Labour Reforms

Question 1

Background

Answer 1

During WWII, government intervention in people’s lives increased. With measures such as rationing & evacuation, people became more used to government help & expected this would continue after the war. The Bereridge Report of 1942 discovered that there were many social problems in Britain. When Labour won a landslide victory in 1945 they passed a series of measures to improve people’s lives.

Question 2

Line of Argument

Answer 2

There is debate whether the Labour welfare reforms of 1945-51 dealt effectively with the social problems of Britain, this essay will argue that their reforms were largely effective.

Question 3

Factors

Answer 3

To examine this, the reforms passed to tackle the Giant of Want, Disease & Squalor will be evaluated.

Question 4

Want - Knowledge

Answer 4

Passed the Family Allowances Act in 1946
- Gave weekly payment to mothers with 2 or more children

Received 5 shillings per child except the oldest

National Insurance Act extended in 1946
- People who contributed could get sickness & unemployment benefit, pensions & maternity grants

Question 5

Want - Analysis For

Answer 5

Family Allowance Act
- Money was paid directly to the mother meaning it was more likely to be spent on items for the family. This benefit was a huge help to families who had lost their father in the war

National Insurance Act
- It was more generous than before & aimed to protect people from the cradle to the grave

Question 6

Want - Analysis Against

Answer 6

Some people weren’t covered by National Insurance. People were only entitled to benefits after paying contributions for 10 years, so this meant people missed out & they were still at risk of falling into poverty especially in their later years.

Question 7

Want - Evaluation

Answer 7

Although some people were at risk, Labour took steps to try and protect those most vulnerable. The National Assistance Act was introduced in 1948 for those who could not afford to pay National Insurance. This was a further safety net to prevent people falling into poverty.

Question 8

Disease - Knowledge

Answer 8

National Health Service established in 1948
- Set up to be free at points of use & provide a range of services

Provided dental treatment, eye services & maternity services

People able to register with a local doctor’s surgery & wouldn’t have to pay to use this service

Question 9

Disease - Analysis For

Answer 9

Medical care now based on need & not a person’s wealth or background which helped to limit health inequalities.

Question 10

Disease - Analysis Against

Answer 10

Running costs were high & in 1951 Labour voted to introduce charges for dental care, spectacles & prescriptions. This meant people who couldn’t afford prescriptions went without treatment.

Question 11

Disease - Evaluation

Answer 11

Although there were cost issues, the benefits outweighed any of the negatives & the fact that the NHS is still around today proves how successful it is. Birch argues the NHS was the ‘greatest single achievement of the welfare state’.

Question 12

Squalor - Knowledge

Answer 12

In 1946, the New Town Act was launched creating 14 new towns by 1951
- East Kilbride was a new town which had terraced housing & became an attractive investment for employers such as Inland Revenue

Government introduced plans to build 200,000 new houses per year
- Managed to build 1 million of these & the new fabricated housing gave a higher standard of living for tenants

Question 13

Squalor - Analysis For

Answer 13

They succeeded in building lots of new homes which allowed people to move from the overcrowded cities. This helped to improve their standard of living & overall health as the new homes had better sanitation & more outside space.

Question 14

Squalor - Analysis Against

Answer 14

They failed to achieve their aims. They didn’t manage to fulfil their promise of building 200,000 houses a year & the 1951 census revealed that there were 750,000 fewer houses than households in Britain. This shows that homelessness was still prevalent & the government had more to do.

Question 15

Squalor - Evaluation

Answer 15

Although many have criticised their success in this area it is important to bear in mind this was a time when basic raw materials for house building such as timber were both expensive & in short supply. Also Britain was still recovering from wartime damage. This shows that they certainly achieved a lot considering the difficult situation that they were in.

Question 16

Conclusion

Answer 16

In conclusion, the Labour government of 1945-51 were largely effective at dealing with the social problems of Britain. For Want, although some would criticise that acts such as Family Allowance should have gone further, it is clear that overall they made a lot of progress at tackling poverty. Different measures were put in place to protect people from the cradle to the grave. With regards to their actions tackling Disease some might argue that the NHS failed because it introduced charges which some could not afford. However, it is clear that the benefits of the NHS outweighed any negatives. The health of the nation was greatly improved with its creation. Finally, in tackling Squalor, the Labour government did fail in some areas however bearing in mind the environment they were working in, it is clear that they did have success in providing new homes & a better standard of living for many. To conclude the reforms aimed at tackling the social problems were effective & further evidence is that many still exist today.