1. 1. World War II and the Beveridge Report
THE WELFARE STATE
1. World War II and the Beveridge Report

2. The War: Evacuation Evacuation of cities began in Sep 1939
1.5 million children were evacuated
Children were mainly from poor inner-city areas
20% of Liverpool’s evacuated children had lice
Many children had little knowledge of sanitary habits
Neville Chamberlain felt “ashamed of having been so ignorant of [his] neighbours”

3. The War: equality of sacrifice
Both rich and poor suffered from bombs
61,000 civilians lost their lives to bombs
4M homes were destroyed
Rationing applied to everyone, regardless of social class
Total war mean women and men of all classes did war work - together

4. The War: social security
A healthy workforce was needed to help win the war
State services became available to all members of society
Churchill’s coalition took over in May 1940 – remember Churchill was instrumental during the Liberal reforms of

5. Churchill’s Government
Took over during Britain’s “darkest hour”
Failure at Dunkirk affected Britain’s morale
Labour MPs played a prominent role in Churchill’s cabinet: Attlee; Bevin; Morrison; Greenwood; Dalton and Alexander

6. Social Policies
National Milk Scheme: set up in June ’40. Granted nursing and expectant mothers half-price milk. Eventually very poor women would be granted free milk.
Provision of school milk & meals: school meals and milk became free for all pupils
Immunisation: From 1941 all children could be immunised free of charge – infant mortality levels were greatly affected

7. Social policies (continued)
State nurseries: set up so that women could return to war work
Old Age & Widows’ Pensions Act: set up in 1940 to supplement the income of 3/4M
Determination of Needs Act: set up in 1941 to provide benefit for those who were in poverty; means test no longer included the extended family

8. The Beveridge Report 1942
Officially known as the Report on Social Insurance and Allied Services
Sold 635,000 copies
Dealt with social issues of the time and was to help reform the social security system
Aimed to put an end to the dreaded means test

9. Beveridge and social security
The government should strive to help anyone in need, regardless of age, class or geography
Every adult in the country would have to pay the same proportion of insurance tax to cover the proposed benefits scheme
All insurance schemes would be combined so that there is only one monthly payment

10. The Five Giants
Beveridge talked about the need to tackle the 5 giants but his report only dealt with want. Other problems were:
Disease
Idleness
Ignorance
Squalor

11. Churchill’s response Churchill was pre-occupied with winning the war
The impression of the time was that the govt. did not want to discuss the Report
Churchill spoke on radio about a national insurance scheme that would protect people from the “cradle to the grave” but did not mention Beveridge’s recommendations
The Conservatives lost a lot of support in ’43 elections

12. Three White Papers White papers are proposed Bills of Parliament
Educational Reconstruction (July ’43)
National Health Service (Feb ’44)
Social Insurance (Sep ’44)
These proposals laid the principals of the Welfare State, with two becoming law before the end of WWII

13. The Education Act 1944
RA Butler: (Conservative – President of the Board for Education)
Affected England and Wales
School leaving age lifted to 15
Attendance at Primary and Secondary levels was to be compulsory
Recommended that schools should be divided into grammar schools and secondary moderns
School meals & milk would be provided
School Medical service would be provided

14. Education (Scotland) Act 1946
After the Eleven Plus exam pupils would go to either a senior secondary school or a junior secondary school
Reflected the persistence of social class divisions rather than creating a ‘tailored’ education

15. Family Allowance Act (1945)
Churchill’s “caretaker” government brought in family allowance
Was to prevent a drop in the birth rate
Provided 5s per week for each child after the first
Very small amount of money even by 1940s standards
Allowance was the legal entitlement of the wife

16. Quotes - Historians
“the Luftwaffe was a powerful missionary for the welfare state” AJP Taylor
“the true freedom lay in freedom from want, from disease, from ignorance, from squalor and from idleness. Here in the totality of the vision, was the revolutionary element of the Beveridge Report” D.Fraser

17. Quotes - historians
“All this amounted to no revolutionary proposal. The Beveridge Plan,,, rounded off and carried to their logical conclusion all the established services, but made no extravagant demands on the State.” Bruce

18. Quotes – civil servants & MPs
“…For the rest of my life, I mean to try to make amends by helping such people [the working class] to live cleaner and healthier lives” Neville Chamberlain
“The scheme here is in some ways a revolution but in more ways it is a natural development from the past” Beveridge

19. Quotes – civil servants/MPs
“A dangerous optimism is growing up about the conditions it will be possible to establish here after the war…” Churchill
“It is because we are convinced that the nation wants this plan and that the nation ought to get it, and that we can afford it, that we have put down this amendment” Griffiths (Labour)