The document discusses five key factors that contributed to the creation of the UK welfare state: 1) The Beveridge Report of 1942 outlined a comprehensive social insurance plan that greatly influenced the Labour government. 2) World War 2 exposed widespread poverty and led the government to provide more social services uniformly. 3) The Labour government built upon previous reforms by other parties. 4) Prior governments had failed to adequately address unemployment, healthcare access, and other social issues. 5) The Labour Party had long advocated for greater social welfare and saw creating a welfare state as fulfilling their political beliefs.

1. Why was the Welfare
State created?
Notes for timed essay
Emma Fullarton

2. Introduction
 Welfare state was created; there are
five factors that should be considered
when investigating why it was created;
 Beveridge report
 WW2
 Continuation of work started by others
 Failure of previous governments
 Labour party belief.
Emma Fullarton

3. Topic sentence
 Titmus argues that Britain pre-2945 saw
social reformers that “Were in no way a
Welfare State.” so why after years of
the Laissez-faire policy did Labour
create a Welfare State in 1945?
Emma Fullarton

4. Historian debate!
 Addision credits the influence of the
was whereas Fraser argues that the
Beveridge Report was the most
influential factor.
“Labour’s achievement
was one more of
modernizing than creating
an entirely new edifice.”
PEARCE
Emma Fullarton

5. Primary Quote!
MICHAEL FOOT; LABOUIR CANDIDATE
“We shall not have won the election until...every
citizen in England has a roof over his head,
the chance to marry and bring up his children
safe from the fears of unemployment, sickness
and worry.”
Emma Fullarton

6. Labour Party belief
 FOR
 Labour’s slogan ‘LET US FACE THE FUTUTRE TOGETHER’ ; manifesto of 1945
 Clause iv outlined socialist aims of the labour party
 The labour party was going to make the NHS the best; there shall be health centres
where people can get the best treatment that modern science can develop.
 Conservatives did not want to implement the Welfare state
 ‘Labour will put the Acts not merely into legal force but practical effect
 Nationalised key industries (can be link to next paragraph; WW2)
 Wished to withdraw from the collation gov and fight independently
 First party to represent Workers
 They elected representatives from trade unions .
Emma Fullarton

7. Labour Party belief
 Quotes
 Sir Hartly Shawcross, “ We are the masters at the moment, not only for
a moment but for a very long time.”

 Sir D Fife, “ We are convinced that the great majority of labour voters
elected the government to get things done.”

 Michael Foot, “WE shall not have won the election…until every man in
England has got a good roof over his head, the chance to marry and bring
up his children safe from the fears of unemployment, sickness and worry.”
Emma Fullarton

8. Labour Party belief
 Against
 Labour focused on home affairs in 1945 as Churchill was working on war
affairs.
 Labour and conservatives had similar manifestos, promising health,
education
 Impact of WW2; nationalisation; everyone was happy; why did they not
continue?
 Labour only got into power through the coalition Government. As the seats
were based on previous reforms (proportional representation) this is
when Labour had 30% of votes this then gave then 30% of the seats in the
collation government.
Emma Fullarton

9. Labour Party belief
 Historiography
 Morrison, “Labour Government's record on house
building does not compare well with the pre-war
levels or with the achievements of the conservatives
in late 1950s.”

 Ball, “The labour victory was a product of the
movement of the British opinion and expectations
from the war.”
Emma Fullarton

10. WW2
 For
 Collation government
 1.5million ; mostly children &woman were evacuated
 Children were verminous; shocked middle classed; saw poverty first hand
 20%children evacuated from Liverpool had lice
 Rationing
 Bombing
 People came together; all equal
 Free meals for children ; 1.65million received by 1945
 Hospital care free of charge given to war wounded.
 Nationalisation every one happy :) government were not out to make a profit but
to have full employment to keep the country running through the war
 Unemployment board set up
 EQUALITY OF SACRAFICE!
 After the retreat of the British army from Dunkirk, an new national mood
developed and the people were determined to beat Hitler and create a better
Britain
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11. WW2
 Primary quotation
 Miss Edward, “I think the food authorities did a
wonderful job. There is really no shortage anywhere
of essentials.”
Emma Fullarton

12. WW2
 Historiography
 R M Titmuss “Damage to home and injuries to persons were not less likely
amounting the rich than the poor…. The assistance provided by the government….was
offered to all groups in the community.”
 Callaghan James 1995, “ ...The persuading sentiment was no return to
1919...it was the memory of the ex-servicemen with no legs displaying
their medals on the street corners, with unemployment in the 30s, that
made us all say we are not going back there.”
 J. Beaven, “Everybody felt they should do what they could for someone else if
they were bombed out the nearest families would take them in.”
 R.M Titmuss “The pooling of national resources and the sharing of risks...were
the guiding principles.”
Emma Fullarton

13. WW2
 Historiography
 Macnicol, “Evacuation in war time worked in
the opposite direction of unity.”
Emma Fullarton

14.
Continuation of previous
reforms
 For
 National insurance Act 1946; continued from previous
reform and improved by the advice from the Beveridge
report.
 Ra Butler’s Education Act 1944, continued and improved
 White paper Act 1944, to an extent had medical service but
Labour created a compulsory NHS 1947
 1911 Insurance Act provided specialist eye/dental care
 Education (provision of meals) Act was influenced by the
Labour MP, before they had complete control
 The means testing means abolished but was only a
continuation as the determination of needs Act was already
in place to replace means testing.
Emma Fullarton

15. Continuation of previous
reforms
 Historiography
 Pearce , “Labour’s achievement was more one of modernising than creating
an entirely new edifice.”

 Cootes, “As this occurred though nationalisation of industry showing
the war importance.”
 Pugh, “Substantially this starting the reforms were an important link
between the post-war system.”
 David Dutton, “The major achievements of the Labour party after 1945
was to complete and consolidate the work of war time collation”
Emma Fullarton

16. Continuation of previous
reforms
 Against
 National Assistance Act 1947 NEW!!
 The New towns Act 1946 NEW!!
 Town and country planning Act 1947 NEW!!
 The desultory attitude of the Beveridge report
by Churchill, shows the conservatives
attitude, that they were far less committed in
creating a Welfare State.
Emma Fullarton

17. Continuation of previous
reforms
 Historiography
 Morrison, “The state began to take control
and responsibility for the welfare of the
people from the 1879s and onwards.”
 D. Fraser, “The decisive event in the
evolution of the Welfare state was seen as
the second world war”
Emma Fullarton

18. Failure of Previous
Governments
 FOR
 Pre-war medical help remain to exclude 1/2 the population
 Severe for the woman in particular
 No specialist care; eye/dental
 Doctor fees were high
 1000 hospitals were voluntary, depending on fund raising & contributions
from patients. (first developed by Poor Law Guardians)
 1930 Britain; devaluation of the pound by 30% ; benefits were cut by 10%
and 60% of food relied on imports, but 1 in 4 ships were being bombed in
WW2
 British wanted a Welfare state like Nazi Germany & USA; Roosevelt’s new
deal.
 Government failed to buy themselves out of the recession; this resulted in
Labour’s victory in 1945
 People seen Labour as the future that would protect tariffs and them.
 Policy of State intervention
 Liberals failed to deliver their to build a ‘Land fit for heroes.”
 They cut benefits and delivered no jobs instead.
Emma Fullarton

19. Failure of Previous
Governments
 Historiography
 Addision “The mobilisation of manpower should spell
out the mass unemployment.”
 Lowe “In spite of plenty available advice the
government failed to produce any positive strategy to cure
long-term unemployment.
Emma Fullarton

20. Failure of Previous
Governments
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21. Beveridge
 For
 Beveridge outlined
 1) The appointment of a minister to control all insurance schemes.
 2) A standard weekly payment by people in work as a contribution to insurance fund.
 3) The right to payments for an indefinite period for people out of work.
 4) Old age pensions, maternity grants, funeral grants, pensions for widow and for people
injured at work.
 5) Payments at a standard rate, same for all whatever their private means, paid without a
means test.
 6) Family allowances to be introduced.
 7) A national health service to be set up. (NHS)
Emma Fullarton

22. Beveridge
 In addition the five giants, Want, Disease, Squalor, Idleness and
Ignorance.
 635,000 copies sold; hold the record to this date for a government
publication
 Labour seen it as a success and put it into action
 Appoint a minister to control the insurance systems
 Standard weekly payment by people in work ; N.I and N.A
 Industrial injuries Act, Family Allowance Act
 NHS to be set up; labour did so in 1946
 Labour Minister gave Beveridge the task of leading a committee to
study insurance; resulting ideas all Beveridge’s.
 Ministry of information found the report tot be a major topic
 Beveridge outline 8 principles; non-means tested, flat-rate, integrated,
compulsory, insurance, universal, comprehensive and able to provide
subsistence .
Emma Fullarton

23. Beveridge
 The Welfare State of Britain was the result of the William Beveridge Report in 1942,
which identified five "Giant Evils" in society: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness and
disease.
A series of changes was put in place to deal with these "Giant Evils" after the Second
World War. The changes meant that the government recognized the responsibility to
care for the people of Britain "from the cradle to the grave".
 The Welfare State was a commitment to health (in 1948 the National Health Service
was created), education, employment and social security.
The classic Welfare State period lasted from approximately 1945 to the 1970s,
although many features of it remain today. The British Welfare State is unique in that
everyone has free access to a family doctor and most people get free medical
prescriptions and treatment.
Since the 1980s the government has begun to reduce some provisions: for example,
free eye tests for all have now been stopped and prescription charges for drugs have
constantly risen since they were first introduced in 1951.
 Providing a Welfare State is still a basic principle of government policy in Britain today
Emma Fullarton

24. Beveridge
 Quotations
 James Griffiths ;Labour Mp
 “We are convinced that the nation
wants this plan and this nation ought to
get it”
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25.  Against
 Beveridge was criticised by the private
insurance companies as they felt the report
would take away their business, one of their
reporters declared the Beveridge report to be:
 The Daily mail of the time suggested:
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26. “Too much has been
made of the Beveridge
Report. It is no
revolutionary document.
“The author is an Mainly it is co-ordination
economist of existing services with
turned spend certain modest additions
thrift, there to. It is a beginning ,
destroying not an end and it must not
every vestige be confused with
of self-reliance reconstruction in the
and self help.” large sense.”
Emma Fullarton