Life In Post-War NI & Eire 1945-1949 Flashcards
Why did the Labour Party face a very difficult situation when they took over in 1945?
Country was almost broke
Widespread poverty
Most goods being made in Britain being exported so food could be imported
Coal, bread & potato supplies had almost run out
What was stormont’s reaction to labour’s victory in Westminster?
In past, Labour strongly critical of NI
Some unionists worried about new government, its plan for social reform & cost of it
In the end, NI felt best chance of being economically stable was keeping close relationship with Britain
How was the welfare state created?
During WW2, committee chaired by Sir William Beveridge set up to look into extent of poverty in Britain - they were to come up with ways of improving lives of public
Beveridge report of 1942 recommended government-run benefit system designed to help people from “cradle to grave”
Benefits available to groups like unemployed, retired, etc.
In addition to Beveridge’s proposals, Westminster planned to improve education, housing & working conditions & create national health service
Workers would pay compulsory weekly contribution to state to finance schemes - ‘National Insurance’
Why was the welfare state introduced in NI?
Destruction from Belfast blitz showed urgent need to look after poor & sick who lived in slums or houses not fit to be lived in - 35% houses not fit to live in
Workers crammed into flimsy, back-to-back Victorian houses which shared outside toilet
Polio & tuberculosis common diseases in slums - TC caused 49% deaths of 15-25 year olds
Risk of death giving birth 60% higher than Britain
1 in 8 babies died in Belfast, double the number in Manchester
Government wanted to ensure minimum standard of living for everyone
What was the reaction to the welfare state in NI?
More unionists very concerned as they were conservative & didn’t favour rapid change
They disliked NI’s growing dependence on British Treasury & concerned stormont had to pay for cost of welfare state
Unionists so worried they considered making NI separate country in commonwealth
They only reluctantly agreed to introduce welfare reforms when Westminster, in recognition of contributions made by NI during war, agreed to pay for welfare state
Nationalists were happy as they were to benefit more from plans to improve housing & health
NI’s middle class & medical profession feared what Labour’s policies might mean for them
Less well-off welcomed welfare state
Stormont feared loss of power to centralising government & wondered how they would finance reforms
What was the reaction to the welfare state in Britain?
Most people welcomed welfare state - especially the poor as it helped with their housing & educational problems
Wealthy were displeased when Labour government nationalised industries, Bank of England, etc.
Small business owners feared nationalisation would be extended & affect them
Increased austerity was difficult for many - coal almost ran out & bread & potatoes rationed
Many doctors believed their professional independence would be undermined
Middle class worried taxes would be increased to fund reforms
Others feared welfare would encourage people to live off state rather than seek employment
What was the impact of the welfare state on health in NI?
When NHS was introduced in 1948 people in NI benefitted from: Better organised hospitals Free consultations with doctors Free prescriptions New ‘Tubercolosis Auhtority’ Free dental & eye treatments
Health standards improved greatly & diseases, such as tuberculosis & polio, were almost totally eradicated
By 1962, NI had lowest death rate in UK, having had worst in 1939
What was the impact of the welfare state on benefits in NI?
Old ‘Poor Law’ & Board of Guardians that had been responsible for poor was abolished
Radical, new set of benefits paid out:
Family allowances (1945) - for children
Unemployment (1946) - without a means test
National assistance (1948) - for the needy
Maternity benefits
These payments improved quality of life for poorest groups
What was the impact of the welfare state on housing in NI?
NI spent little on building houses before 1939 & housing shortage made worse in 1941 when over 50,000 damaged & destroyed in blitz
Report in 1944 revealed that 43,000 houses unfit to live in
In 1945, housing trust set up to oversee building of workers’ houses
Methods & materials improved - over next 20 years, 100,000 homes were built
However, local council didn’t build sufficient houses for number of people needing them & method used to allocate houses to tenants caused friction between unionists & nationalists
Way in which council houses were given to people meant that not all benefitted equally
What was the impact of the welfare state on economy in NI?
There had been long-term decline in some traditional industries, such as linen & shipbuilding
1945 Industrial Development Act incentivised building new factories
Agricultural Act gave government grants to farmers & guaranteed food prices, made farmers more prosperous
However:
75% of new factories opened were based around Belfast, annoyed other regions & unemployment remained high compared to other parts of UK
Introduction of modern methods of arming led t unemployment in farming sector
What was the ‘Education Act’ & what was its impact on education in NI?
School leaving age raised to 15 - over following 8 years students in post-primary doubled
Education authorities had to provide transport, mil, meals, books stationary & health care to all schools
New secondary schools constructed to cope with increased numbers in education, while funding for voluntary sector increased to 65%
Scholarships provided to allow more people to access third-level education
Teacher training provision improved in both catholic & protestant sectors
Reforms greatly helped catholics. In spite of poor backgrounds, more catholic children could go to secondary schools & universities
As more catholics were educated, some began to speak out against inequality & discrimination NI
Overall education level of NI population increased
Total number of pupils in secondary education doubled between 1947 & 1955
New, modern schools built to accommodate increase
Free medical check-ups helped improve children’s health
Demand of catholic & Protestant churches for separate schools reinforced religious segregation
What were the differences economically between NI & Eire in 1945-1949?
Unlike Britain’s & NI’s economy, which got recovered after WW2, Eire’s went into severe depression, because:
Agriculture & industry had shrunk massively during “The Emergency”
Eire didn’t receive Marshall Aid - a gift from USA to help European countries affected by WW2 - due to its neutrality during war
Eire was isolated economically, particularly by Britain, which resented Eire’s limited role in war
Wet summer in 1946 followed by severe winter in 1946/47 led to fall in crop production
In January 1947, DV announced Eire was still in state of emergency
What were the differences in politics between NI & Eire in 1945-1949?
Fianna Fáil & DV became increasingly unpopular during depression as inflation & unemployment soared
Sever shortages of coal & very few new homes built because of shortages of building materials
Wartime rationing continued & was extended to bread
Welfare benefits virtually non-existent
Standard of living in both parts of Ireland were equal before war, but huge differences after 1945 welfare state
People in Eire wanted same improvements, especially in health, education & unemployment benefits - wave of strikes broke out
Problems led to creation of new political parties, such as Clann na Poblachta in 1946 - led by former IRA chief of staff Sean MacBride
What reforms did the inter-party government introduce economy?
In 1948 general election, DV & Fianna Fáil lost power for first time since 1932
DV’s government replaced by coalition made up of lots of parties
Fine Gael’s John A. Costello appointed Taoiseach inter-party government
Inter-party government hoped to transform Eire into modern industrial & exporting county by:
Increasing state investment in economy
Industrial Development Authority (IDA) set up to assist new industries
Housing program started
£40 million spent to bring 4 million acres of under-used farm land back into full production
Coras Trachtala established to promote Eire’s exports, initially in USA & Canada
Trading agreement with Britain helped agricultural exports for 4 years
What reforms did the inter-party government introduce for welfare?
£30 million spent on fighting tuberculosis - within few years, almost eradicated
Housing programme saw 12,000 new houses built annually
However:
No welfare so people still had to pay for medical treatment
Not enough houses due to shortage of building materials
