To What Extent Did the Labour Government of 1945 -1951 Improve the Lives of the British People?

To What Extent Did the Labour Government of 1945 -1951 Improve the Lives of the British People?

To what extent did the Labour government of 1945 -1951 improve the lives of the British people?

Britain was severely crippled during the war against Nazi Germany but due to this, people started working together regardless of class. Circumstances brought these people together and from this sprouted the promises from middle and upper class families’ assistance to improve the lives of the poor. This, along with the Beveridge report, helped change the opinions on the poor of a large majority of the population. It was then thought that the poor should be helped, not hindered and that was exactly what the labour government did when they came to power. The Labour government acted on the Beveridge report which highlighted five social evils; Want, squalor, disease, ignorance and idleness. Arguably, the labour government successfully responded to these in ways such as the National Insurance Act, new levels of council housing, the NHS, the Education Act and also helped to tackle unemployment. However, people still argue on how well labour actually did and whether or not they actually improved the lives of the British people.
Want was a major problem that the Beveridge report brought before the government. The National Insurance Act of 1914 was set up to try and counter this and to help the poor in their times of need. The ministry of National Insurance set up with an initial capital of £100 million which meant that the ministry did not have as much financial funding as it needed so due to this, social benefits would not be as substantial as needed. Benefits were only worth 19% of the average industrial wage which could be said to be a positive feature as it led to people actually trying to get a job instead of trying to live off the benefits given by the government. It was used as it was meant to be used: as a helping hand. Even so, it was a well worked out Act due to it being built on the actions of the previous government. However, many historians have discredited it...

Similar Essays