labour reforms - COMPLETE Flashcards
what party was in charge during ww2?
britain was run by a coalition government made up of liberal, labour and tory politicians
what was the breakdown of seats in the 1945 election?
labour - 393 (47.8%)
tories - 213 (39.8%)
liberals - 13
others - 45
give details on labours 1945 election success.
it was a landslide win and labours first ever majority
who was william beveridge?
a british economist who wrote a report on poverty and social reform, where he introduced his concept of the five giants of poverty
what were beveridge’s five giants?
want (poverty) ignorance (education) disease (healthcare/NHS) squalor (housing) idleness (unemployment)
name the reforms passed by labour to tackle want.
family allowance act 1945
industrial injuries act 1946
national insurance act 1946
national assistance act 1948
what was the family allowance act, which was passed by the coalition but implemented by labour?
- 5s per week for each child after the first
- legal entitlement of the MOTHER, not the father
- very small amount but it was hoped that it would keep wage demands down
what was the industrial injuries act?
- compulsory for all workers
- paid through contributions by workers and employers
- applied to anyone injured at work
- benefit for 6 months
- if the injury lasted beyond that the person was entitled to a pension
what was the national insurance act?
- compulsory for all workers
- covered sickness, unemployment, maternity, widow and guardian benefits, old age and a death grant
- ministry of national insurance set up with 40,000 civil servants to run the system (determined to work)
- would pay for itself as long as unemployment was under 8.5%
what was the national assistance act?
- covered those who could not afford to make insurance contributions such as the unemployed, the poorly paid or the handicapped
- main claimant had to pass ‘needs test’
- payments were low; could be weekly or a one-off grant
- did away with the workhouse
give some analysis for social security.
- benefit levels were fixed for 5 years but prices rose (inflation) and money was worth less
- benefits were only 19% of the average wage and not enough to keep people above the poverty line
- however, the population was covered from ‘the cradle to the grave’, if people were in need the government would be there to help
- poverty was reduced but not eliminated
give some analysis/evaluation for the want reforms.
- care from cradle to grave
- took away poorhouse
however
- benefits were low
- national assistance become more than a safety net
name the reforms passed to tackle ignorance.
- butlers education act 1944
- school building
what was butlers education act?
- school leaving age raised to 15 , then 16 as soon as possible (didn’t happen until 1972)
- three stages introduced: nursery, primary, secondary
- primary and secondary compulsory and free
- at age 11 (england) or 12 (scotland) children would sit an exam that determined whether they would receive an academic education (pass) or a practical one (fail)
what was the school building reform?
prioritised because:
a) many schools damaged/destroyed during the war
b) school leaving age raised and secondary made compulsory
by 1980, 1176 schools had been built or were under construction
give some analysis/evaluation for ignorance.
- very few technical schools were built so a two-tier system developed
- supposed to be ‘parity of esteem’ between Grammar and Secondary Modern schools but it was clear that a first-rate, second-rate structure was in place
- this reflected and exacerbated social and class divisions in society as a whole
- divisive system was also not suited to late developers
- overall, labour did not do enough to address the educational needs of working-class children
what caused the major housing shortages at the end of WW2?
700,000 homes had been destroyed in the war
how many houses were needed in scotland?
469,00
what fraction of all homes needed repair and renovation?
one third
aside from houses, what else was in short supply?
construction workers and building materials (which were also expensive)
which body was responsible for housing and who was in charge of it?
the ministry of health, led by aneurin bevan
what was the first priority in reducing squalor?
housing the homeless
what war-time policy did the government continue with in regards to housing?
putting up pre-fabricated (prefab) homes
what were prefabs?
ready-made factory built houses that would be put up quickly
how many prefabs were built and how long were they used for?
157,000 were built and were used for much longer than originally planned
name the acts the government introduced to tackle squalor.
the new towns act (1946)
town and country planning act (1947)
what was the new towns act and what did it do?
12 new towns (including east kilbride and glenrothes) were created to resolve overcrowding in cities
these communities were carefully planned - industrial areas would be built away from housing areas and they would have schools, shops and leisure facilities
what was the town and country planning act?
this act meant that local authorities could buy land for building low cost homes and would receive a 75% subsidy for building council houses
how effective was the town and country planning act?
by 1951, 700,000 houses had been built
but there was still a shortage of about 750,000 homes
poor housing and homelessness were still serious problems
give four successes of labour’s attempts to tackle squalor.
- prefabs provided temporary housing
- 700,000 council houses built
- 12 new towns designed and built
- a great deal achieved despite shortages and costs of workers and materials
give four failures of labour’s attempts to tackle squalor.
- many prefabs used much longer than planned
- government did not create separate ministry of housing
- 750,000 homes still needed
- homelessness and poor housing continued
give some analysis/evaluation for squalor.
- housing shortage main reason labour lost 1951 election
- still 750,000 fewer houses than households
- poor compared to previous governments in housing terms, e.g. National Governments of the 1930s
HOWEVER
- given social and economic circumstances (post-war economy, shortages) labour should not be judged too harshly
between what years did unemployment rise and what caused the increase?
between 1945-46 when demobilised servicemen and women returned from war
when did unemployment peak?
in 1947 at 480,000
how did unemployment in the 40s compare to the 30s?
the massive levels of unemployment in the 30s were never reached in the 40s
what did hugh dalton (labour chancellor) think of the party’s work against idleness?
low unemployment was “the greatest revolution brought about by the labour government”
what did the government do to tackle idleness?
negotiating marshall aid from the usa
nationalising certain industries
encouraged american businesses to come to the uk
what was marshall aid used for by the labour government?
to subsidise the rebuilding of britain’s infrastructure, thereby creating jobs
which industries were nationalised and what effect did this have?
coal, electricity, steel, gas, railways and the bank of england
this protected jobs more than it created them
which american businesses set up in dundee?
NCR and Timex, which gave employment to thousands in the 40s/50s
what alternative reasons were given for low unemployment, as opposed to labour’s policies?
the baby boom removed many women from the workforce
export industries boomed (cars, motorcycles, chemicals) which created many jobs
give some analysis for idleness.
- unemployment remained low compared to 1930s figures
- hugh dalton quote
however
- dalton’s words not completely true, low figures were due to a mixture of policies, private industry, local councils and the baby boom
when was the NHS introduced?
act passed in 1946, implemented on july 5 1948 (the ‘appointed day’)
who was minister for health and housing and what implication did this have?
aneurin bevan headed both bodies, which suggests labour did not take these issues that seriously if labour had one man for the two jobs
where did the NHS get it’s funding?
9% came from national insurance, the rest from taxation
how did doctors feel about the NHS?
at first 2/3 doctors were opposed to it but were persuaded by beveridge, who allowed consultants to retain their private patients and guaranteed them a fee per patient
the nhs was free at the point of use and provided what services?
GPs specialist treatment hospital treatment dentists opticians prescriptions
how much did the nhs cost by 1950?
£358 million
what did the government do in 1951 to reduce the cost of the nhs?
they introduced PET (prescriptions, eyes, teeth) charges for prescriptions, eye care and dental care
what did bevan do when PET charges were introduced?
resigned, as he was opposed to these charges
give some analysis for disease.
- major reform, largely successful
- massive demand shows necessity
however
- enormous expense was shocking (£358 million by 1950)
- strained post-war meant that charges had to be introduced (PET) which caused bevan to resign
NEVERTHELESS, the nhs was “arguably the biggest single achievement in the story of the welfare state” - RC Birch
did the labour reforms establish a welfare state? (conclusion)
by 1951, a welfare state definitely existed
- secondary education now available for all up to age 15
- firm commitment to ridding britain of squalor
- for first time government accepted responsibility for mass unemployment
- comprehensive universal system of social security
- comprehensive, universal, free health service
- cradle to grave care/support
