T2 01-07 UK starter Flashcards
Explain why there was a shift towards a more comprehensive welfare state (1939-1951?)
*Legacies of the 1930s and hardships of WWII
*Shift to a more collectivist attitude
* The Beveridge Report 1942
Explain at least one reason why Clement Attlee won a landslide at the July 1945 General Election?
- Let us Face the Future supported BR
- Labour MP’s service during Wartime Gov.
- Tory problems (Associated with hardships of the 1930s and mistakes in their campaign)
List at least two Acts that were introduced by Attlee that made up his ‘New Jerusalem’ (Welfare State)?
- The Family Allowances Act, 1945
- The National Insurance Act, 1946
- The Industrial Injuries Act, 1946
- The National Assistance Act, 1948
- Creation of NHS 1948
Explain what happened to the Welfare State between 1951-1964?
It continued under the Conservatives, creating the post-war consensus
Define the ‘New Right’ and why they challenged the welfare state?
‘New Right’ - A branch of political (and sociological thinking) that emerged in the 70s. Inefficiency, inflation and dependency culture.
What acts/bodies began to expand healthcare provision in the interwar years?
Ministry of Health (1919)
Local Government Act (1929)
Emergency Medical Service (1939)
What problems existed in healthcare in the interwar years?
Regional Inequality
Many had to rely on private health insurance
Less than half the population insured against illness by 1929
What caused the creation of the NHS?
Emergency Medical Service - blueprint for national health system
The Beveridge Report 1942
What were the principles of the NHS laid out in the National Health Service Act 1946?
Healthcare would be universal, comprehensive and free at the point of use
How was the NHS to be structured?
A nationalised, tripartite system
Who worked as part of the National Government and was the Minister for Labour during the Second World War?
Ernest Bevin - Bevin was committed to improving workers conditions
How much of the civilian population was involved in war work by 1944?
33% of the civilian population, including 7m women
How much of the civilian population was involved in war work by 1944?
33% of the civilian population, including 7m women
What two laws were introduced that impacted on employment during the Second World War?
- Bevin introduced the Essential Work Order 1941: tied people to jobs considered essential to war effort
- Control of Employment Act 1939: allowed semi-skilled workers to take formerly skilled jobs
What happened to levels of employment during the 1950’s and 1960’s?
In the 1950s and 1960s, with better education and a buoyant economy, people had more employment choice. As technology developed, there were more opportunities, for example, in electronics, light engineering and the provision of consumer goods.
What event, starting in 1798, signalled the need for radical and immediate improvements in Industrial Relations?
The Winter of Discontent. A wave of strikes erupted across Britain as workers rejected the Labour government’s attempt to impose wage limits in the face of rising inflation
Explain the term welfare state?
Spending from the government to improve health, education, employment and support people.
Briefly bullet point two examples of “welfare” provided by the gov before 1918?
- Victorian poor laws
- Liberal Reforms
Explain what the Unemployment Act 1920 did?
Set up the dole system →provided 15 weeks of unemployment benefits to over 11 million workers
Why was the provision of welfare reduced in the 1930s?
The Great Depression harmed the economy, fuelling high unemployment and low tax returns
What two acts reduced the provision of welfare in the 1930s?
- The National Economy Act 1931 → introduced a means test and requirement to reapply for benefits after 6 months
- The Unemployment Act 1934 → reduced long-term benefits
Explain why there was a shift towards a more comprehensive welfare state (1939-1951?)
*Legacies of the 1930s and hardships of WWII
*Shift to a more collectivist attitude
* The Beveridge Report 1942
Explain at least one reason why Clement Attlee won a landslide at the July 1945 General Election?
- Let us Face the Future supported BR
- Labour MP’s service during Wartime Gov.
- Tory problems (Associated with hardships of the 1930s and mistakes in their campaign)
List at least two Acts that were introduced by Attlee that made up his ‘New Jerusalem’ (Welfare State)?
- The Family Allowances Act, 1945
- The National Insurance Act, 1946
- The Industrial Injuries Act, 1946
- The National Assistance Act, 1948
- Creation of NHS 1948
Explain what happened to the Welfare State between 1951-1964?
It continued under the Conservatives, creating the post-war consensus
Who began to criticise increased welfare spending in the late 1950s?
Three Conservative treasury ministers, including Enoch Powell
List three broad reasons why the welfare state came under increasing pressure between 1964-1979?
- Britain’s economic decline
- New Ideas (New Right, Neoliberalism & Monetarism)
- Changes in attitude Eg. Collectivist attitudes shifts towards more aspirational attitudes.
Describe in a few words what happened to welfare spending under Wilson and Heath?
Funding increased
E.g. 1970 National Insurance Act
Who started to dismantle and curb the size and the influence of the welfare state?
Margaret Thatcher PM (1979-1990)
When was the NHS officially set up?
1948 - following on from the initial National Service Act in 1946.
What were the main reasons why the Labour party and Clement Attlee won the 1945 election?
- Effective Reorganisation during WW2
- Followed and promised to meet the proposals set out in the Beveridge Report. ‘From the cradle to the grave’.
Describe 3 bodies/acts that further developed the NHS after its establishment?
Hospital Plan 1962
NHS Reorganisation Act 1963
Resource Allocation Working Party
What challenges did the NHS increasing face?
Rising costs
Aging Population
Growing expectations
List a few broad reasons why the welfare state AND the NHS came under increasing pressure between 1964-1979?
What was the name of the political and sociological group who began to resent welfare spending in the 1960’s/70’s?
The New Right
What were their three reasons why the welfare state should be reduced?
Inefficient and limited freedoms
Encouraged inflation
Encouraged a dependency culture
Who became leader of the Conservatives in opposition in 1975, and would go on to limit the size of the welfare state?
Margaret Thatcher PM (1979-1990)
What did the Fisher Report 1918 do?
Raised school leaving age to 14
Proposed more technical colleges
Government took more control of funding
What did the Butler Act 1944 do?
Introduce a tripartite system (secondary moderns, technical and grammar schools) - free for all
Raised the school leaving age to 15
What were the limitations/problems associated with the Butler Act?
Left of Labour Party: Socially divisive
Technical schools too costly (3% pupils went there)
Secondary moderns were underfunded
What motivated Wilson to introduce a comprehensive system and how did it change by 1979?
Issues with the tripartite system
The Crowther Report - teaching needed to improve
The Newsom Report - 50% of pupils were being left behind!
Went from insignificance to dominant form of schooling (over 3000 in the country)
Why did a comprehensive system not fully develop in England by 1979?
Much of the middle class were opposed to abolishing selection/public schools
Labour didn’t want to antagonise them
1976 Education Act failed to abolish selection
What new ideas about education emerged in schools in the 1960s?
Child-centred learning - Plowden Report 1967
What was the backlash to these ideas about education that emerged in schools in the 1960s??
Black Papers 1969 - teachers had lost authority
Yellow Book 1976 - progressive education damaged teaching
Ruskin Speech 1970s - failed when applied incorrectly
What was university provision like in the interwar years?
Oxbridge reserved for the privileged
Widening access to ‘redbrick universities’
Some grants/funding from LEAs
University was considered fairly irrelevant
What made university more accessible in the post-war period?
More pupils considering university due to Butler Act
Over 20 universities opened in the 1960s
Student funding increased from 1950s
Polytechnics opened
Open University
Thatcher increased grants by 40% in early 70s
How did university admissions change in the 1970s?
Both Labour and Conservative govts began to reduce university targets and funding - number enrolling in university was slowing down
