Rebuilding The Country Flashcards
When was the Beveridge Commission created?
In 1941, by the conservative administration
When was the Beveridge Report published?
In 1942
Which party adopted the Beveridge Report?
The Labour Party
How was the war presented under the coalition government?
As a “people’s war,” meaning that the public had high expectations of rewards following the conflict
What did people want the government to do following the war?
- Reform the social security system
- Reform the healthcare system
- Continue with the free milk for children policy (1940)
- Reform hospital treatment
Name Beveridge’s five priorities
- Want
- Disease
- Ignorance
- Squalor
- Idleness
What was want?
The need for an adequate income for all
What was Disease?
The need for healthcare access
What was Ignorance?
The need for access to education
What was squalor?
The need for adequate housing
What was idleness?
The need for gainful employment
How many copies did the Beveridge report sell within weeks?
635,000
How popular was the Beveridge Report?
After two weeks of publication, 19/20 had heard of the report and 9/10 supported its proposals
How many people were eligible for old age pensions in 1939?
21 million
How many people were covered by government unemployment insurance?
15.5 million
How many people were covered by national health insurance in 1939?
20 million people (maximum half the population)
What did the Beveridge Report propose?
- Extend pension and unemployment insurance
- Health system for all
- Compulsary insurance scheme to eliminate poverty
- A family allowance for second children
- A marriage grant
- A maternity grant
- A death grant
- Remove means test
What was the promise of the Beveridge Report?
To look after the public from cradle to grave (or from Womb to Tomb hehe)
What was the Family Allowance Act of 1945?
A law meaning that families would have money for children after their second.
What did Beveridge suggest to resolve Ingorance?
1944 Education Act
What did Beveridge suggest to tackle want?
- 1945 family allowances act
- 1946 national insurance act
- 1948 national assistance act
What did Beveridge suggest to tackle idleness?
Nationalisation
What did Beveridge suggest to tackle squalor?
- 1946 Housing Production Executive
- 1946 New Towns Act
What did Beveridge suggest to tackle disease?
1946 National Health Service Act
Who was responsible for the creation of the NHS?
Aneurin Bevan
Who did resistance for the NHS come from and why?
The medical profession who were worried about potential cost and loss of status
What proportion of the population received free medical care in 1945?
50%
What was provided during the war?
An emergency medical service: the government provided 1000 new operating theatres and millions of bandages
When was the national health act passed?
1946
Sorry just appreciate this as well
Which establishment was most opposed to the NHS
The British Medical Association (BMA)
When did the BMA’s opposition to state interference go back to?
Opposition to the National Insurance Scheme (1911)
What were the fears of the BMA?
For its members to lose money and become mere civil servants
What was the result of the ballot run in 1948 by the BMA?
84% voted against joining the NHS
When did Bevan schedule the NHS to begin?
On the 5th July 1948, shortly after the poll taken by the BMA
What did Bevan do to appease doctors?
He allowed them to continue to treat private patients
How did Bevan say he had won success?
By “stuffing the consultants’” mouths with gold
How much of the population had signed up to the NHS by 5th July 1948?
75%
How many people were enrolled to the NHS by September 1948?
93%
What percentage of GPs participated in the NHS by 1948?
90%
How much did the NHS cost to run in its first year?
£248 million, almost £140 million more than had been originally estimated
How much had been put aside to pay for free spectacles originally and how long did this last?
£2 million, which lasted only weeks
How many people were issued with NHS spectacles in the first year?
Over five million
How many prescriptions were estimated to be dispensed annually compared to the reality?
140 million, when in fact it increased up to 229 million in 1951
What were annual costs for the NHS by the time Labour left power?
£500 million
What did the Conservatives do when they entered power?
They said they would retain the NHS
When did Labour insist on introducing charges for some dental equipment and for prescriptions?
1951, leading to Bevan’s resignation
When was the Education Act passed?
1944
What did the Education Act do?
It created a Ministry of Education with the aim of creating a national system of education
How was the education of children split?
Into primary, secondary, and further
How was education provided for?
By local authorities
What did local authorities set up for education?
Local Education Authorities
What was the school leaving age raised to in 1947?
15
What was made compulsory by the Education Act?
Daily religious worship
What were the three types of secondary schools?
Grammar, secondary modern, and technical
What was the problem with the grammar system?
People who went to grammar schools had a huge advantage in later life, and few technical schools opened
What did the Beveridge report recommend?
To extend old age pensions and unemployment insurance, to introduce a health system for all, and the ideal that the “benefits” provided by the state should be universal.
What was the immediate response of the government to housing destruction during the war?
To build prefab houses and bungalows as a replacement, designed to last 10 years
How many prehab homes would be needed when the war ended?
200,000
How many prefabs did the government aim to build by the end of the war just in case?
500,000
How many units did the post war government aim to build in the decade after the war?
300,000
How many new houses were built between 1945 and 1951?
1.2 million
Which acts controlled planning?
The New Towns Act 1946 and Town and Country Planning Act 1947
What vision did Bevan have for new developments?
Places where doctors and the working class could live together
What happened to production during the war?
It was taken over by the government
What were the advantages of war for manufacturing?
It helped them recover from the depression
Why did Labour want to nationalise key industries?
Because they were so crucial for recovery
When and how did Labour say it would nationalise?
In its manifesto it said it would commit to a program of nationalisation
Did Labour compensate business owners?
Yes
How much did the compensation paid out total?
£2,700 million
How was nationalisation justified?
On grounds of
- Industrial efficiency
- Creating jobs
- Lower prices for the consumer
When was the coal industry nationalised?
1947
How many coalmine owners were compensated?
840
How many miles of track were bought by the government in 1948?
52,000
Which type of hauliers were brought under British control?
Long distance ones
When was the electricity industry nationalised?
1947
When was the gas industry nationalised?
1948
What was the trend in unemployment rate after the war?
It was 1.6% lower between 1946 and 1950
What was the reaction to the welfare state?
Mostly negative
What was the reaction to the NHS?
Very positive - people found it futuristic
What was the reaction to education reforms?
Positive
What was the reaction to nationalisation?
Mostly positive
What proportion of people were employed in newly nationalised industries?
10%
What proportion of the economy was owned by the state?
20%
