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)