Rebuilding the Country after 1945

Question 1

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
What was the Beveridge Report?

Answer 1

In 1941, the government set up a Royal Commission under Sir William Beveridge to look into ways in which Britain could rebuild after the war

Question 2

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
Can you describe the ‘five giants’?

Answer 2

1. want - the need for adequate income
2. disease - the need for access to health care
3. ignorance - the need to access to educational opportunity
4. squalor - the need for adequate housing
5. idleness - the need for a gainful employment

Question 3

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
What were the ‘five giants’ that needed to be dealt with?

Answer 3

want, disease, ignorance, squalor, idleness

Question 4

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
Why did the Labour government make changes?

Answer 4

to try to make society a fairer place

Question 5

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
Who was Aneurin Bevan?

Answer 5

the Health Minister for the Labour govt and introduced the National Health Service

Question 6

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
What was the 1946 National Health Service Act?

Answer 6

the proposition of the NHS - Aneurin Bevan’s NHS Act came into effect 5th July 1948

Question 7

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
What would the NHS provide?

Answer 7

free health care to all people.
doctors, hospitals, dentists, opticians, ambulances, midwives and health visitors were available and free to everyone

Question 8

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
how would the NHS be paid for?

Answer 8

a combination of National Insurance contributions and taxation

Question 9

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
Why was the NHS a success?

Answer 9

• it was popular with those who were keen to avoid medical bills
• it provided free health care
• between 1931 and 1961, life expectancy for men and women increased by 10 years

Question 10

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
Why was the NHS a failure?

Answer 10

• it did not have the support of all doctors and many wished to remain in private medical practices. Bevan changed the act to convince doctors to support the NHS, he allowed them to continue to work in private health care
• this was a large cost - in its first year the NHS cost more than £500 million
• in 1951 the labour government had to introduce some dental charges due to cost

Question 11

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
What was the 1944 Education Act?

Answer 11

set the school-leaving age at 15 years old and introduced free secondary schools. education was now offered to all children of all backgrounds

Question 12

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
What was the ‘11-plus’ exam?

Answer 12

it determined which school children would attend:
- grammar school for academic pupils
- secondary modern school for less academic pupils
- technical school to learn practical skills

Question 13

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
Why was the ‘11-plus’ exam system not perfect?

Answer 13

• grammar school children were more likely to go to university
• sitting a life defining test at such a young age was challenging for many pupils
• grammar schools had better resources, better teachers and were more academic than the other schools

Question 14

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
What was the ‘Homes for all’ policy?

Answer 14

the labour govt were keen to improve housing and this was part of their attack on the giant of squalor

Question 15

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
Why was the Homes for All policy needed?

Answer 15

500,000 homes had been destroyed in the war and modernisation was needed

Question 16

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
how many homes did the govt build between 1946 and 1951?

Answer 16

1.2 million

Question 17

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
how many pre-fabs were built and why?

Answer 17

156,623 were built in some areas
they were a quick solution to housing shortages

Question 18

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
what was the New Towns Act?

Answer 18

authorised the building of new towns in places such as Cwmbran in Wales to reduce overcrowding in the city

Question 19

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
why was the new towns act a success?

Answer 19

• helped to relieve the potential pressure of overcrowding
• over 800,000 new homes were built between 1946 and 1951
• some slums were demolished and many houses were improved by the addition of hot water and indoor bathrooms

Question 20

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
what was Nationalisation?

Answer 20

the labour party’s idea of putting control of the main industries under the govt instead of private owners

Question 21

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
which industries did labour nationalise and when?

Answer 21

• coal (1947)
• electricity (1947)
• railways (1948)
• iron & steel (1949)

Question 22

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
why did nationalisation appeal to many workers?

Answer 22

they felt that previous employers such as coal owners were more interested in profit than the interests of the workers

Question 23

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
what were labour’s reasons for nationalisation?

Answer 23

• to lower prices and provide more jobs
• to improve working conditions
• to put workers before profit

Question 24

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
why was nationalisation a success?

Answer 24

• it provided work (1 in 10 british people worked in these nationalised industries)
• the output was increased in several industries e.g. coal
• working conditions in the coal industry improved as workers benefitted from paid holidays and sick pay
• railway lines now linked the more remote areas together

Question 25

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
why was nationalisation a failure?

Answer 25

• it was a massive cost (the govt paid £2700 million in compensations to previous industries)
• the conservative party criticised the whole process
• many believed the process artificially helped declining industries

Question 26

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
what were some overall successes of the reforms that Labour made post-war?

Answer 26

• the NHS brought free healthcare to everyone
• the ‘homes for all’ policy led to new towns e.g. cwmbran and many families benefitted from the prefabs
• education was granted to all for free
• nationalisation improved working conditions in key industries for many

Question 27

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
what were some overall failures of the reforms that Labour made post-war?

Answer 27

• the NHS was unpopular with many doctors and it was seen as running an enormous cost (£500 million in 1st year)
• ‘homes for all’ did not meet its expected targets
• ‘11 plus’ tests were seen as unfair by many and a number of labour members wished for a comprehensive school structure where pupils of all backgrounds and abilities were together
• nationalisation was seen as protecting declining industries and at a cost

Question 28

REBUILDING THE COUNTRY
overall, what did labour achieve?

Answer 28

they created a welfare state where everyone was looked after throughout their lives. However this was very costly and people had to pay for it through high taxes