U2 - The Labour Reforms of 1945-51 Flashcards
RECAP: The situation in Britain during WW2
- Throughout WW2 Britain was run by a coalition Government made up of Liberal, Labour and Conservative politicians
1945 Election
Labour: 393 seats - 47.8%
Conservatives: 213 seats - 39.8%
Liberals: 13 seats
Others: 45 seats
Landslide 1st ever Labour majority
Five Giants
- Want
- Ignorance
- Disease
- Squalor
- Idleness
Want Acts
- The Family Allowance Act 1946
- Industrial Injuries Act 1946
- National Assistance Act 1948
Want - The Family Allowance Act 1946
- Passed by wartime coalition government
- 5s per week was to be given for each children after the first
- Legal entitlement of the mother not the father
- The amount was very small, even for 1945 standards
- Hoped that it would help to keep wage demand down
Want - Industrial Injuries Act 1946
- Compulsory for all workers
- Paid through contributions by workers and employers
- Applied to anyone injured at work
- Benefit for 6 months
- If the injury lasted beyond the person was entitled to a pension
Want - National Insurance Act 1946
- Compulsory for all workers
- Covered sickness and unemployment benefits, maternity benefits, widow and guardian benefits, old age and a death grant
- Act would pay for itself as long as unemployment was less than 8.5%
- Ministry of National Insurance set up: 40,000 civil servants to run the system (determined to work)
Want - National Assistance Act 1948
- Covered those who couldn’t afford to make insurance contributions e.g unemployed, low wages or handicapped
- The main claimant had to pass a ‘Needs Test’
- Payments were low: could be a weekly or one-off payment
- This act did away with the workhouse
Criticisms of Social Security (WANT) - negative
- Benefit levels were fixed for 5 years but prices rose (inflation) and money was worth less
- Benefits were only 19% of an average wage and not enough to keep people above the poverty line
Criticisms of Social Security (WANT) - positive
- The population was covered from the ‘cradle to the grave’
- If people were in need the government would be there to help
- Poverty was reduced but not eliminated
Want - Analysis/EV
- Collectively acts did provide care from ‘Cradle to the grave’
- Did away with the poorhouse
- However government rejected Beveridge’s principle and benefits were low
- National Assistance was meant to be a safety net ended up being relied on than anticipated
Ignorance - Butler’s Education Act 1944
Who implemented it
- Labour implemented this act passed by the wartime coalition
Ignorance - Butler’s Education Act 1944
Most important terms of the act
- The school leaving age to be 15 and then 16 as soon as possible (16 didn’t happen until 1972)
- There were to be 3 stages of education - Nursery, Primary and Secondary - P & S were compulsory and free
- Pupils to sit an examination at 11 in England (the 11-plus) or 12 in Scotland (the ‘qualy’). The result would determine which type of secondary school they’d go to
Ignorance - Butler’s Education Act 1944
Most important terms of the act - Examination passed
- Go to a grammar school (England)
- A senior secondary school or an academic education (Scotland)
Ignorance - Butler’s Education Act 1944
Most important terms of the act - Examination failed
- Go to a secondary modern school (England)
- Junior secondary (Scotland)
- These are for more practical education