British Culture

- 1944

- Ensured secondary education for everyone

- perpetuates class system > 11+ Exam

led to social divisions

-private sector intact, maintaining other social divisions

>Beveridge report (1942)> for new welfare system

>Proposal for comprehensive welfare system:free national health service, child allowances, national insurance

>combat the five giants: WANT; DISEASE; IGNORANCE; SQUALOR; IDLENESS

> principles of universality and egalitarianism

> Familiy allowance act, women could pick up 25p child

1948

>doing sth. moral

>trying to build Jerusalem, but economy crisis came along

> end of land lease

==> CORE OF BRITAIN'S WELFARE SYSTEM

> after WWII, Britain was the biggest debtor > weeks away from bankrupt

==> USA had to help out, GB future in U.S. hands because of loans

> U.S. loan: pound became convertable to $ >people exchanged them

U.S. $ sinks, loan not worth that much!

==> economic dependence, CINEMA: cultural independence

-Equality

-Social cohesion

-Breaking down of class barriers

-Communal effort as opposed to private gain

Labour in Power: 1945-51

>began large scale programme of social reforms, creating welfare state

>Impelmented Keynesian economic policies, notably state control of key industries

> oversaw beginning of postcolonial era

Principles of universality and egalitarianism

>abolition of poverty by attacking main causes: illness, unemployment, old age

Family Allowance Act 1945: 25p/week per 2+ children, implemented in August 1946

National Insurance Act: sickness, unemployment and pension benefits

>National Health System implemented 5 July 1948

> NHS Act 1946

>Free health care for everyone incl. medicines and hospital treatment

>all hospitals came into public ownership

>mortality rates fell

>Class differences remained: e.g. in mortality rate

Spending on social services almost trebled (increased a lot)