1939-64- Society And Econ Flashcards
5 social evils
Want
Squalor
Idleness
Ignorance
Disease
Reforms against want
1946 nat insurance act
Nat assistance boards
Familu allowance act
1946 nat insurance act
Covered all widows orphans,
Everyone sickness and unemp benefits
Inc operation nhs
Griffins- ni-the best and cheapest insurance policy offered to british people or any people anywehere
Pensions younger women 60 men 65
1946 nat insurance act limitation
Compulsory contributions
Pension not enough below poverty line
Not in line with inflation
Welfare benefits in 1948 19% of industrial wage rate
But did takee away fear and provided safety net, finally 50y after rowntree investigation into cuases of poverty unemp sickness ect
Nat assistance boards
If not in work, can help
Means tested but better
Money from central lgov
Local authorities provide homes for handicapped and old people
Family allowance act
Small amound money paid to families with at elast 2 children
Not means tested
Squalor sitch
700,000 housiing shortage
1/3 hosues need repair or renovaton
Reforms to help with squalor
1949 housing act
New houses act 1946
1949 houses act
200,000 houses per year
1:4 private to council houses
Prefabs people became attached to
1949 housing act limitations
Didnt build as many as plannd
Squaters criis ensued
Macmillan pledged 300,000
Waiting lists for council homes
New homes act
1946
Gave public power to decide where new houses/towns built
Cope with london overspill- stevenage
But lots of concrete
Idleness reforms
1944 white paper
Nationalisation
1944 white paper
Accpet need for full employment at 3%
1946 unemp stood at 2.5%
Nationalisation debate
Coal steel iron ships railway and beo nationalised
But industry in decline so should be left to fail?
Ignorance refomrs
Butler education act 1944
Butler education act 1944
Reinforced class boundries through tripartaite system with middle classes tutors to get in
Also big class sizes and minimal motivation for those in secondary modern
Disease reform
Formation nhs 1946 formally 1948
Formation nhs
Unversal access- for all
Free at point of use
Comprehensive covered all ailments
Funded by ni payments
Limitations to formatoin nhs
Gps speerate pay package as didnt want to be treated as civil servant
Backlog esp bad teeth
Middle classes use
Prescription usage x2.5- charges in 1951
Ni only 9% nhs funding 1949
Hospitals out of date
Britain never had it so good 1950s/60s
Living conditions/econ
Society
Women
Britain never had it so good 1950s/60s - yes living conditions
1954 income tax cut increasing disposable income
1951-64 real wages grew by almost 30%
Macmillan national housing crusade suprassing goal of 300,000 houses in 1953- abolished labour tax no land devlopment mainly chepaer
Britain never had it so good 1950s/60s no - living conditions econ
Unemp start to rise 1960 early
Macmillian and douglas home both refused to devalue the pound and instead borrowed £714mill from imf
Stop-go econ policu led to investors leaving as could not determine value of popund
Japab and usa boomed
Poor quality housing
Hospitals and technical schools not built in sufficient numbers considering age of afflunece
Britain never had it so good 1950s/60s- society- yes
Class divisions eroded- jeans and t shirt
Young working class men increased vacancies for professional admin- white collar- narrowed boundries for middle class
Butler education act grammar shcools
Domestic servants fell
More affordable luxuries tv- 0.25 to 65% pop owning
Growth supermarkets 50 to 572 1950-61- spagetti pizza, aubergine new
1955- itv started with advertss
Britain never had it so good- no social tensions
Increased consumer spending and increased demand for foriegn goods led to upset balance of payments
1948 commonwealth no isa- young men notingham and nottinghill (1958 6 day riot)
Immigrants full civil rights- nhs benefus
Lots discrimination, lack assimilation myth of return
Increased unemp blamed on imigrants
Anti establihsment with cnd
Mods and rockers in magrate and brighten
Youth antiestbalihment with teddy boys, okrea, vietnam
Working class plays an media- look back in anger, a tadte of honey, the entertained
Britain never had it so good 1950s/60s - women- yes
Women working outside homei increased to 42%
Atlee appealed to women to work during econ crisis of 1947- 8 mill women by end of youear
Clearical sector increased- more possible jobs
Cconsumer products labour saving devisces ie washingg machiens
1963 contraceptive pill
Mid 1950s brith rate much lower than in previous decades, 4y rather than 15y in preganancy and early infancy (before return to work)
Britain never had it so good 1950s/60s - women no
Working mother frowned upon
Only equal pay in teaching and civil service so dependebt on men
Taught domestic science at school
1950 survey foudn 50% women bored of life- thus housewies register so could meet
Few women with degrees
Areas nationalised
Boe
Air transport
Minibg
Public transport
Electricity
Gas
Iron and steel
Boe nationalised
1946
Day to day by staff
Chancellor monetary policy ie interest rates
Electricity nationalised
1948 energy boards
Consistent proces and votlage
Cnd support
1/3 suported
Anti establishement
12,000 partyake in illegal protest
Ww2- food and rationing
Ministry of food 1940 lord woolton- sucessful manchester businessman gained respect for his system of rationinnsg
Loss of merchant shipping through u boat meant decrease food supply
Food rat8ioning 1940, almost all cnosumer goods either rration or in short supply 1942
Some thoght demoralisting- black market
Rationing cont until 1954
No waste campaigns
Did for war- allotmants and encourage dig up gardens
Ww2- organisations of llab
Ernest bevin- miniisiter of lab oversaw allocation of lab
Over 1 mill unemp 1940- bevin back to work
Young men bevin bboys to the mines
Women work in munitions and shipbulidng
4.5 mill enter
Bevin close attention to morale- music while you work bbc, lunctime netertainment, went to visit
Divert lab from consuner goods to staple and heavy industry- exaccerbate british decline
Grew trust for lab
War production
Aircraft production- lord beaverbrook- propriety daily express
Coal incustry main source fyule and power yet output disproportionately low- unmechanised, no lab saving devices
Greater use science to increase efficiency
Impact of blitz
1940-41
Anderson shelter producion 1938
Evacuation= children and some young nmothers to countryside
Gas masks
Air radi
Blackouts
School meals and milik keep health
Radar- detect plans so aor raid strike
Hitler failed to dampen mroale- increase unity
Queen mother after rbuckingham palace hit- can now look the east end of london in the eye
Emergency powers act 1939 and 40
Gave gov ability to bring into force regulations any aspect of lide defence of realm
1940 more effectrive wartime finance and direction of lab- greater centralisation of ogov
Ministries set up such as food, aircraft pridction, econ welfare
Cabinet comm coordinate industry- ministry of production, treasury financy
Conscription 18-41 , latr 51 in miilitary or industry
More interventionist
Why bop problem 1945-50
Invisible exports down- eless loans
Resources scarce
How la adapt bop
Cribbs oversaw
Resiouurce sdiverted to export to overcome demand
Marshallaaid 1948- spent capital
What did britain have to do as a result of debt
Shift towards what demand eprts- consumer goods export but not domestic
Sucess 1945-50 birtian econ
Exports increased 80% 46-50
Situation early 50s
Golden age or new elixabegan age
Austerity to affluence
Murfey econ recover due to internat conditions rrather than policies of con gov
Con inherited a defiict 1951
Unemp 1.6% fll 3%
Gdp higher than interwar
Leaidng companies royal dutch, shell rolls royse
Wages increase by 27% real wages 1951-6
Length of working week fell
Home ownership increase- cheap mortage and abolish lab land tax 1957 saw 300,000 new homes built
1955 itv launched commercial broadcasting
Butler cant expand welfare state and defence spending- state subsidies, finally food ration lifted 1954
Stop go policies
Gov hoped to avoid extremes of inflation and deflation by a series of adjustments - utilising reactionary fiscal and monetary polic
Butler chancellor raised interest rates 2-5% 1951-52
1955 boom- income tax cut 6d
1955-56 macmillan and butler increase hire purchase rates
1960 selwyn lloyd- 10% added purchase tax, increased import duties
Pay pauss introduced- no increase wages gov emp for 12 months
National incomes comm set up 1961-62 by gov- banks and tu to discuss prodiction targets, wages and cnetral planneing but unions eventually boycottted
Pros of stop go
Avoided extremes of inflation and delfation
And avoided extremes of bop inbalance
Kept unemployment low- under 3% full emp- avoid depress as 1930
People improve living standards
Luxuries from imports when import controls removed
Cons stop go
Utilised for political gain- manufature boom before elction 1955- cut income tax 6d
Deficit at end 48 mill more 64-51
Inflation still high wages demands
Reactionary and unplanned- chancellor thornycroft bumbble from one disastoer to another
Political crisis- thronycroft proposed cuts 163mill, macmills felt too deep resigned
1957 crisis
1957 crisis
Wages running far ahead of production
Run on the pound fear pound devaliue against ollar
Thonrneycroft monatrosm- other cabinet ministers esp macloed opposed as would lead to unemployment and cutback in houseing
Macnillian overruled and opted expanisonary econ policu in 1958
How sucessful was birtish econ 1945-64
Domestic good, international not,
St good, lt not
Unemp- 1945-64
About 1.6%, ful emp by bevin definition which was 3%
But unflation increasing nroe demand consumer goods and imports
Wage levels- 1945-64
Real wages rose - 27% real wages
Disposable ncome fall with stop go policies
Demand for imports and goods increase inflation and wodrsen defiict