Chapter 19 Flashcards
The social and cultural impact of total war
What was the age range of men conscripted by 1942?
18-51
What was the overall size of the armed forces during the war?
4.5 million in the armed forces, 500,000 in the women’s services and 1.75 million in the Home Guard
How much did trade union membership increase by during the war?
From 6.3 million to 8.9 million
What was the most obvious advantage of the long working hours during war?
Full employment, overtime and piece rate work raised average earnings of the working class
What industries were women pushed into during labour shortages?
Shipyards, aircraft factories, munitions engineerings, hospitaks and the docks
What percentage of women were working by 1943?
80%
How was the reception varied for evacuees?
Some were lucky and found welcoming homes where they looked after but many were neglected or mistreated
What was the impact of the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act 1939?
People had to keep black-outs over their curtains at night, no ‘defeatist’ thoughts and censorship was imposed on mail, telegraph lines and newspapers
What was the biggest campaign for the Ministry of Food?
To cut waste of food, of which people were prosecuted for
What was one of the most famous slogans used for propaganda during the war?
‘Careless Talk Costs Lives’
How did the BBC arguably have a ‘good war’?
There were 10 million radio sets by 1945 providing both news and entertainment
During the war, what was the average attendance of the cinema?
30 million
What cities were the primary targets during the Blitz?
London, Coventry, Dover
Who created the Beveridge Report and how many copies did it sell?
William Beveridge and it sold 600,000 copies
What were the ‘Five Giants’ described in the Beveridge Report?
Want, sickness, lack of education, bad housing and unemployment
What were some of the radical aspects of the Beveridge Report?
Making national insurance universal and comprehensive, having a weekly insurance contribution, the ends of means testing
What did the 1944 Butler’s Education Act introduce?
School leaving age raised to 15, compulsory education, maintenance grants for students and the 11+
What did the 1945 Family Allowances Act legislate?
5 shillings were now paid to a family for each child after the first one
What did the 1946 National Insurance Act legislate?
Applied to all workers - provided unemployment, sickness, maternity, old age pension benefits
What did the 1946 Industrial Injuries Act legislate?
Widened and made more generous compensations for injuries and illnesses at work
What did the 1946 New Towns Act legislate?
Began the building of major new towns around London to house those bombed
What did the 1948 National Assistance Act legislate?
Provided basic financial help for anyone who fell through the net of other benefits
How did Bevan compromise with doctors to get their support of the NHS?
Consultants could continue working privately, GPs were not local authority employees and Regional Health Boards were appointed
What were some medical advancements made post-war?
Improvement of blood transfusions and skin grafts, immunisation of tetanus, development of ultrasound
What were some limitations to the success of the NHS?
No unified NHS administrative system, shortage of trained staff and buildings, spending doubled between 1948-51
In what ways did the NHS prove a great success?
Poorer social groups now had access to regular health care, major improvements to infant mortality and TB, was Labour’s most popular reform
What were some limitations of Labour’s reforms?
Welfare benefits remained low, claims for injuries were difficult to prove, the 11+ remained controversial
