The Arrival of the

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The Arrival of the

• Welfare State

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Labour Government 1945-51

• Reasons for social reforms
• Main reforms
• How far these reforms can be seen as successful
• Who was Responsible?

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Reasons for welfare reforms

• Wartime and welfare
• United communities had brought people together
  who in peacetime had little to do with each other
• Raised awareness about social problems

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Reasons for welfare reforms
http//www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/Homework/w
ar/evacuation.htm

• Evacuation the bomber would always get through
• Many children sent to the countryside
• Condition of the children from deprived areas
  shocked the middle class

1,500000 children evacuated and 2 million moved
privately
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Problems

• Infestation
• Scabies and impetigo
• Malnutrition
• Filth
• Bed wetting
• Psychological problems

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Problems

• However Glasgow Corporation scheme treated many
  children (69) before they were evacuated
• By 1942 several councils reported reductions in
  case rates
• Therefore many reports exaggerated

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Evacuation

• Although the mean-spiritedness of some
  middle-class communities, especially in the south
  of England when faced with urban working-class
  children has been documented
• By 1941 city children were placed mainly with
  working class hosts as those who had the social
  power evaded their duty
• Not always therefore as inclusive or as happy an
  experience as wartime propaganda or nostalgia says

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Reasons for welfare reforms

• The bombing
• Industrial towns targeted e.g. Aberdeen most
  bombed city in Scotland(34 times)
• Homes of both rich and poor destroyed (4 million)
  
• Hitler had no respect for class
• This helped to develop a community spirit

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The Blitz

• More killed in Glasgow where the damage was
  spread over a wider area e.g. 80 killed in a hit
  on Yarrows
• 250 bombers caused severe damage on 13 to 15th of
  March, 1941

1939, Luftwaffe reconnaissance aerial view
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Bombing

• Although Tom Harrisson found that the reactions
  of ordinary British people and local agencies
  were nothing like as unified and strong as was
  asserted
• Smithies also showed that social and economic
  crime increased as their was more opportunities
  in a controlled economy and bombed cities

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Reasons for welfare reforms

• Rationing 60 of food came form abroad
• Shortages caused queues and rising prices
• Rationing introduced in 1940 to ensure fair
  share for all

Royal Family entered into the spirit of sacrifice
by eating tins of spam
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Reasons for welfare reforms

• Helped establish idea of universal and equal
  share of the national cake
• Government also forced to intervene and take
  control of health

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Rationing

• British restaurants received extra rations of
  meat, cheese, butter and sugar
• Therefore the better off could afford to eat out
  whilst food could be bought from the black market

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Reasons for welfare reforms

• The issues raised by total war had made massive
  government intervention in daily life inevitable
• E.g. production was centrally planned
• war socialism developed

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Reasons for welfare reforms

• Government Churchill replaced Chamberlain as PM
• Coalition government set up
• Included Attlee, Bevin, Greenwood, Morrison,
  Cripps
• Chance for Labour party to gain experience and
  promote social welfare reform

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Activity
Explain how the Second World War changed peoples
attitudes to government intervention (8)