assesment of labour reforms Flashcards
introduction
WWII highlighted that poverty was still a huge issue in Britain. Evacuation and
rationing helped to break down social barriers and there was an acceptance that
more help had to be given to ensure better living standards for all. After the war
had been won in Europe, Labour wanted the War time coalition to end and for an
election to be held. Winston Churchill wanted it to continue so that he could
continue to fight the war in the far east. However, an election was held on the
5th of July 1945. The post war Labour leader Clement Atlee promised to deal with
the 5 Giants highlighted in the Beveridge report. The 5 Giants highlighted by
Beveridge were Want, Disease, Ignorance, Idleness and Squalor. This led to
Labour winning a landslide election, defeating the Conservative War leader
Winston Churchill. This essay will argue that Labours social reforms 1945-51
were successful to a large extent in improving the lives of the British people.
2nd paragraph
The social reforms introduced to tackle Want were quite successful. Labour
extended the Liberal’s 1911 National Insurance act to include all adults and
established a comprehensive system of social security. It provided unemployment,
sickness, maternity and widow’s benefit, as well as pensions for men over 65 and
women over 60. This reform was successful in improving the lives of the British
people as now every Briton was entitled to help from the government regardless
of wealth, age or gender. Family allowances were also created. Allowances were
paid to families with 2 or more children directly to the mother. This helped to
improve lives as it meant that families where the mother was widowed as a result
of war had extra income to support her family. Also, the National Assistance Act
was created as a safety net to provide provisions for those who couldn’t pay the
contributions to the Government that was required. However, on the other hand
many historians argue that even with these new reforms’ poverty was still a
problem as the amount paid was still not enough to live on and in their view gave
little benefit to tackling poverty. Overall, in evaluation, despite the criticism of
the reforms to tackle want, labour did reduce poverty. Rowntree investigated
York in 1950 to find only 2% in poverty as opposed to 36% in 1936 which is clear
evidence that the reforms were successful to a large extent.
3rd paragraph
The reforms passed to tackle the giant of Disease were very successful. The NHS
was created in law in 1946 and came into effect in 1948. This aimed to provide
free health care to treat any health condition and most importantly it was to be
free for everyone based on the principal of universal health care for all. The NHS
meant that individuals could visit a doctor, hospital, dentist or optician and be
treated without having to pay any money at all. This system was successful in
improving lives as it meant many people who would have avoided the doctor
because they were poor, now had the opportunity to a range of healthcare
services, greatly improving their overall health. However, this reform was also
limited. By 1950, the NHS cost £358 million. Far outstripping the £140 million
that the government budgeted for each year. This meant the reform was less
successful as it resulted in adults having to pay for prescriptions, spectacles and
dental treatment, undermining the basic principle of free healthcare for all.
Overall, the labour government successfully managed to tackle the problem of
Disease. Unlike many other Labour reforms which built on the Liberal reforms
the NHS was unique to them and revolutionary and welcomed by the people. A public survey showed that 90% were happy with the NHS, showing its appeal and success.
4th paragraph
The Labour government were successful in tackling Squalor to some extent. The
war had destroyed and damaged many houses, making many of the nation
homeless. To tackle this, the Labour Government promised to create 200,000
temporary pre-fabricated homes each year, they managed to build 1 million.
These houses had a separate kitchen, bedrooms and a living room as well as
electricity and indoor toilets. This was successful in improving the lives of
British people as it provided many with new more affordable and spacious
homes. Also, the New Towns Act aimed to create new communities outside of
the overcrowded cities. For example, towns such as East Kilbride and
Cumbernauld were created. This was successful because it created 14 new
towns with good quality housing taking people away from their slum conditions.
However, many historians argue that the reforms to tackle Squalor were
unsuccessful. They struggled to hit their housing targets as in 1946 only 55,000
homes were built. Also, many people were still squatting in disused army bases
showing that Labour failed in this area. In evaluation it can be argued that the
Labour reforms to tackle squalor were less successful than other areas.
Although they made a lot of progress this was a difficult time as they were
21recovering from war time damage. Also, basic raw materials for house building
was expensive and in short supply. This meant they struggled to fulfil their
promises.
5th paragraph
Ignorance was an area where the government were partly successful. The
Labour Party inherited the Butler Education Act from the coalition government
and put it into effect, raising the compulsory education age to 15. It also made
the provision of school meals and milk compulsory. This was successful as it
raised the expectations of each child as they would be better educated from
being in school, resulting in a more skilled workforce. As well as this the health
benefits of an improved diet for poorer children was important. The schools
were also re-organised so that at the age of 11, children took an exam to test
their intelligence. If they passed, then they were expected to go to a senior
secondary school and go on to further education and a professional job. If they
failed, they would be sent to a technical school which encouraged pupils to learn
a trade and prepared young people for the world of work. This was successful as
working-class children now had better educational opportunities as they were no
longer constrained by the fees of secondary education. Also, the education
system was tailored more to the skills of individuals. However, it can be argued
that reforms in education were less successful as many children left schools
with no academic achievements and no way to increase their standard of living if
they had been put into a junior secondary. In evaluation, it can be argued that
the Labour reforms to tackle ignorance were partly successful. Although it is
notable that Labour were trying to provide more opportunities for poorer
children, many historians argue that the new system was flawed. Basing a child’s
academic future at the age of 11 was too early and too deterministic which
meant Labour actually failed many young people.
conclusion
In conclusion the social reforms introduced by Labour 1945-51 were successful
to a large extent in improving the lives of British people. For Want, although some
people fell through the cracks of the National Insurance Act and means testing
for assistance was unpopular, overall the wide-ranging reforms covered people
from cradle to grave and prevented many from falling into poverty. For Disease,
although the NHS had to introduce charges which went against their policy of
free at point of use, overall the formation of a health service for all was well
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received by the public and it greatly improved the nation’s health. For Squalor,
Labour did face issues in creating enough housing but they made huge steps
forward in creating affordable housing and moving people out of slums. Finally,
for Ignorance the Labour government has been rightly criticised at failing many
working-class pupils but they still attempted to restructure the system to offer
more opportunities for poorer children. Overall, considering the problems faced
by post war Britain the social reforms passed by Labour were successful to a
large extent as many of their reforms are still in place to this day.
