Britain Since 1945 Flashcards
How was the welfare state established?
During the war, there had been significant reforms to the education system and people now looked for wider social reforms.
In 1945, the British people elected a Labour government. The new Prime Minister was Clement Attlee, who promised to introduce the welfare state outlined in the Beveridge Report. In 1948, Aneurin (Nye) Bevan, the Minister for Health, led the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS) which guaranteed a minimum standard of health care for all, free at point of use. A national system of benefits was also introduced to provide ‘social security’ so that the population would be protected from the ‘cradle to the grave’. The government took into public ownership (nationalised) the railways, coal mines and gas, water and electricity supplies.
Another aspect of change was self-government for former colonies. In 1947, independence was granted to nine countries, including India, Pakistan and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Other colonies in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific achieved independence over the next 20 years.
The UK developed its own atomic bomb and joined the new North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), an alliance of nations set up to resist the perceived treat of invasion by the Soviet Union and its allies.
Britain had a Conservative government from 1951-1964. The 1950s were a period of economic recovery after the war and increasing prosperity for working people. The Prime Minister of the day, Harold Macmillan, was famous for his ‘wind of change speech’ about decolonisation and independence for the countries of the Empire.
Who was Clement Attlee?
Clement Attlee (1883-1967) was born in London to a solicitor father, and after studying at Oxford University, Attlee became a barrister. He gave this up to do social work in East London and eventually became a Labour MP. He was Winston Churchill’s Deputy Prime Minister in the wartime coalition government and became Prime Minister after the Labour Party won the 1945 election. He was Prime Minister from 1945-1951 and led the Labour Party for 20 years. Attlee’s government undertook the nationalisation of major industries (like coal and steel), created the National Health Service and implemented many of Beveridge’s plans for a stronger welfare state. Attlee also introduced measures to improve the conditions of workers.
Who was William Beveridge?
William Beveridge (1879-1963), later Lord Beveridge, was a British economist and social reformer. He served briefly as a Liberal MP and was subsequently the leader of the Liberals in the House of Lords but is best known for the 1942 report ‘Social Insurance and Allied Services’ (known as the Beveridge report). The report was commissioned by the wartime government in 1941. It was recommended that the government should find ways of fighting the five ‘Giant Evils’ of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness and provided the basis of the modern welfare state.
Who is R A Butler?
Richard Austen Butler, later Lord Butler, was born in 1902. He became a Conservative MP in 1923 and held several positions before becoming responsible for education in 1941. In this role, he oversaw the introduction of the Education Act 1944 (‘The Butler Act’), which introduced free secondary education in England and Wales. The education system has changed significantly since the Act was introduced, but the division between primary and secondary schools that it enforced still remains in most areas of Britain.
Who is Dylan Thomas?
Dylan Thomas (1914-53) was a Welsh poet and writer. He often read and performed his work in public, including for the BBC.
- Under Milk Wood, 1954
- Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, 1952
He died at the age of 39 in New York. There are several memorials to him in his birthplace, Swansea, including a statue and the Dylan Thomas Centre.
What did migration in post-war Britain look like?
Rebuilding Britain after WWII was a huge task. There were labour shortages and the British government encouraged workers from Ireland and other parts of Europe to come to the UK to help with reconstruction. In 1948, people from the West Indies were also invited to come and work.
During the 1950s, there was still a shortage of labour in the UK. Further immigration was encouraged for economic reasons, and many industries advertised for workers from overseas. For about 25 years, people from West Indies, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh travelled to work and settle in Britain.
What sort of social changes occurred in the 1960s?
The Swinging Sixties:
- growth in British fashion, cinema and popular music: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones;
- more wealth meant many bought cars and other consumer goods;
- social laws liberalised, eg. Divorce and abortion in England, Wales and Scotland;
- Parliament passed new laws giving women the right to equal pay and made it illegal; for employers to discriminate against women because of their gender;
- technological progress: Concorde a supersonic commercial airliner was developed and new styles of high-rise buildings using concrete and steel.
What were the great British invention of the 20th century?
- Television: Scotsman John Louie Baird, 1920s
- Radar: Scotsman Sir Robert Watson-Watt, 1935
- Radio telescope @ Jodrell Bank, Cheshire: Sir Bernard Lovell
- Turing machine: Alan Turing, 1930s
- Insulin: Scotsman John Macleod
- Structure of the DNA molecule: Francis Crick, 1953
- Jet engine: Sir Frank Whittle, 1930s
- Hovercraft: Sir Christopher Cockerell
- Concorde: Britain and France, first flew 1969, carrying passengers in 1976, retired 2003
- Harrier jump jet: UK
- Cash-dispensing ATM: James Goodfellow, 1960s
- IVF therapy: Sir Robert Edwards and Patrick Steptoe - first test tube baby was born in Oldham, Lancashire in 1978
- Cloning - Dolly the sheep: Sir Ian Wilmot and Keith Campbell
- MRI scanner: Sir Peter Mansfield
- World Wide Web: Sir Tim Berners-Lee, 25 Dec 1990
How was the economy in the 1970s?
In the late 1970s, the post-war economic boom came to an end. Prices of goods and raw materials began to rise sharply and the exchange rate between the pound and other currencies was unstable. The caused problems with the ‘balance of payments’: imports of goods were valued at more than the price paid for exports.
Many industries and services were affected by strikes and this caused problems between the trade unions and the government. People began to argue that the unions were too powerful and that their activities were harming the UK.
What was the political situation like in Northern Ireland in the 1970s?
The 1970s were a time of serious unrest in Northern Ireland. In 1972, the Northern Ireland Parliament was suspended and Northern Ireland was directly ruled by the UK government. Some 3,000 people lost their lives in the decades after the 1969 violence in Northern Ireland.
Who was Mary Peters?
Mary Peters was born in Manchester (1939-) and moved to Northern Ireland as a child. She was a talented athlete who won an Olympic gold medal in the pentathlon in 1972. AFter this she raised money for local athletic teams and became the team manager for the women’s British Olympic team. She continues to promote sport and tourism in Northern Ireland and was made a Dame of the British Empire in 2000 in recognition of her work.
How did Europe and the Common Market develop?
West Germany, France , Belgium. Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands formed the European Economic Community (EEC) in 1957. At first the UK did not wish to join the EEC but it eventually did in 1973. The UK is a full member of the European Union but does not use the Euro currency.
What changes did Conservative government between 1979-1997 affect and what were the consequences?
Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female Prime Minister, led the Conservative government from 1979-1990. The government made structural changes to the economy through the privatisation of nationalised industries and imposed legal controls on trade union powers. Deregulation saw a great increase in the role of the City of London as an international centre for investments, insurance and other financial services. Traditional industries, such as shipbuilding and coal mining, declined. In 1982, Argentina invaded the Falkland Islands, a British overseas territory in the South Atlantic. A naval task force was sent from the UK and military action led to the recovery of the islands.
John Major was Prime Minister after Mrs Thatcher, and helped establish the Northern Ireland peace process.
Who is Margaret Thatcher?
Margaret Thatcher was the daughter of a grocer from Grantham in Lincolnshire. She trained as a chemist and lawyer. She was elected as a Conservative MP in 1959 and became cabinet minister in 1970 as the Secretary of State for Education and Science. In 1975 she was elected a Leader of the Conservative Party and so became the Leader of the Opposition.
Following the Conservative victory in the General Election in 1979, Margaret Thatcher was the first female Prime Minister and the longest-serving Prime Minister of the 20th century, remaining in office until 1990.
During her premiership, there were a number of important economic reforms within the UK. She worked closely with the United States President, Ronal Reagan, and was one of the first Western leaders to recognise and welcome the changes in the leadership of the Soviet Union which eventually led to the end of the Cold War.
Who was Roald Dahl?
Roald Dahl (1916-90) was born in Wales to Norwegian parents. He served in the Royal Air Force during WWII. It was during the 1940s that he began to publish books and short stories. He is most well known for his children’s books, although he also wrote for adults.
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
- George’s Marvellous Medicine.
