Chapter 2: The Western Front

When the results came in it was clear the Labour Party had won a landslide victory, with 146 more seats in the House of Commons than any other party, and were able to form the fi rst Labour majority government. Churchill was shocked that his Conservative Party did not win the election when he had just successfully led Britain to victory against Nazi Germany. He was also worried about whether the country would recover economically after the war. He thought the new socialist policies would cause vast and ‘unnecessary’ expenditure, which would have to be funded by heavier taxes on the middle and upper classes – traditional Conservative Party supporters. Nevertheless, it seemed the people of Britain wanted this change in society and the more equal opportunities of a welfare state that Labour had promised in their manifesto.

Establishing the welfare state

Attlee soon introduced a huge new range of legislation to start implementing the ideas proposed in the Labour manifesto. The 1946 National Health Service Act allowed everyone in the population, regardless of class or wealth, access to free medical and hospital treatment provided by the state. Average life expectancy increased by eight years, with free childhood vaccinations signifi cantly reducing the infant mortality rate. The Leafl et issued to all British homes in 1948 outlining the new National Health Service 1948 National Assistance Act ensured that those who were not in work, and therefore could not pay National Insurance, would still be provided for. Key industries such as coal, gas, iron, steel and electricity were nationalised, so that the government could provide secure employment and run them for the benefi t of all rather than the profi t of a few. To deal with the housing shortage due to bomb damage during the war, the Labour government aimed to build 200 000 new houses per year. The 1947 Town and Country Planning Act required local councils to show how they were meeting this target, and the 1949 Housing Act controlled the amount of rent private landlords could charge tenants to prevent exploitation. The welfare state was a transformation of the relationship between government and the people. There was now an expectation and understanding that the government should help to provide for its citizens. However, the issue of how to fi nance this huge increase in government spending became a key political issue for all following governments.

Check your understanding

1. What did William Beveridge identify as the main reasons for poverty? 2. How did Labour win the 1945 election? 3. In what ways did people’s lives improve with the establishment of the welfare state? 4. How did the welfare state change the relationship between government and the people? 5. Why was the establishment of the welfare state met with criticism?

Unit 10: Postwar Britain Knowledge organiser

1942 The Beveridge Report is published 1948 British Nationality Act encourages immigration from the Commonwealth 1967 Sexual Offences Act decriminalises homosexuality

1946 National Health Service Act 1958 Notting Hill race riots 1968 Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech; Race Relations Act and Commonwealth Immigrants Act

Key vocabulary

Commonwealth Global association of 54 nations with links to the UK, founded in 1931; most members are former colonies of the British Empire, but all share equal status in the organisation Consensus Agreement between different groups Consumer goods Products made to be bought by customers Deference Polite respect and submission to authority Dependency culture A belief that too many people are given help by the welfare state Emigrate To leave the country you were born in European Economic Community (EEC) Economic union of European nations that evolved into the

European Union European Union(EU) Economic and political union of European nations Euroscepticism Opposition to the EEC/EU Feminist A person who supports women’s equal rights with men Free market An economic system of unrestricted competition between privately owned companies General election A vote to elect the Members of

Parliament for the House of Commons Immigrant A person who lives in a country they were not born in Income tax Tax taken by the government on the money you earn Institutionalised racism Racism within offi cial structures of a country such as government, the judiciary and the police Legislation Laws passed by government Maastricht Treaty Agreement that upgraded the

EEC into the EU Manifesto A declaration of the aims and goals of a pollical party in an election Militant Adopting confrontational or violent methods of political protest Nationalisation When the state takes control of an industry Obscenity Words and ideas considered socially offensive/unacceptable Permissive society A society where social norms become increasingly liberal; the term was used in the 1970s and 1980s to suggest this had resulted in a lowering of social standards Profi t The amount gained after costs have been deducted