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Creating the welfare state
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After the Second World War Britain set up a welfare state: a system to look after people 'from the cradle to the grave'.
Early steps: the Liberal reforms
The Liberal government brought in free school meals (1906), old age pensions for people over 70 (1908) and National Insurance for some workers when sick or unemployed (1911).
The Beveridge Report, 1942
Want (poverty), Disease, Ignorance (lack of education), Squalor (bad housing) and Idleness (unemployment).
It was hugely popular. People felt that after sharing the hardships of war, everyone deserved security.
Labour's welfare state
In 1945 Labour, led by Clement Attlee, won the general election by a landslide.
It expanded National Insurance, built council houses, and created the National Health Service (NHS) on 5 July 1948, led by Health Minister Aneurin Bevan. Healthcare became free at the point of use.
Why was the welfare state created after the Second World War?
- The Beveridge Report set out a clear plan against the five giants.
- War had made people expect fairness and shared security.
- Labour won a landslide in 1945 and had the power to carry out the plan.
Answer: A popular plan, wartime hopes for a fairer society, and a government elected to deliver it.
Liberal reforms: school meals (1906), pensions (1908), National Insurance (1911). Beveridge Report (1942): Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, Idleness. Education Act 1944. Labour under Attlee (1945) created the NHS on 5 July 1948 (Bevan).
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