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28 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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What did the Beveridge report want to abolish? |
Want, ignorance, disease, squalor and idleness. |
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What was the National Insurance Act of 1946? |
In return for weekly payments by employees and employers, the Act provided unemployment and sickness benefit, maternity grants, death grants, allowances for widows and orphans and old age pensions. |
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What was the National Assistance Act of 1948? |
Safety net for those not covered by existing legislation or whose benefits were insufficient. Forced local authorities to provide accommodation for the homeless. |
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What was the Industrial Injuries Act of 1946? |
State responsible for providing benefits for industrial injuries. |
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What was hoped the social security system would lead to eliminating? |
Poverty. But was unrealistic as value of benefits was eroded by inflation. |
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What was the National Health Service Act of 1946 (effective 1948)? |
First comprehensive medical service that was free to the entire population. |
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What were the consequences of the NHS? |
Improved health care, helped avoid deprivation and destitution of the British people in the future. |
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What opposition was overcome from the Royal Colleges towards the NHS? |
Consisted of surgeons, physicians and obstetricians. Bevan offered them pay beds so they could continue their private practices in NHS hospitals. |
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What opposition was overcome from the BMA towards the NHS? |
BMA dominated by GPs who had a hood income beforehand and rejected a salaried income. GPs offered an ammendment to the 1946 bill so they could have a good state salary with capitation fees on top. |
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Why was the cost of the NHS an issue? |
Estimates of treatment costs were inaccurate and gross expenditure was £300 million. Also, extent of ill health had not been assessed correctly. |
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What other issues were there to the NHS? |
Shortage of trained staff, some buildings were old fashioned and ill-suited to their purpose, only 10,000 dentists for 47million people, local health centres were slow to develop. |
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What was the issue with prescription charges? |
Bevan forced to agree to principle of prescription charges in 1949 but resigned in 1951 when they were introduced to pay for the Korean war. |
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Why was housing an issue? |
700,000 fewer homes in Britain in 1945 than in 1939 and much of the houses were badly damaged. |
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Why did Labour's housing programme begin badly? |
Housing was responsibility of Ministry of health and housing and Bevan. Bevan focused on NHS. Also, shortage of materials and lack of skilled labour. |
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What was the 1946 New Towns Act? |
Began building of major towns to house those bombed out or in slum accommodation. |
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What was Labour's target of new houses per year? |
200,000 |
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What did the Ministry of Town and Country Planning? |
Helped to concentrate resources on public, not private, housing. |
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How did Labour maintain full employment? |
Through nationalisation and economic planning they targeted structural unemployment and encouraged growth of industries in regions associated with high unemployment. Along with borrowing from the US and nationalisation of electricity, gas and inland transport. |
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What economic problems did Britain face in 1945? |
Almost a quarter of national wealth used to pay for war and national debt increased threefold and British exports down by 2 thirds compared with 1939. Trueman ended Lend Lease programme just after Japanese surrender. |
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What was The American loan? |
Keynes secured the American loan of £3,750 million over 50years at 2% interest. Also, sterling had to become freely convertible to dollars and the Empire's market had to open to US goods. |
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What was done by Labour about rationing? |
It was maintained and even intensified to limit imports and divert resources into exports. Living standards held down so production could earn the needed dollars. Ended in 1954. This period of austerity damaging to Labour. |
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What was done by Labour about exchange controls? |
Strict exchange controls put in place to stop foreigners withdrawing their money from Britain and to limit any company or individual wishing to spend money abroad. |
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Did nationalisation work? |
By 1950, took 20% of economic enterprises into public ownership. - Investment programme increased efficiency of publicly owned utilities like gas and electricity. - Electrification extended to more parts of country. - New National Coal Board increased working conditions, productivity and output after 1947. |
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What were the issues with nationalisation? |
-Expensive. Private owners needed to be compensated costing £2,700 million. -Some industries acquired were unprofitable and run down such as coal mines and railways that needed to be run with subsidies. -Also, industries weren't under workers control. - Pay and conditions didn't improve as much as had been hoped. |
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Give arguments that change was extensive from nationalisation? |
- Step towards a Britain were industry would be run for social need not private greed. - Created mixed economy. -Most nationalised industries remained under state ownership until 1980s. |
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Give arguments that change wasn't extensive from nationalisation? |
-Industries not under workers control. Run by managers and civil servants. - Most nationalised industries were unprofitable. |
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How was the economy influenced by foreign policy? |
- Role as imperial Power meant huge expenditure on armed forces, overseas military bases and governing colonies. - Drawn deeper into cold war: airlift in West Berlin in 1948-49, large-scale rearmament programme in 1951, Korean War and formation of NATO. |
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Give examples of Britain withdrawing from expensive foreign policy commitments? |
- Winter crisis of 1947, US informed that British army couldn't afford to support Turkey and Greece against any communist threat. Marshall plan introduced. - -1947, Britain withdrew from India when it was partitioned. |
