1. The Experience of War

2. Aims: Define what we mean by the term ‘welfare state’.
Examine the impact that the Second World War had on peoples’ lives.
Assess how attitudes towards the government changed.

3. Think….
What help can the government provide us with at the following points in our lives?
Unemployment
Can’t work due to ill health
Having children
Retirement
Going to school or university

4. Welfare State Definition
A social system whereby the state
assumes primary responsibility for
the welfare of its citizens, in areas
such as health care, education,
employment, and social security.

5. The Outbreak of War War was declared on the 3rd of September 1939.
The first year was described as the “phoney war”
The serious fighting began in earnest in 1940.

6. How Were the Lives of British People Affected by the Second World War?

8. 1940
The British Army had to be evacuated from Dunkirk. A serious setback which was turned into victory.
The Battle of Britain, fought in the air, saved Britain from German invasion.
There was a new national mood and a determination to defeat Hitler and create a better Britain.

9. The Government
Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister.
He formed a Coalition government including all the main parties
Some Labour MPs were given important jobs
Clement Atlee became deputy Prime Minister and Ernest Bevin the Minister of Labour.

10. Evacuation
The government was afraid the Germans would bomb British cities.
Plans to evacuate school age children from the cities to the country were put into operation.
The condition of children from deprived areas shocked middle class country dwellers.
Around 1 million children and young mothers were evacuated.

11. Effects
Different sections of society met up and socialised with each other in a way that had never happened before.
It raised awareness of continuing social problems.
It helped unite Britain and give its people a common experience and purpose – helping one another and making the country a better place.

12. Bombing
The Germans bombed key factories, transport and communication links.
London was bombed every night for three months. This was known as the ‘Blitz’.
Other big industrial towns like Manchester, Liverpool and Coventry were targeted.

13. Scotland In Scotland Glasgow, Dundee, Edinburgh were bombed.
Aberdeen was the most bombed city in Scotland with 34 attacks.
The most famous raid was on Clydebank when 1,000 people died.

14. Effects
Very often bombers missed their targets and civilian areas were damaged.
The homes of the rich and poor alike were damaged.
People of different classes were brought together whether sheltering together in air raid team or working as part of the air defence team who searched for survivors and tried to help those who were bombed .
The government had to help all groups in society.

15. Rationing 60% of British food supplies came from abroad.
The Nazis controlled most of Europe.
Shortages led to queues and rising prices
The government had to ensure there was a fair amount of food for all

16. Rationing Food rationing was introduced in 1940
Clothes rationing was introduced in 1941.
The Ministry of Food was set up to oversee this.
They calculated what would be health diet for British people.
They also used propaganda to promote food economy and healthy eating.

17. Health The government also took direct control of the nation’s health.
Various measures were introduced to promote the nation’s health.
For example e.g. national milk scheme, schools meals, immunisation, family allowance.

18. Effects
Rationing demonstrated the principle of universal and equal share of the national cake
No one should profit from the war when everyone was fighting the same war.
However a ‘black market’ did exist for those who could afford to pay.

19. Changing Expectations
During the war all groups – rich and poor – suffered and shared the same experiences.
The government had to take greater control of the economy and peoples’ lives if Britain was to win the war.
People realised that government intervention could improve the quality of their lives.
There was no point in being at war if Britain did not become a better country to live in when the war was over.

20. The Impact of the War Read pages 50-52 of your workguide.
Answer questions 1-3 from page 53 of your workguide.
How many people were killed and how many homes were destroyed by German bombers?
Why did the government had to introduce rationing?
Explain how the rationing system worked.
What other measures were introduced by the government to promote children’s health?
Explain how the war changed peoples’ attitudes towards government intervention.

21. William Beveridge Born in India. Trained as a lawyer
As a civil servant he helped with the introduction of National Insurance and Labour Exchanges under the Liberal Government.
1919 became Director of the London School of Economics and held positions in London and Oxford Universities.
Involved in the planning of rationing which was introduced in 1940.
In 1941 he was asked by the coalition government to investigate how improvements could be made to the system of providing sickness and unemployment insurance.

22. The Beveridge Report 1942
Beveridge argued that British society faced ‘Five
Giants’ or key problems.

23. The Beveridge Report According to Beveridge the 5 Giants
could be tackled:
Want - comprehensive social security system
Disease - new national health service
Idleness - full employment
Ignorance – reforming the education system
Squalor - new house building and slum clearance programme

24. The Beveridge Report ‘The purpose of victory is to live in a better
world than the old world; each individual citizen
is more likely to concentrate upon his war
effort if he feels his government will be ready
in time with plans for that better world.’
The Beveridge Report, 1942

25. People were also expected to save.
The Beveridge Report
The new system had to be based on certain principles:
Universal – it was to be the right of every citizen.
Comprehensive – everything would be covered by one flat rate national insurance payment.
Adequate – the money people received would protect them from serious hardship.
People were also expected to save.

26. The Beveridge Report
Beveridge was proposing a new social security system funded from national insurance that would meet peoples’ needs from the ‘cradle to the grave’.
All people in work would pay a weekly flat-rate contribution into the state insurance fund.
The Beveridge Report became a bestseller and the public bought over 635,000 copies.
Not everyone enthusiastically welcomed Beveridge’s recommendations.

27. Reaction to the Beveridge Report
‘I hope that report gets whittled away. I am
all for educating the people into being less
awful, less limited, less silly….but not for
giving them everything for nothing.
Vita Sackville-West writes to her husband, an
MP, in December 1942.
‘A dangerous optimism is growing about the
conditions it will be possible to establish here
after the war’
Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister

28. Reaction to the Beveridge Report
‘For a week or two the war tended to take a
back seat….Soldiers writing home spoke of
their pleasure at the scheme.’
Ministry of Information
‘There are however…….doubts and
uncertainties suggesting that large financial
commitments cannot be undertaken without
misgivings.’
Sir Kingsley Wood