B6 - Effectiveness of the Labour Reforms Flashcards Preview

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Flashcards in B6 - Effectiveness of the Labour Reforms Deck (37)
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1
Q

during the second world war many people…

A

…became aware of the social problems that existed in Britain for the first time and the social impact of the war removed class barriers and increased state dependency

2
Q

what did William Beveridge recommend?

A

William Beveridge recommended a social security system that would be comprehensive, universal, contributory, non means tested and compulsory in order to tackle the ‘five giants’ of poverty.

3
Q

what were the five giants of poverty?

A
  1. want
  2. disease
  3. squalor
  4. ignorance
  5. idleness
4
Q

what did the National Insurance Act 1946 do?

A

provided comprehensive insurance for sickness, unemployment and maternity. This act was introduced to cover for most eventualities.

5
Q

how did the NIA improve the lives of the British people?

A

This significantly improved the lives of the British people because it ensured that everyone had to contribute towards this insurance scheme and therefore would be entitled to receive benefits regardless of their wealth, age or gender.

6
Q

limitations of the NIA

A

However, this act arguably did not go far enough in meeting the needs of the British people because a person needed to make 156 weekly contributions in order to be granted the benefits. This meant that many people who needed support were not yet eligible.

7
Q

what did the National Assistance Act 1948 do?

A

Labour also introduced the National Assistance Act 1948 to aid the most vulnerable in society such as single mothers and the homeless. It was designed as a “safety net” to meet those not adequately catered for by the NIA.

8
Q

how did the NAA help to improve the lives of the British people?

A

This was clearly effective in meeting the needs of the British people as it provided a safety barrier for those most susceptible to falling into poverty. It protected people from all classes from the cradle to the grave.

9
Q

limitations of the NAA

A

although the National Assistance Act 1948 was means tested so the amount received was based on the income that the person claiming it had ultimately going against the Beveridge Report

10
Q

NI Industrial Injuries Act

A

the National Insurance Industrial Injuries Act 1946 meant the government gave compensation for all injuries that happened at work and women were paid the same as men for the first time

11
Q

what did the introduction of the NHS mean?

A

The introduction of the NHS in 1948 helped to meet the specific health needs of the British people because for the first time in British history healthcare was universal, comprehensive and free at the point of use.

12
Q

how did the NHS improve the lives of the British people?

A

The introduction of the NHS without doubt helped to meet the needs of the British people as any person no matter what social class they belonged to could now seek health care and medication without worrying about cost.

13
Q

what did the NHS allow everyone to access?

A

The NHS allowed everyone to access care form GPs, specialists and dentists as well as spectacles, false teeth and maternity services. In the first year of the NHS, 8 million dental patients were treated, and 5 million pairs of spectacles were issued.

14
Q

limitations of the NHS

A

However, charges were brought in for prescriptions, spectacles and dental treatment in 1951 and 1952 which undermined the basic principle of free health care for all so the NHS arguably did not meet the needs of the British people.

15
Q

expense of the NHS

A

the enormous expense of the NHS came as a shock and by 1950 it was costing £358 million a year, far outstripping the budgeted £140 million a year.

16
Q

evidence the NHS was improving public health

A

between 1946 and 1950 infant mortality rates fell 50% and childhood scourges like rickets and malnutrition were almost eliminated clearly showing the success of the reform in meeting the needs of the British people.

17
Q

why did the Labour govt pledge to improve living conditions?

A

after housing shortages were made even worse by the Blitz.

18
Q

Labour’s target for homes

A

The Labour government looked to defeat the giant of squalor by setting a target of building 200,000 homes a year

19
Q

how new homes improved the lives of the British people

A

This target was a clear attempt of the government to meet the British people’s needs as many of these homes would provide indoor sanitation and more living space which enabled families to live more comfortably.

20
Q

New Towns Act 1946

A

The New Towns Act 1946 was introduced in response to the large growth of the population and gave the government the power to decide where to build new towns and ensure they were pleasant to live in.

21
Q

limitations of the New Towns Act

A

However, these new towns were described as “concrete jungles” and lacked basic amenities such as pubs, cinemas and even shops. The houses were far from work and therefore did not fully meet the needs of the British people.

22
Q

what did the 1951 census reveal?

A

the 1951 census revealed that there were 750,000 fewer houses than there were households in Britain which was roughly the same level of homelessness as in 1931

23
Q

did Labour meet their target?

A

by 1951 Labour were averaging well over their 200,000 target and new council homes were often of a better quality with separate kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms ultimately defeating the giant of squalor.

24
Q

why was ignorance needing to be tackled?

A

war and evacuation severely disrupted education.

25
Q

what did the Education Act 1944 do?

A

The Education Act 1944 raised the school leaving age to 15 and introduced a 3-tiered school system of grammar, secondary modern and technical schools.

26
Q

how did the Education Act 1944 improve the lives of the British people?

A

This helped to meet the needs of the British people as it looked to ensure children left school with a good level of literacy which would hopefully lead them into a well-paid job.

27
Q

what was the 11+ exam?

A

Children would sit a test at 11 or 12 in Scotland which would determine what school they would attend. The “11+” exam was essentially an intelligence test and allocated a child’s school based on their performance.

28
Q

limitations of the 11+ exam

A

However, this did not go far enough to meet the needs of the British people as a child’s future was decided at the age of 11 which was far too young especially because children mature at different ages. The system also favoured middle class children whose parents could afford tutors to prepare them for the exam.

29
Q

although pupils attending secondary modern schools…

A

…had little chance of going on to higher education as their curriculum was dominated by non-academic subject like woodwork, gardening and needlework

30
Q

what became a right for the first time?

A

free secondary education for all

31
Q

during Labour’s first term in office…

A

35,000 teachers were trained under the one-year emergency training scheme which clearly met the needs of the British people.

32
Q

why did Labour tackle idleness?

A

to maintain the high employment rate created by the war

33
Q

what did Labour feel was the only way to ensure full employment?

A

taking over major privately run industries such as railways and mines and by using nationalisation Labour hoped they would be in more control over the economy.

34
Q

why was nationalisation arguably effective in meeting the needs of the British people?

A

as people were earning an income and were able to live comfortably. They managed to lower the level of unemployment to 2.5% which was below the 3% they thought they could achieve

35
Q

why is it not certain if credit can be given to Labour for full employment?

A

as most of the factors affecting unemployment were out of the government’s control such as the post-war boom and growing world demand

36
Q

why should Labour be credited for completing the welfare state structure and maintaining full employment?

A

Britain experienced bread and potato rationing, fuel shortages during the winter of 1947 and 30% devaluation of the pound

37
Q

overall…

A

the Labour reforms were effective in meeting the needs of the British people to a great extent as the state was providing a ‘safety net’ which protected all sections of society and all five giants were tackled effectively.