Effect of WW2 on Welfare (T2) Flashcards
When was the emergency medical service introduced?
1939
Why was the emergency medical service introduced?
To treat casualties of the Blitz in WW2
It was a national emergency healthcare system
What was the role of the emergency medical service?
Don’t answer this I need the rewrite it
Resources were “pooled” and the attitude of the medical profession changed
They were persuaded by the government funding for resources during this time and a boost in their wages.
What was the impact of the emergency medical service?
More people than ever before gained access to healthcare
By the end of the war, the NEHS was treating civilians & evacuated children
More people became sympathetic to the idea of a nationalised health system.
When was the Beveridge report written?
1942
What was the Beveridge report?
A report that called for welfare to be centralised, regulated by the government and funded by a single insurance payment.
What did the Beveridge report create?
A system based on no means testing
At the same time “dependence” on government handouts.
What was the impact of the beveridge report?
It presented a concrete plan for post-war reconstruction of British society and captured the clear feeling of the time that the war was being fought to deliver a better world. An inclusive welfare system would be part of this.
When was the Butler act?
1944
What was the Butler act?
The plan to tackle the giant of “ignorance”.
What did the Butler act change?
- School leaving age was raised to 15 in 1947; Secondary education was made free for everyone
- There would be no fees for attending grammar schools
- There would be T-Schools, Secondary Modern Schools and Grammar Schools.
What was the impact of the Butler act?
- Very few T-Schools were built because of the cost - only 5% of children attended.
- Modern Schools gave general education and only 20% received a highly academic grammar school education.
How did total war boost universalist solutions?
It affected all, it prompted total solutions such as:
- Universal rationing
- Provision of communal bomb shelters
This boosted universalist solutions rather than selective solutions
What were the reasons during WW2 that caused a shift in attitudes among politicians and the public?
- Universalist approach during total war
- Sacrifices made during the war
- Evacuation of children
- State directed war economy
- Government having to borrow money
- Wartie government having to cooperate
How did sacrifices made during the war (i.e. rationing) change attitudes in society?
The sacrifices made led to the public expecting a just reward
There were several discussions of the fair shares that should continue into peacetimes
What did the evacuation of city children during WW2 show?
The evacuation of city children to the countryside showed the extent of poverty in the city
How did the evacuation of children contribute to change after WW2?
The evacuation showed the extent of the poverty in the city - this contributed to the acceptance of the need for change
How did the success of a state directed war economy during WW2 change attitudes in society?
It increased political and popular belief in the political state intervention to improve people’s’ lives after the war
How was Keynesian economics proven to work during WW2?
The war forced the government to borrow + spend large sums of money in pursuit of victory - Keynes’s economic theory was proven to work
How did WW2 change the government’s attitudes?
The war forced a wartime government + led to a greater deal of co-operation over war-time policy
White papers of 1944 was the basis of the 1946 National Insurance Act - this helped to promote conservative acceptance of the act
When was the Beveridge report written?
Dec 1942
Who wrote the Beveridge Report?
William Beveridge
Who was William Beveridge?
A liberal politician with an interest in social reform
June 1941 - he was appointed to head a government committee to investigate welfare provisions + recommend improvements
Why was the Beveridge report set up?
- Set up on Churchill’s request
- Partly to predict future developments
- Tories did not want a repeat of their broken promise of ‘homes fit for heroes’ after WW1
- Clear feeling the war being fought to deliver a better world and more systematic, inclusive welfare system was fundemental
What were the aims of the Beveridge report?
- Protection for all ‘from the cradle to the grave’
- Tackle the 5 giants
- Centralised welfare state
- State welfare should be funded by one single insurance payment
What were the 5 giants Beveridge aimed to tackle?
- Want
- Disease
- Ignorance
- Squalor
- Idleness
How did Beveridge aim to tackle Want?
Through national insurance
How did Beveridge aim to tackle Disease?
Through the NHS
How did Beveridge aim to tackle Ignorance?
Through better education
How did Beveridge aim to tackle Squalor?
By rehousing
How did Beveridge aim to tackle Idleness?
Through maintenance of full employment
How did Beveridge want the provision of state welfare to be run?
He wanted it to be centralised, regulated and systematically organised
How did Beveridge believe that state welfare should be funded?
Entirely by a compulsory single insurance payment - he did not anticipate extra gov. spending on welfare
What was the “santa clause” state?
Everything given for nothing
What did Beveridge want to avoid in his state welfare scheme?
His scheme wanted to avoid any ‘means-tested’ assistance payments + the rise of the santa clause state
As a Liberal he did not want the system to incentivise dependance on the state
What were the Beveridges findings like?
They were not new - although it drew together many findings that had taken place
How many copies of the Beveridge report were sold?
635,000
Why did the prospects made in the Beveridge report seem realistic after WW2?
Winning the war + the “blitz spirit” made the prospects seem realistic and achievable
What did 630,000 copies of the Beveridge report being sold reveal?
That the report was very important - the timing helped its reception
When was the Butler Education Act?
1944
What was the aim of the 1944 Butler Education Act?
- Aimed to tackle the giant of ‘ignorance’
- School leaving age increased to 15 in 1947
- Secondary education made free and universal
- Education follow tripartite model
What was the role of the Emergency Medical Service?
- To help air raid casualties
- To dictate to hospitals health provision
Later used to treat civilians and evacuated children
By the end of the war, how did doctors decide who needed treating?
A 62 page booklet was needed to define who was eligible for treatment
How was the Emergency Medical Service positive for the future welfare state?
Provided the blueprint for the NHS which was established after the war
What was also created during the war alongside the Emergency Medical Service?
The National Blood Transfusion Service
What did the 1942 Beveridge report call for in healthcare?
It called for a National Health Service - in 1944 the government presented a white paper
What was the White paper called that was introduced in 1944 for healthcare?
The White Paper A National Health Service
What did the White Paper A National Health Service call for?
A ‘comprehensive’ and ‘free of charge’ medical service in Britain
What was the tripartite education system?
Pupils would take the 11+ exam + their results would determine whether they went to:
- Grammar schools
- Secondary moderns
- Secondary technical schools
What did T schools specialise in?
Mechanical + technical education
How successful were T schools?
Very few of these schools actually built as they were expensive
What % of students attended T schools?
5%
What did Secondary Moderns specialise in?
They gave general educartion
What % of students were educated at Secondary Moderns?
70%
What could students achieve at Secondary Moderns?
They would normally leave at 15 with a Certificate of Education
What did Grammar schools specialise in?
They provided a highly academic education - they were usually single-sex
What % of students went to Grammar schools?
20%
What could students achieve at Grammar schools?
Most stayed until 16 to take O-level exams
Some then took A-levels and then some went on to university
What did the authors of the 1944 Butler Act hope for?
That there would be a ‘parity of esteem’ between pupils of the different types of school
How did the quality of Grammar schools differ the Secondary Moderns?
Grammar schools had 3x the resources of Secondary Moderns
The 11+ was seen as a pass/fail test - those who did not ‘pass’ condemned to inferior education at a secondary modern
What did Butler fail to do under his 1944 Education Act?
Butler failed to take the opportunity to bring public schools under state control
This created a lasting class divide between state/public schools that persists today
