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Progress before 1945. By-elections in 1943. resulted in Conservatives losing votes Churchill blundered by speaking on radio and not mentioning The Beveridge report He did commit to ‘national compulsory insurance for all classes’ Although no enthusiasm
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By-elections in 1943 • resulted in Conservatives losing votes • Churchill blundered by speaking on radio and not mentioning The Beveridge report • He did commit to ‘national compulsory insurance for all classes’ • Although no enthusiasm • Public perceived that Labour would be the party to deliver changes
Coalition government • Under Churchill detailed plans were drawn up for peacetime Britain • Lord Woolton, Minister for reconstruction drafted white papers for health, employment, social insurance and education
White papers 1943-45 • Educational reconstruction 1943 (blueprint for 1944 Act) • National Health service 1944 proposed a comprehensive system of health provision which would be ‘free’ • Employment policy 1944 committed to high employment rate and accepting responsibility to intervene • Social insurance 1944 proposed comprehensive insurance scheme ( became Nat Ins. Act 1946 with some modifications)
Further progress • 1943, ministry to supervise benefits • 1943, Ministry of Town and Planning set up to propose new towns around London • Temporary housing for homeless, cost of building materials controlled
Education Act 1944 • Major achievement of coalition government during the war • Believed to be an important way to fight poverty • Steered through parliament by RA Butler(conservative)
Changes to education • School meals compulsory • School medical service • Leaving age raised to 15 by 1947 and 16 as soon as was practicable • 3 stages: nursery, primary, secondary • Compulsory
Changes to education • Recommended that secondary schools be divided into grammar,modern and technical schools • In Scotland senior or junior secondary • Based on abilities • ‘eleven-plus’ exam
Criticisms • Clear that a first-rate and a second-rate structure were being put in place • Future decided at 11/12 !! • Reflected social class divisions in society overall • Labour criticised for not adding anything
Family Allowance Act 1945 • ‘caretaker’ government between election introduced Act • 5 shillings (25p) a week for each child after the first • Helped employers keep wages down • Helped prevent fall in birth rate • Wife received benefit rather than husband Eleanor Rathbone
Criticisms • Small allowance • (Beveridge had proposed 8s) • Only marginal impact on families • Motives of MPs had little to do with welfare
Labour Governments 1945-51 • It is now important to establish how well the Labour Governments were in tackling Beveridge’s Five Giants-Social security, Health, Education, Housing and Employment