National Government Social Policies Economically

Question 1

Insurance

Answer 1

• more workers insured in 1939 than there had been in 1930
• pensions extended in 1937

Question 2

Housing

Answer 2

• low interest rates (cheap money) which the government maintained helped the housing stock to grow by 2.5 million
• slum clearance schemes
• cheap housing was available because of the expansion of private housing

Question 3

Education

Answer 3

• act of 1936 raised education leaving age to 15 in September 1939
• smaller class sizes
• were more higher entrants from state elementary schools

Question 4

Working conditions

Answer 4

• the factory act 1937 extended a range of regulations to smaller workshops as well as factories
• shop workers hours were restricted to a 48 hour week from 1936
• real wages increased by 17% between 1931 and 1937

Question 5

Failures in social policies of the national government

Answer 5

• did not introduce a comprehensive health service or insure workers families/dependents
• did not ensure poverty was reduced or narrow the discrepancies in standards of livings
• considerable inequalities between regions and between those who could and couldn’t find work
• figures for death and mortality rate remained high in depressed areas

Question 6

Cars

Answer 6

• mass produced cars in areas such as Birmingham or Coventry
• mass produced cars by morris and Austen
• 1923-120,000 employed
• 1938-250,000 employed
• home market protected by a 33% tariff in 1915
• by 1920- under 200,000 registered cars
• by 1930, this number was over 1 million and 2 million by 1939