Political, Social and Economic Developments in Post-War Wales and England Flashcards
Why did the Labour Party win the 1945 General Election?
They promised to help poor people by bringing in the Welfare State.
The Conservative Party was not popular because people blamed them for the Depression and they relied too much on the popularity of Winston Churchill.
What was the Welfare State?
The Welfare State was the set of laws (social reforms) brought in by the Labour government from 1945-1951 to protect and help people in Britain “from the cradle to the grave”. It was introduced based on the findings of the Beveridge Report.
What were the two main parts of the Welfare State?
1946 National Insurance Act
1948 National Health Service Act
Want
1946 National Insurance Act
Ignorance
1947 Education Act (First passed in 1944)
Disease
1948 National Health Insurance Act
Idleness
1948 Employment and Training Act
Squalor
1946 Housing Act 1946 New Towns Act
Describe the housing policy of the Post-War Labour government.
Homes for All.
Aneurin Bevan was the Minister for Health and Housing.
Nearly 1 million homes were built, not as many as Labour wanted.
Describe the Social Security policy of the Post-War Labour government. 1946 National Insurance Act.
This was the most important part of the Welfare State, along with the NHS.
James Griffiths was Minister of National Insurance.
Sickness benefit, unemployment benefit, pensions, maternity grants, death grants, widows’ pensions.
How important was the 1948 National Health Insurance Act?
Very important.
It was the most important part of the Welfare State along with the 1946 National Insurance Act.
Aneurin Bevan was the Minister for Health and Housing in charge of it.
For the first time ever everyone in Britain was entitled to free medical care: visits to the doctor and hospital, eye tests and spectacles, dental care; prescriptions and more.
How successful was the Labour Government’s policy of nationalisation?
In some ways it was successful. The government took control of important industries. Workers were pleased to have better wages and better wages especially in the coal industry.
In other ways it was not successful. It cost too much money. It got rid of competition, which was not good for business.
Explain why the Labour Party lost the 1951 General Election
Taxes had risen to pay for the Welfare State, nationalisation and the Korean War.
Rationing (Age of Austerity) was still going on.
Some of Labour’s leading politicians had died, retired or simply run out of energy.
