question 1 Flashcards
(19 cards)
What was the key judgement about the challenges to welfare provision between 1964-79?
Cost was a major challenge, but demographic pressures and ideological criticisms were also important.
What economic issue in 1967 affected welfare provision?
Devaluation of the pound.
What major financial crisis in 1976 impacted welfare?
The IMF crisis, where Britain had to take a loan and cut public spending.
By the mid-1970s, what percentage of public spending did welfare account for?
Approximately 60%.
Why did NHS, pensions, and benefits become difficult to sustain?
Because rising inflation and debt made them increasingly expensive.
Why was cost considered a key challenge to welfare?
Because economic instability made the welfare state harder to fund.
What demographic trend increased demand for education and healthcare?
The post-war baby boom.
Why did longer life expectancy affect welfare?
It increased the number of elderly needing pensions and care.
How did demographic pressures differ from economic ones?
They were structural and long-term, not just financial.
Why were welfare services stretched in the 1960s-70s?
Because they were serving a larger, older population than originally planned.
Which political figures criticised welfare in the 1970s?
Keith Joseph and Margaret Thatcher.
What think tank promoted anti-welfare ideas?
Institute of Economic Affairs.
What did critics claim welfare caused?
A dependency culture.
What ideological argument was made against welfare?
That it was inefficient and discouraged personal responsibility.
How did the media contribute to welfare criticism?
It gave traction to New Right ideas that challenged the post-war consensus.
What was the post-war consensus in British politics?
A broad agreement on maintaining a welfare state and mixed economy.
What was the purpose of the welfare state introduced after WWII?
To protect citizens from ‘cradle to grave’ with health, education, and social support.
What long-term factor increased costs in the NHS?
Medical advancements and rising expectations.
What political event symbolised the breaking of the post-war consensus?
The rise of Thatcherism in the late 1970s.
