Britain Welfare Flashcards
Welfare state in 1918
- gov assistance in 1918 was based on a mixture of Victorian poor laws and welfare from pre war liberals
- local busi pay for workhouse
- unemploy insur intro in 1911 seven shill a week for only 15 weeks a year- only covers 10% of male population
- women workers allowed to claim+ maternity allowance provided
- the view that gov should provide help becomes more pop during the 1st world war
Welfare provisions 1918-39
Unemployment
- Nat. Insur act 1911 seen as ideal sol, employed give mine to find which gives out £ if they become unemploy
- many troops returning were illegible as hadn’t contributed enough
- dole money handed out known as out of work donations given to war veterans
- unemploy 1920 increase amount of people covered
- “seeking work test”introduced mar 1921
- seeking work test had rejected 3 million claims in 9 years
- 1931 means test intro which was hated for being invasive by end of year 400,000 rejected
What did the unemployment act 1931 do
It helped long term unemployed, 26 weeks of benefits payments for the employed in case they become unemployed. It also helped those in long term unemployment with aid from the unemployment assistance board, only a few not helped by UAB including deserted wives and widows
Pensions
- state pensions into 1908 pensions at for over 70s but had to work most of life, didn’t cover widows or children of deceased
- 1925 widows orphans and old age contributory pensions act gives 10 shillings a week to those between 65 and 70 and widows and children, funded by contributions
- self employed were allowed to join after 1937
- lack of change suggest good job but gov more worried about unemployment
Clearance of slums 1918
They were worried about crime and disease so mains and water were added to homes in early 1900s, in 1899 only a quarter of homes in Manchester had flushing toilets
What did the 1919 housing and town planning act do
They aimed to build new houses through central government funds for returning soldiers
How many houses were build before the geddes axe
Only 213,000
Housing act of 1923 and 1924
There was an estimated shortfall of 822,000 homes in 1923 so young married couples had to live with parents, the acts aimed to encourage house building in private sectors, these along with extra act in 1930 ensured 4 million homes were built from 1919-1940
Problem with the new houses
Some estates don’t provide jobs
Impact of the Second World War on welfare
During war idea of welfare provision needing radical change became widely accepted due to:
- severity of depression dur 1930s
- total war led to idea of universalist welfare (or help for all rather than one group) equal share of resources should continue into peacetime
- success of war econ increased the pop of the idea that state intervention could work
- fact that there was a coalition gov during war with lab members ensured that there was cooperation on a number of ideas. Lab promotion of increased welfare through white papers promoted Conservative support
The main recommendations of the beveridge report
- To tackle the 5 giants
- State welfare to be centralised and regulated by the government
- Funded by compulsory insurance payments and did not see the government having to add extra money. He wanted to avoid means testing too.
What were the 5 giants?
- Ignorance- better education
- Disease- NHS
- Squalor- better housing
- Idleness- full employment
- Want- national insurance
Labour government 1945-51 and welfare
After labour car into power they implemented the beveridge report however they rejected the idea of welfare payments being funded by universal insurance from all. Contributions are set at a level adorable by all not just the rich
Welfare consensus
These ideas on welfare were shared by conservatives and labour until the mid 1960s. It was part of the post war consensus
However by 1965 the child poverty action group still estimated there were 720,000 children living in poverty
Britain spent less on welfare than France and west Germany in the 1960s
British economic problems on welfare
- after being elected pm in 1964 Harold Wilson discovered £800 mill budget deficit. Cuts were necessary as sig amount spent on welfare
- as the econ declined during 70s there was a debate over how much should be spent on welfare and its impact upon the econ and welfare recipients
- by 1966 welfare was at 5% of GDP. Wilson increased taxation to meet this demand
