homes in 1923 so young married couples had to live with parents, the acts aimed to encourage house building in private sectors, these along with extra act in 1930 ensured 4 million homes were built from 1919-1940

Question 9

Problem with the new houses

Answer 9

Some estates don’t provide jobs

Question 10

Impact of the Second World War on welfare

Answer 10

During war idea of welfare provision needing radical change became widely accepted due to:

• severity of depression dur 1930s
• total war led to idea of universalist welfare (or help for all rather than one group) equal share of resources should continue into peacetime
• success of war econ increased the pop of the idea that state intervention could work
• fact that there was a coalition gov during war with lab members ensured that there was cooperation on a number of ideas. Lab promotion of increased welfare through white papers promoted Conservative support

Question 11

The main recommendations of the beveridge report

Answer 11

1. To tackle the 5 giants
2. State welfare to be centralised and regulated by the government
3. Funded by compulsory insurance payments and did not see the government having to add extra money. He wanted to avoid means testing too.

Question 12

What were the 5 giants?

Answer 12

1. Ignorance- better education
2. Disease- NHS
3. Squalor- better housing
4. Idleness- full employment
5. Want- national insurance

Question 13

Labour government 1945-51 and welfare

Answer 13

After labour car into power they implemented the beveridge report however they rejected the idea of welfare payments being funded by universal insurance from all. Contributions are set at a level adorable by all not just the rich

Question 14

Welfare consensus

Answer 14

These ideas on welfare were shared by conservatives and labour until the mid 1960s. It was part of the post war consensus

However by 1965 the child poverty action group still estimated there were 720,000 children living in poverty

Britain spent less on welfare than France and west Germany in the 1960s

Question 15

British economic problems on welfare

Answer 15

• after being elected pm in 1964 Harold Wilson discovered £800 mill budget deficit. Cuts were necessary as sig amount spent on welfare
• as the econ declined during 70s there was a debate over how much should be spent on welfare and its impact upon the econ and welfare recipients
• by 1966 welfare was at 5% of GDP. Wilson increased taxation to meet this demand

Question 16

National insurance act (1970)

Answer 16

Despite having a huge welfare bill from labour Heath introduced more benefits to 1970 these include:

1. Pensions rights to 100,000 not covered by the 1948 national assistance act
2. Attendance allowance for those who needed long term care at home
3. Increased child allowance to mothers
4. Rent subsidies for low- income families

Question 17

Welfare 1974-79

Answer 17

• on his return to office, Wilson intro new forms of welfare including an universal child benefit where families would receive benefits for having children Wilson sought to pay for these through new taxes
• the 1976 IMF loan made £2.5 billion in cuts mostly in welfare
• by 1979 with thatcher in opposition the consensus which sustained welfare was dead

Question 18

Welfare recap

Answer 18

National insurance act 1970 generous welfare package

The new right- wrong for taxpayers to pay benefits, dependency “nanny state”(thatcher)

Keith Joseph- efficiency, inflation and dependency

Increased cost- 1976 IMF loan called for cuts

Changing attitudes: ‘collectivist’ thinking of the individual, scrougers, working class didn’t want benefits

1979 election- conservatives went in presenting welfare as “bad for the recipient bad for the economy, bad for society and a burden on the tax payer”