How effective were Labour's reforms? Flashcards
I - Ku
Before the war, there was help available for people, however many still struggled with poverty. Many thought that after the war they didn’t deserve to live on poverty.
I - Ku
The war-time government asked William Beveridge in 1942 to make a report on poverty in Britain. The Beveridge report was used as a base for the welfare state. 5 Giants. : disease, want, squalor, ignorance and idleness.
He ( disease ) - Ku
The government set up the NHS in 1948, which aimed to eradicate disease by offering free health care to all, without any bias on their background or financial situation.
He - Ku
Under the NHS, the public could now freely access false teeth, maternity services and spectacles.
He - Pos A
This meant everyone in Britain could get healthcare, when before more than half had no medical cover, meaning they went without treatment.
He - Neg A
Many hospitals were out of date and in poor condition. This limited the effectiveness of the treatments.
P - ( want )Ku
in 1946 the family allowances act came into law. The act gave payments to all mothers with two or more children, 5 shillings per week per child.
P - Ku
1946 National insurance act. built on previous act where a small payment was made to the government, and they person would get help when they needed it (unemployment and sickness benefit)
P - Pos A
Family allowance act helped those who may have lost their husbands/fathers during WW2. The payment was made straight to the mother, so that it would be spent on household items.
P - Neg A
Did not help families that had only one child, and the payments stopped at 18, forcing young people to work instead of further education.
Ho ( squalor )- Ku
New towns act - 1946 was tasked with improving housing conditions by constructing towns and houses.
Ho - Ku
14 new towns were built by 1951 which created new homes and communities in places like East Kilbride and Glenrothes.
Ho - Pos A
Act moved people out of overcrowded city slums and took them to nicer countryside areas, improved housing and health for individuals.
Ho - Neg A
In the new towns, there were few jobs or facilities in the new towns which meant many people had to walk/travel for distances for work or to socialise.
E ( ignorance ) - Ku
The 1944 Education Act was designed to tackle ignorance by raising the school leaving age to 15, so all children would get a secondary school education.
E - Ku
This saw the introduction of the 11+ exam, so kids were separated into senior or junior secondary schools based on intelligence.
E - Pos A
senior secondary schools focused on academic subjects while junior ones focused on trades, allowing those to get an education based on their skills, and allowed poorer kids to get out of poverty when they grew up.
E - Neg A
The 11+ was criticised because the children that failed often stayed stuck in poverty and others argued it shouldn’t be based on an exam taken at 11.
Factors
Squalor, want, ignorance, idleness, disease
U ( idleness ) - Ku
Government believed that they should control the country’s industries like coal mining, steal works and the rail network, not private companies. Labour eventually took control of these companies.
U - Ku
For example, the bank of england were controlled by the government in 1946 and the iron and steel works in 1950.
U - Pos A
Once the government owned these businesses they could keep them afloat with tax money, which reduced unemployment levels.
U - Neg A
Nationalisation didn’t really help to create new jobs, but only benefited ones in work like miners, who were granted paid holidays.
