Britain Transformed-Theme 2 Creating a Welfare State

Question 1

What was the state of Welfare provision in 1918?

Answer 1

• Government provision for the poor was in a bad state due to early liberal reforms and Victorian poor laws.
• Role of poor law guardians to support workhouse workers for the few men who had unemployment benefits.
• Introduced unemployment insurance in 1911 however only covered 10% of the working population and only women of upper class men would be permitted to maternity leave.

Question 2

What were workhouses used for, when were they abolished?
What did people attitudes shift to now in accordance to state relief?

Answer 2

• Had originally been used to house impoverished households in exchange for work however some turned into hospitals for support of the sick and injured.
• Abolished in 1930 yet some were still used for public assistance institutions and it was now recognised that the state had a much larger role to play in relief for the poor.

Question 3

What was the effect of Unemployment Insurance Act and when was it passed?

Answer 3

-1920
- Extended social welfare in a number of ways such as National Insurance being extended from the 4 million in 1919 to 11 million by 1921.
- Benefits were increased to 75p for unemployed men and 60p for unemployed women. These were still low compared to average earners such as bus drivers earning £3 a week.
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Question 4

What was the justification of extension of state spending in 1920?

Answer 4

• The need to support unprecedentedly high levels of unemployment.
• Fears that widespread and extreme poverty might lead to a revolution and promote communist ideas.
• The popular desire to support returning soldiers from WWI who risked their lives.

Question 5

What was The National Economy Act 1931?

Answer 5

• Macdonald’s government introduced a means test to limit unemployment benefits.
• The result was it devastated the most deprived parts of the UK and accelerated hardship for the most vulnerable.
• First the means test disqualified short term workers which led to negative effect on men who worked the occasional day in shipyards.
• It led to making more economic sense to be unemployed than work.
• Created a poverty trap leading to the desire for benefits and elaborate scams.

Question 6

What was The Unemployment Act and when was it passed?

Answer 6

-1934
-Built on the 1920 act and continued with the distinction between short and long term unemployment
-First, the act got rid of the 10% cut in short term unemployment benefits, restoring the benefits for first six months of unemployment.
-The cut in long term benefits led to public protests, 300,000 protested against the cuts in South Wales alone. However, after some protests they went back to the old ways on long term benefits, showing the public influence on the welfare system.

Question 7

What was the effect of the Second World War on government intervention?

Answer 7

• Led to a realisation and need for increased government role in unemployment and directing the economy.
• Things such as rationing and evacuations during WW2 showed the government taking control instead of their previous liberal approach.
• Beveridge report significance