2- Providing Social Welfare Flashcards
Social Welfare Pre 1918
- **Poor laws **- welfare aid given in form of money or necessities to those in need.
- Usually the old, the young, the sick and the poor.- seen as ‘deserving’ poor, rightly cared for by the relatives, the church, private organisations and increasingly the state.
- Until the end of the 19th century, healthy people of working age who fell into destitution were often seen as morally at fault - the ‘undeserving’ poor - they were housed in workhouses, where conditions were deliberately terrible to discourage the able bodied from poverty
- The process of having to prove that you ‘deserved’ welfare was a hated, humiliating experience.
From 1908 the liberal government inaugurated a huge expansion of state-provided welfare:
* These new mechanism were open to all who qualified with no distinction between ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ poor.
The 1911 National Insurance Act expanded welfare:
* Employers, employees and the government would contribute to the insurance scheme
* Provided benefits and healthcare through the funds generated
* However this scheme was only available to low paid workers earning less than £160 a year, only applied to 6 industries when created, and did not insure workers families
1917 Ministry of Construction
* After WW1 it was largely accepted that the government had a role to play in insuring individuals had basic security
* The Liberal government promised a ‘home fit for heroes’
* The Ministry of Reconstruction was established to build a better Britain after the wars
Social Welfare Pre 1918
Liberals
- Liberals introduced some reforms after 1906 by creating support mechanisms - removed ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ distinction
- things like pensions became a right for many.
- BUT welfare like pensions and unemployment insurance was only for the poorest and lastest for a short period of time
- Churchill saw welfare as only keeping poor “afloat”
- unemployment insurance only covered 10% of male population - limited to certain professions
- miminal levels of support and not unniversal
unemployment aid 1918-39
- state accepts that poor need aid and to provide unemployment relief - men return from war to be beggars
- government paying out ‘dole’ money given out to unemployed returning soldiers, 1918-20- money from general taxation - not done before
- Millions not covered by previous liberal reforms, either not eligible or not contributed enough,
- gov refused to allow these men to go without support.- fear of revolution and principle of aiding war heros
- extend coverage of unemployment insurance for million more workers via **1920 Unemployment Act **
- However the scheme came in just as unemployment began to soar, which subsequently drained the funds available, government then had to use general taxation to pay for them. - as system relied on people contriubuting to pot when working
- To limit costs ‘seeking work tests’ - prove individual are working - to restrict how many are eligibile, three million claims being rejected by 1930.
Unemployment provision, 1918-39 - Retrenchment
- scaling back welfare
- Great Depression - forced by pressure from international banks to slash welfare spending
**1931 National Economy Act ** - disqualified **“short time workers” **
- affected population disproportionately- industrial areas where men on reduced hours - unemployment was better than work
- aid only lasted six months - reapply for support under means tested (resented and controversisal)
- Poor Law Guardians was abolished and Public Assistance Commitee determined who was eligible for state relief - conduct means test
- would investigate living standards and assess all forms of income- young aldults would have to leave home as earning included , have to had exhausted all savings
- **1934 Unemployment Act **
- reducing and cut funding for those on long term benefits
- wide spread protests - 100,000s in poverty
- poor relief being humiliation - stigma
Pensions 1918-39
- State pensions in 1918 had been criticised as widows, orphans and children of deceased had no eligibility. They were also means tested.
- Government passes **1925 Pensions Act **
- provided pensions for people between 65-70 who previously did not receive a pension and also for widows
- funded by compulsory contributions, not general taxation.
Funding measure were criticised by Labour- penalised poorer people who could not make contributions - but was only practical method given tough economic climate.
Housing 1919-39
Problems in 1918
* slums are widespread with poor living conditions and government
* promised to provide ‘homes fit for heroes’ for returning soldiers
* Government tries to build quality houses to meet demand, however there is a shortfall of 800,000, especially after government cuts spending ‘geddes axe’ – in immediate years following war
* government failed to provide enough housing.
* Many young married couples subsequently carry on living with parents.
* However principle of gov should help provide housing was established.
- Conservative and Labour housing acts in 1923 and 1924 that encourage construction of more housing,
- Labour Act in 1930, combination of these
- building of 4 million homes between 1919 and 1940.
- State funds also used to rehouse people living in overcrowded slums.
- Housing situations is gradually alleviated during period, but not completely.
highlights consensus of government to provide but stuggle to achieve limited progress
Shift in attides towards welfare provision
WW2
Total War
- The war led to a consensus among both politicians and the general public that welfare provision needed overhauling.
- The government needed to develop a fair and consistent system
- with a long-term plan for solving difficult problems, not to simply react to them.- craddle to grave
- The war had prompted ‘total’ solutions such as rationing and provision of bomb shelters for everyone as opposed to a select few- provided from the government for everyone
- It had also promoted idea of **‘fair shares’ **of resources among the country given the common sacrifice endured by all
- Evacuation of children to country opened the eyes of the country to the scale of poverty- blackspots in country
- breaks downs class divisions
shifft in attitudes welfare provision
WW2
state intervention
- The government had directed the economy and spent heavily to win the war- in charge of employment, wages, factories
- The public believed that similar spending and control to improve lives in peace time would be no different in principal
- Rationing – people became healthier as a result of rationing,
- government controlling them actually benefitted the public health
- subsequently more open to the government intervening further by providing welfare services
shifft in attitudes welfare provision
WW2
coalition government
- The Conservatives co-operated greatly with Labour while in coalition during the war and helped develop policies on social welfare
- Much Labour welfare provision was based on White Papers from that government which encouraged Conservative acceptance of their policies
- welfare state not considered a labour victory - consensus
Shift in attitudes in welfare provision
ww2
failure after WW1
- Government notoriously failed to deliver on its promise after the First World War to provide ‘homes fit for heroes’ to house returning soldiers, many of whom came back to poverty.
- There was a general consensus that this time should be different and that returning servicemen would actually have a state to look after their needs.
shift in attitudes to welfare provision
ww2
inter war poverty
- lasting impact - means testing , hunger strikes
- The poverty of the 1930s had convinced all leaders of major political parties of the need for the state to provide welfare provision
- Long-term unemployment created massive resentment and led to large protests against government attempts to cut unemployment benefits and led to governments abandoning further attempts at doing so
welfare provisions
Beveridge Report
- released the Beveridge report in 1942 after investigating welfare provision in the country.
- called upon the state to **‘slay the five giants’ **of:
1. Want, through national insurance
2. Disease, through a national health service
3. Ignorance, through better education
4. Squalor, through rehousing
5. Idleness, through full employment - The Beveridge report set out of a very popular vision for post war Britain.
- It sold 600,000 copies
- provided a clear plan for the introduction of a welfare state.
- The report showed people how it would be put into action – the report was so popular that every major party adopted its recommendations either fully or partially.
welfare acts post world war 2
Family Allowances Act, 1945 – creates child benefit
National Insurance Act, 1946 – makes unemployment and sick benefits to available to all workers, all men over 65/women over 60 get pension
Industrial Injuries Act, 1946 – gives workers compensation right for workplace injuries/accidents
National Assistance Act, 1948 – offered welfare benefits to those not covered by unemployment insurance
challenges to welfare provision
60s economics
- Britain had substantial budget deficit of £800 million in 1964 due to overspending on military and welfare system
- Harold Wilson was advised to cut welfare benefits to rescue economy
SIGNIFICANCE - Not very, even though Wilson is under pressure to slash welfare, he holds firm and refuses to do so
- Heath (Right wing conservative) in 1970 also refuses to do so, and even extends some welfare provision, e.g increasing child allowance for mothers
challenges to welfare provision
right wing
- Economic – leads to economic inefficiency, additionally claimed that welfare spending lead to inflation- increased spending money of nation
- Excessive welfare creates a dependency culture, less likely to work, took away aspirations etc.
SIGNIFICANT - Not significant in that it doesn’t immediately lead to policy changes at government level
- However, ideas have increased traction with Cons, leads to selection of Thatcher as leader, first step towards ending consensus
