Britain Issue 6 Flashcards
Background
During WW2 the rich and the poor had suffered equally from the bombings which led to more awareness about poverty. The war created massive problems e.g.. 469,000 new homes were needed.
LOA
William Beveridge produced a report outlining the 5 giant problems which the Labour government tried to tackle in order to meet the needs of the British people. The Labour government made reform changes and made progress to tackle these giants in order to meet the needs of the British people, however they did not fully meet every need of the people.
Factors
Ignorance, Disease, Want, Idleness, Squalor
Want Meaning
To be destitute or needy - described the situation of many British people. (Cradle to Grave)
Ignorance Meaning
The condition of being uneducated, unaware or uninformed. (Education)
Squalor Meaning
A filthy, wretched condition or quality - which many people had. (Housing)
Idleness Meaning
Avoiding work or employment (nationalising)
Disease Meaning
There was a nation wide problem of illness (NHS)
Want (KU and A)
KU- 1946 National Insurance Act consisted of comprehensive insurance, sickness and unemployment benefits and cover for most eventualities
A- Covered people from ‘Cradle to Grave’ which helped people if they fell into poverty at any point in their lives.
KU- 1946 National Insurance Act gave injured workers benefits which they were entitled to for 6 months - any longer they would receive pension.
A- Ensured that families with an injured breadwinner would be less likely to fall into the poverty trap.
Want (A+ and E)
A+- Limits- benefits were fixed for 5 years & by the time of implementation were below substance levels so people had to apple for National Assistance therefore there was a long way to go to address poverty
E- Labour made successful reforms which helped the British people if they fell into poverty, although this was not tackled in timely fashion, therefore Labour had a long way to go to meet the needs of the British people.
Ignorance (KU and A)
KU- 1944 Education Act increased the school leaving age to 15 & by 1957 it was increased to 16
A- Created more skilled and educated workers which Britain lacked
KU- Introduced school meals, milk and medical service to children in school.
A- Created an incentive for children to stay at school and become more educated.
Ignorance (A+ and E)
A+- Limits because the new system created a bigger gap between the poor and the rich because the poor were going to different schools where they would be less educated, and there was less to offer greater access to education for the working class.
E- Quite successful in meeting the needs of the British people because they created more skilled workers which benefitted the economy and created a more educated to society, however it did not fully meet the needs of the British people.
Squalor (KU and A)
KU- After war 469,000 new homes were needed, so gov built 157,000 prefabs
A- Prefabs were only a temporary solution and many stayed in them for years
KU- 1949 Housing Act allowed local authorities to buy homes for improvement or conversion.
A- Led to 700,000 new homes, however 750,000 more were needed
Squalor (A+ and E)
A+- Limits because housing development was limited because of the lack of skilled workers and materials which led to families squatting on disused Army camps.
E- Labour failed to meet the needs of the British people because they failed to solve the housing problem, but this was due more to the scale of the problems facing the country after the war
Idleness (KU and A)
KU- Labour nationalised 20% of industry eg. railways, mines etc.
A- The gov was directly involved with people employment in these huge industries
KU- Labour increased gov funding for universities which led to a 60% increase in student numbers between 1945-46
A- Provided more skilled workers and opportunities to become skilled from all classes, which aimed to keep unemployment low.
