The Making Of Modern Britain Flashcards
what are the causes of poverty
some men’s earnings were not enough to keep a family
difficult to find work
hard to keep a job
large families
illness
drinking and gambling
what were the impacts of liberal reforms
reforms weren’t designed to free people from poverty
only certain types of worker were supported for sickness and unemployment
even though the lib reforms were to help people, poor law was still used
what was the impact of the blitz
middle class people became more aware of the problems of poverty though the experience of evacuation.
people from different classes also came together to do air raid duties like fire watching
people from different classes were brought together in the air raid shelters
both rich and poor faced the same problems such as bomb damage to their homes
people were more sympathetic towards people living in inadequate housing due to the blitz
why was the beveridge report so popular with people
beveridge proposed a system which was open to everyone regardless of class
there would be no return to the hated means test \
national health service would be free to everyone meaning that poor people could recieve good medical attention
proposed fair insurance scheme where everyone would pay the same contribution to recieve the same benefits
promised every family an allowance for every child
what were the attitudes to the poor
aberdeen organisation representative of an industrial city which would experience more poverty
drinking and laziness were causes of poverty
only those willing to work and stay sober are to be helped
why did WWII change peoples attitudes towards the welfare reform
rationing helped encourage the idea of universal sharing of the nations food supply
war highlighted problems that could be overcome by gov eg squalor
poor health of some city children evacuated to the country highlighted the problems of poverty
suffering of war caused determination to create a better society once war was over
other reforms had been made by gov during war such as free health care for war wounded and bomb victims
why did people welcome the labour reforms
free health care - free prescriptions under new NHS
- free dental care
- free optical care
free secondary education for all
national insurance scheme to cover everybody
major new house building programme
why did the libs introduce reforms to support children and elderly
info produced by surveys of pov by booth and rowntree showed extent of poverty among children and elderly
investigators had drawn attention to the fact that many children got no benefits from ed due to hunger/ill health
socialist groups campaigned for school meals and old age pensions
recruits for army during boer war failed basic army medical
poor state of workers made it more difficult for britain to compete with other countries
countries like ger appeared to have benefited from intro of pensions
what was the attitude towards the welfare reform after WWII
labour reformers were unrealistic dreamers
british people should be free to plan their own lives
many british people supported idea of welfare reform
beveridge report was very popular in britain
why did attitudes change to poverty by 1945
rationing - introduced by gov to ensure food was distributed equally
many people agrred with gov support for victims of bombing
evacuation made more MC people aware of effects of poverty
war brought desire for fairer society after war
many people influenced by 1942 beveridge report
what were the main causes of poverty by 1900
poor health - absence of work due to illness would likely result in less money for the family
- if poor and ill then people could not afford medicine
old age - those on low wages unable to save, so when too old for work fell into poverty
death of breadwinner - this would cause many families to fall into poverty very quickly
family size - large families often lived below the poverty line especially when children very young
low pay - work was often seasonal causing temporary poverty
- wages often weren’t enough for average family to live off
what were the reasons for the liberals introducing reforms to help the young
the conditions of the men who fought in the boer war were to little standard
important concern at the time
children were the soldiers of the future
help britain take a step in the way of greater health care
many children weren’t receiving school meals
why did WWII change attitudes to the welfare reform
sense of determination/will to ‘build a better britain’ after war
helped gov see that poverty did still exist when children were evacuated to countryside
‘fair shares for all’ - rationing
brought together rich and poor as both were affected equally
war highlighted the social problems of britain eg five giants
bombing helped classes mix
what were the liberal reforms introduced to help the sick
1907 - childrens medical inspection
NI act part 1 - sick.
contributory scheme- employers, workers and state paid into it
‘9d for 4d’
compulsory for all workers who earned under £160 per year
insured workers recieved benefit when they were off sick (10 shillings per week for 26 weeks, 5 shillings after that)
what are the recommendations of the beveridge report
tackling one of the five giants wouldnt be so good
advised the government to adopt a policy of full employment
tackle all five giants - ignorance, squalor, want, disease, idleness
payments to be at a standard rate without a means test
system of national insurance to cover want
house building/slum clearance to tackle squalor
why did the labour government did not tackle the problem of squalor
by the time of the 1951 election there was still a shortage of 750 000 homes
bombing of world war 2 had a huge impact on the construction of houses
shortage of bombing materials and labour
great deal of slum housing still existed
Bevan was minister for both squalor and health, one was going to suffer
new towns planned but not built by 1951 (12 planned in scotland but only 4 built)
where was there a 1/3 of the population in poverty
london and york
who carried out surveys that proved the result of poverty
Booth and Rowntree
who was Charles Booth
he published the book ‘life and labour of the people in london’
a wealthy man who had an interest in poverty
who was Seebhom Rowntree
he found that there was two types of poverty
what are the two types of poverty
primary - people who earned so little that they could not live on it
secondary - people who did have enough money to live on but spent it all on wasteful things
what happened between 1870 and 1913
ger and usa were improving their mass production, military strength, and world trade production
what are the effects of poverty
lack of education
infant mortality
slum living
poor health
what are the liberal reforms 1906 - 1914
1906 - childrens meals act (wasn’t made compulsory until 1914)
1907 - medical inspections
1908 - childrens charter
1908 - pensions act
1911 - NI act part 1 - sick
1911 - NI act part 2 - unemp
1909 - labour exchanges
1908 - mines act
1911 - shops act
1909 - trade boards act
what are the labour reforms 1945-51
want - 1946 national insurance act
- 1946 industrial injuries act
- 1948 national insurance board
disease - 1946 nhs act
squalor - 1946 new towns act
- 1947 town and country planning act
- 1949 new housing act
ignorance - 1944 the butler education act
what is the ‘want’ giant
this is to do with the benefits that unemployed and employed people can get
what is the ‘disease’ giant
the amount of disease spreading over Britain
what is the ‘squalor’ giant
the conditions of housing in britain
what is the ‘idleness’ giant
the amount of employment in britain
what is the ‘ignorance’ giant
the education system that britain had
what was the benefit for the NI act part 1 - sick
10 s for 26 weeks and 5 s for 13 weeks
what are the causes of poverty
unemployment - workers were laid off due to factories closing as a result of the increased foreign competition
large family size - due to the ‘breadwinner’ having a large family, they would have to bring in more income to help the family stay out of poverty, however they were paid little as they didnt have a good job, therefore the family would fall into poverty, thus being a cause of poverty
bad habits - rather than spending their earnnings on their family to help them get out of poverty, some men would spend their money on wasteful things eg drinking, gambling, causing their family falling into poverty
illness - if the ‘breadwinner’ of the family fell ill then there would be no source of income which would result in the family falling into poverty
low pay - if the ‘breadwinner’ recieved low pay for a long period of time then the family would fall into poverty, as it would not be enough for the family to live on for a week
what are the limitations of the labour reforms
nationalisation was a mixed success. it required a lot of government spending, so therefore costs would rise, which did not help tackle the giant of want
the 11+ exam was more suited to MC children as their parents could coach them for it which did not help tackle ignorance
due to prescription charges being introduced by the NHS some people could not afford it, which didnt help tackle disease as it relied on contributions made by people
children who went to grammar schools were more likely to go to university than children who went to modern secondaries, there was no parity of esteem. meaning that ignorance could not be properly tackled
What are the effects of poverty
Slum living
Poor health
Lack of Education
Infant mortality
What are the labour reforms
1946: National Insurance Act
1946: Industrial Injuries Act
1948: National Assistance Board
1946: NHS Act (didn’t start until 1948)
1946: New Towns Act
1947: Town and country planning act
1949: New Housing Act
1942: The Butler Education Act
Why were the Liberal Reforms introduced
The conditions of the men who fought in the Boer War were unsatisfactory as it took 400 000 British men to defeat 35 000 boers. 50% of volunteers turned away as they were physically incapable
Children were the soldiers of the future
Booth and Rowntree Surveys - 1/3 of London and York in poverty
Charitable aid was a failure - poor law system was hated
Rise of labour - birth of labour raised an electoral threat to libs and Conservs
What are the limitations of the 1906 - Children’s meals act
Children from better off families were expected to pay for their own meals
Act was voluntary - some LAs decided not to provide meals, but this was made compulsory 1914
Difficult to say who deserves meal
What are the benefits of the 1906 free school meals act
Allowed LAs to provide free school meals
Strength and empire continuation
What are the limitations of the liberal reforms
1906 meals act - children from better off families were expected to pay for meals, act was voluntary-some LAs didn’t provide meals (made compulsory by 1914), difficult to see what children deserved meals
1907 medical inspections - reform didn’t provide treatment, only identified problem
1908 children’s charter - if children not cared for by parents then they were put into care homes
1908 pensions act - old people didn’t have to contribute, self help principle was broke, many more claimed pension as result, £8 mil spent instead of £6.5 mil, taxes raised
1911 NI sick - trade unions who objected had to contribute, House of Lords tried to delay reform, only ‘breadwinner’ got benefits, act - compulsory, once used up had to use poor law
1911 NI unemp - no cover for rest of family, provided limited cover, benefit only given to those who earnt less than £160 a year, once used up had to use poor law, only applied to number of industries
1909 labour exchanges - scheme was voluntary, unemployed and employees weren’t compelled
What are the benefits of the liberal reforms
1906 school meals - allowed LAs to provide free school meals to poor children, strength and empire continuation
1907 medical inspections - healthier Bri for army and workforce, state taken big step towards greater healthcare
1908 children charter - allowed inspection children’s homes to take place, set up special juvenile courts so children didn’t have to go to adult prisons, death sentence abolished for children
1908 pensions act - pensions came from post office (handy, convenient, non embarrassing), given to those over 70, pensions good idea
1911 NI act sick - benefits provided, insured workers got 10 shillings for 26 weeks and 5 shillings for 13 weeks, free health care, 9d for 4d
1911 NI act unemp - 7 shillings a week for up to 15 weeks if unemp, highly original, weeks benefit paid for every 5 weeks
1909 labour exchanges - number of exchanges grew quickly, unemp people could go to these exchanges to get work
What are the labour reforms
1946: National Insurance Act
1946: Industrial Injuries Act
1948: National Assistance Board
1946: NHS Act (didn’t start until 1948)
1946: New Towns Act
1947: Town and country planning act
1949: New Housing Act
1942: The Butler Education Act
Why were the Liberal Reforms introduced
The conditions of the men who fought in the Boer War were unsatisfactory as it took 400 000 British men to defeat 35 000 boers. 50% of volunteers turned away as they were physically incapable
Children were the soldiers of the future
Booth and Rowntree Surveys - 1/3 of London and York in poverty
Charitable aid was a failure - poor law system was hated
Rise of labour - birth of labour raised an electoral threat to libs and Conservs
What are the limitations of the 1906 - Children’s meals act
Children from better off families were expected to pay for their own meals
Act was voluntary - some LAs decided not to provide meals, but this was made compulsory 1914
Difficult to say who deserves meal
What are the benefits of the 1906 free school meals act
Allowed LAs to provide free school meals
Strength and empire continuation
What are the limitations of the liberal reforms
1906 meals act - children from better off families were expected to pay for meals, act was voluntary-some LAs didn’t provide meals (made compulsory by 1914), difficult to see what children deserved meals
1907 medical inspections - reform didn’t provide treatment, only identified problem
1908 children’s charter - if children not cared for by parents then they were put into care homes
1908 pensions act - old people didn’t have to contribute, self help principle was broke, many more claimed pension as result, £8 mil spent instead of £6.5 mil, taxes raised
1911 NI sick - trade unions who objected had to contribute, House of Lords tried to delay reform, only ‘breadwinner’ got benefits, act - compulsory, once used up had to use poor law
1911 NI unemp - no cover for rest of family, provided limited cover, benefit only given to those who earnt less than £160 a year, once used up had to use poor law, only applied to number of industries
1909 labour exchanges - scheme was voluntary, unemployed and employees weren’t compelled
What are the benefits of the liberal reforms
1906 school meals - allowed LAs to provide free school meals to poor children, strength and empire continuation
1907 medical inspections - healthier Bri for army and workforce, state taken big step towards greater healthcare
1908 children charter - allowed inspection children’s homes to take place, set up special juvenile courts so children didn’t have to go to adult prisons, death sentence abolished for children
1908 pensions act - pensions came from post office (handy, convenient, non embarrassing), given to those over 70, pensions good idea
1911 NI act sick - benefits provided, insured workers got 10 shillings for 26 weeks and 5 shillings for 13 weeks, free health care, 9d for 4d
1911 NI act unemp - 7 shillings a week for up to 15 weeks if unemp, highly original, weeks benefit paid for every 5 weeks
1909 labour exchanges - number of exchanges grew quickly, unemp people could go to these exchanges to get work
