Unit 4. Postwar Britain: Labour and the Welfare State.
Aer 1945, people were honest about their effort. People work six days a week and more than 10
hours a day which was not something unusual. It is about the general spirit in which the construcon
began in 1945. Labour and conservaves. It appeared in the context of the social system. It changed
over me, it was introduced in 1945 because Churchill was a naon hero that he should win the
elecons during war. He was at the top of his polical success.
Summer 1945: Churchill, the naon’s hero
The Prime Minister at the top of his polical success, he was at the top of his polical success. This
man was so strong that he did not win the elecons. Could the man who led the Empire and the
Commonwealth through the war lose an elecon? For the conservaves and labours, they voted for
a person and then when labour won in 1945 (it was surprising). People thought that Churchill was a
good leader but for this the person needed another kind of qualies to lead the country on the
domesc front. People were also worried Churchill would sll focus too much on foreign policy aer
WWII. He was not a good peace-me manager. The first one who gets more votes from the United
Kingdom, they won the elecon even if the difference is insignificant (not the majority). In the labour
party the things were not clear. People wanted to have another leader. The next step aer winning
the elecon was that the monarch invited them to form the government (just a tradion).
General elecon, July 1945: Labour landslide victory
In July 1945 there was a general elecon. Almost 50% of the Brish populaon voted and there were
more than 60% of the seats in the Parliament. Clement Alee became the new Prime Minister, aer
Chuchill wasn’t re-elected (less charismac, but a beer manager than Churchill). Alee was in the
war-cabinet so the change was smooth.
Labour manifesto: <Let Us Face the Future= was published
They promised promising naonalizaon & economic planning, full employment, a Naonal Health
Service, a beer system of social security which are goals of the Welfare state. It was more
convincing than the rather vague Conservave proposal. Churchill thought that he could win easily,
however, that did not happen. A radical programme which they did not want to win because of war
but instead they wanted to do it legally. They wanted a social reform, not a revoluon. During the
war, the Brish's economy was already planned to achieve the goal to win the war. People in the
United Kingdom had sacrificed a lot during war and once the war was over they wanted a pay off
(beer job security, full employment, among others).
- Goal : social reform, not revoluon. It was leaded by PM C. Alee, Deputy PM H. Morrison.
Foreign Secretary E. Bevin. Chancellors of the Exchequer; H. Dalton (1940-1945 was already
in the government) & Sir S. Cripps. As much socialist as patriots, opposed to the USSR.
- Reforms based on the Beveridge Report : Published in November 1942; an integral soluon
through interacon of the state & the individual. There was the problem of not having
enough money, but they sll tried to carry out this program. Problems & soluons; want
(social security), disease (NHS), ignorance (state-supported educaon), squalor (housing),
and idleness (full employment). In other words, building a New Jerusalem refers to paradise
(on Earth, not in Heaven). This is by William Blake (the Industrial Revoluon); goes further,
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they also wanted a kind of revoluon, however, people who wanted to improve the poor's
life condions were chrisans. Since Jesus was also poor, they believe that everybody is
brother and sister and that they are interpreng the religion in a wrong way. It is not
connected to religious beliefs, it is most likely opposed. Many people in the labour party,
religion was important. It was not exclusive.
They did not want a classic revoluon with changing all the property rights, they wanted
social reform (their own model of socialism which at that me was at the same democrac).
They wanted to stay independent and their capitalism was too much, they wanted more
quality. It did not exist before 1945 and this is because they wanted to solve some problems
that were indemnified to the Brish by war and before that for the economy of the 19th
century. They were soluons for these problems which are for poverty to produce social
security, for illness we introduce a naonal health centre free of charge to everyone, for lack
of educaon as something that leads to poverty and building houses especially for the poor
people.
Greatest problem: lack of money
Lend-lease running out in August 1945; it was very important for people who lived there. They need
a lot of money, therefore, the paradise would be difficult to build. However, during 1945, the Britain’s
were bankrupt meaning that they did not have any money and the government got some money
from the companies and there was also trade from other colonies. Nothing is coming in, then this is
not enough. John Maynard Keynes sent to negoate with the US. He was well connected with the
rich people and the Brish government sent him to negoate with the Americans. The Americans did
not like it too much, but in the end they received credit. Result in December 1945; a credit of $ 3.75
billion at 2%. It helped but they needed more money, therefore, it was not enough. Not nearly
enough to pay for all the planned benefits. Also, how do you keep your global posion in a world
sliding into the Cold War? For most Britons the empire is normal. There were two powers, the Soviet
Union and the United States.
- The European stage.
- Increasing disagreements between World War II allies & the atomic bomb; The Potsdam
Conference, took place 17 July-2 August 1945, to allow the 3 leading allies to plan the
postwar peace while avoiding mistakes of the Paris Peace Conference. The parcipants were
USSR, UK and US. They confirmed plans to disarm and demilitarize Germany, which would be
divided into four Allied occupaon zones controlled by the US, Great Britain, France and the
Soviet Union. US dropping atomic bombs on Hiroshima & Nagasaki to defeat the Japanese, 6
- 9 August 1945. This is instability; all that they promised was everything but done.
The Iron Curtain
Churchill’s Fulton Speech (March 1946): <From Sten in the Balc to Trieste in the Adriac an <Iron
Curtain= the result was a situaon that ended in the Cold War. The Iron Curtain refers to the Cold
War, the term was introduced by Churchill. It was a polical boundary dividing Europe into two
separate areas from the end of WWII unl the end of the Cold War. This instability that they had was
going to be at the same me as the Cold War which is another conflict, however they were sll with
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that instability. The term symbolizes the efforts by the Soviet Union (USSR) to block itself and its
satellite states from open contact with the West, its allies and neutral states (noncommunist areas).
Labour in acon; they started to achieve everything they promised. There were significant changes
between 1944-1948 in legislaon such as the Naonal Health Service Act, 1946. The Naonal
Insurance Act, 1946 (unemployment benefits) for the first me in Brish history. New Towns Act,
1946 (housing). Transport Act, 1947. Naonal Assistance Act, 1948 (social security) basically for
people who suffer from some accident at work, among other reasons. Expanding; family allowances
Act (1945) in which the family gets some money from the government & Educaon Act (1944). They
wanted to create a society in which people were treated equally independently of their income or
their naonality. Equality was defined differently here than in a way we mostly define it today. They
established the legal framework for all the different things they would do such as transport
improvement, social security, the naonal health center which was the most successful. The problem
was that many doctors did not want to join because of their low income. There was a lot of
negoaon between the government and the representaves of the Brish fascists (their own place
in which they receive money). They naonalized most hospitals; in Wales and Northern Ireland.
- In 1946; Naonal Coal Board & Bank of England (not government bank; the authority was
not the Brish government). Coal was super important at that me since houses were made
of coal. The Coal Board does not exist since it is less producve, however the bank of
England does exist and does a decent job.
- 1947; Brish Electricity Authority; Cable & Wireless. In the United Kingdom not much is le
from that spirit of the 19th century. They did it in the 18th century and more at the
ideological price.
- 1948; Brish Transport Commission (Brish Railways, Brish Road Services, and Brish
Waterways). This was not very successful. Government owned companies (naonalizaon).
They created a naonal coal board and a bank in which England did not exist.
- 1949; Local authority gas supply.
- 1951; Iron and Steel Corporaon of Great Britain.
- NHS as a longstanding success (organized by Nye Bevan). The Naonal Health Service was
probably the most long-standing and successful social project of them all (organized by Nye
Bevan). It provided all medical, dental and nursing care. Everyone-rich or poor, man, woman
or child-could use it, or any part of it. There were no charges except for a few special items.
There were no insurance qualificaons. But it was not a <charity= since everyone paid for it
through taxes. Nevertheless, many doctors didn’t want to join it because, at that me, as
independent professionals. Otherwise, as state servants in the NHS, doctors could not carry
out their pracce so independently. Although they used to combine public and private
pracce, they could not earn as much as in private medicine.
- Council housing; building for the masses following European trends; from European
architects (1860 - 1900; 1925 - 33; and 1956 - 58). Aer 1945, the Brish had a very shortage
in housing in Germany, in which it was the most destroyed. Because they had a leader
government, what they did was housing councils as a programme of rehabilitaon (it was a
government subsidy programme ). Council housing; government to subsidize mass-scale
housing and to build following European trends in order to make it easier, faster and cheaper.
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- Council housing: prefabs, terraces, large estates replacing slums. Council housing is also
about prefabricated houses and standardized; a very well designed container with all the
applyment. It sll existed in some places of the United Kingdom but not that much. There are
successful and unsuccessful projects from the 19th century.
- Council housing: the expansion; local authories put it into pracce. Local authories were
spending a lot of money. There is a significant inversion and the person who is in charge is
the local authority. The naonal government succeeded and the local authories put it into
pracce. From the mid 14th and the mid 19th century, local authories were spending a lot
of money. However, what is interesng is that aer Margert came to power the local
authories with no funding for them and the city halls; they did not do it anymore and did
spend that much amount of money. The real estate market has to do with the lack of
government funding, they could but we are not sure about it.
Educaon: slow expansion
Beer educaon and a healthy system. Full employment as a goal. In terms of educaon Labour’s
Ellen Wilkinson implemenng the Act of 1944. There is universal free secondary educaon. School
leaving age became 15 just one year more before it was unl 14. There were more teachers, more
university scholarships, however, university is sll not for free. Unconcluded debate over triparte
(very early separaon) vs. comprehensive schools which finally concluded. Another area is educaon,
in this we saw that there is a slow expansion. There is a lack of connuity.
There was already a cast for educaon before 1944; Ellen Wilkinson became a member of parliament
and then at some point she became a secretary of educaon in 1945. She invested a lot of me in
her job since she believed it was important. Because we can see many of the people that were in the
government how they consider their tasks more important than their own lives. They worked many
hours. Ellen Wilkinson did not pay much aenon to her health and it is true that many people do
not take care of their health. She invested a lot of me in her job. There are some other objecve
factors that affected people such as food shortages and the war. By 1930 and 1940s she was in the
upper-middle class, therefore, she could have a very healthy life potenally. Most of these people
were not highly religious.
- Internaonal problems (Cold War; 1947 - 1991). The Brish were sll an empire and the
situaon in Europe was geng more problemac because there was some rivalry between
the Soviet Union and the United States. In the UK, labour socialist. Many of them thought
that they should be far from the United States since they did not want capitalism in the UK.
Their ideas were far away from capitalism in the 1940s-50s. It was problemac because
Britain did not have enough money or resources, not even for their own country and to keep
the empire alive. They needed an army and navy (to give some power over the colonies); the
postwar consensus was weak and they should retreat from the empire. Everybody agrees
that India was a place in which Britain should retreat prey fast. In India there was an
independent movement. Finally, because the internaonal situaon was becoming unstable,
therefore, the United States decided to help Britain (The Marshall Plan; economic recovery
program through loans, resources, and machines) which is a recovering problem. They were
potenal allies in Europe for the United States and also created a kind of dependence
(bankrupt someone you can claim some influence). During the war the Brish received a lot
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of help from the Americans and then they had to negoate between them. Because the
internaonal situaon was becoming beer, the United States decided to help the Brish
again against the Soviet Union.
The Cold War was a period of geopolical tension between the United States and the Soviet
Union and their respecve allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term cold war is
used because there was no large-scale fighng directly between the two superpowers, but
they each supported opposing sides in major regional conflicts known as proxy wars. The
conflict was based on the ideological and geopolical struggle for global influence by these
two superpowers, following their temporary alliance and victory against Nazi Germany and
Imperial Japan in 1945. Aside from the nuclear arsenal development and convenonal
military deployment, the struggle for dominance was expressed via indirect means such as
psychological warfare, propaganda campaigns, espionage, far-reaching embargoes, rivalry at
sport events, and technological compeons such as the Space Race.
Economic help from the US:
England is a parliament area in which there are elecons almost every 5 years. In 1945 Churchill did
not win. UK as the biggest beneficiary of the Marshall Plan. Suggested in June 1947 implemented
from 1948; economic recovery program (loans, resources, machines, up to 10% of US GDP, 1948 52).
UK: one NATO’s founding members (1949)
12 - countries alliance to countervail USSR. Goal according to secretary general Hasngs Ismay; <To
keep the Americans in, the Russians out, and the Germans down=.
Labour wearing out
England is a parliamentary colony, in which there are democrac elecons. Churchill did not win,
then there were two elecons because in the 1950 there was a slight difference; the labour started
wearing out. This is why there was another elecon in which they lost to the conservaves. Then,
labour and conservaves were prey close, but in 1945 they were prey close. There was a slight
majority in the February 1950 elecon. The most important figures of the labour movement were
disappearing now that the agenda was almost complete. Losing to Conservaves in the October 1951
elecon, Churchill returned to office. He should not have stayed so much in the office. There was a
change of power in the office and the conservaves along with Churchill, were back in power unl
1964. There was a growing prosperity and the desire for more, as a reason for electoral change. They
went from austerity to affluence.
Austerity (they have all that they need; basic service) ← → Affluence (is wealth prosperity)
A New Elizabethan Age?
There was a consumer society in which the TV was presented (adversing). For the first me people
saw someone being crowned. They could see the coronaon, for the first me theta are parcipang
in a very exclusive event in which Elizabeth was crowned. Not in a direct way, but through television.
On the one hand, it is a bad thing since the mystery is gone (mystery of power is something
important such as the elecon of a new pope in Rome).
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The Victorian values referring to the Victorian period. The Victorian values are the atudes towards
marriages, costumes, how people dressed, and architecture which are important about housing. The
text was about how people related to each other in certain values such as you should not have sex
unl marriage, such as class values. The idea of Victorian values are conservaves, the society was
conservave in terms of social values such as you should not have sex before marriage. People did
not care too much about things such as homosexuality, however, they did not like it either. These
things are treated differently in each society, therefore, there are differences between naons and
regions.
(First presentaon)
Postwar Britain (Labour and Welfare)
The Labour party had a majority of votes, a clear mandate and program of reform. Internaonal
affairs. Expected a more internaonalist, a socialist and ethical foreign policy. New world order based
on post-war. Used up financial reserves to finance the war effort; the manufacturing base had been
disrupted. It owed debts to India, and Australia.
Informe Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa on foreign, defence and trade policy.
Paral decolonizaon. India's commitment to Independence could not be resisted. Conflict between
muslims and hindus. Two separate estates Pakistan and India. Muslim territory with an an-semic
leader. Tension between the US. Post World War II: Britain faced significant challenges in terms of
rebuilding its economy and establishing itself as a part. Keep le was led by Aneurin Bevan; Minister
of Health in the Alee government. Keep le cricized Alee government’s foreign policy. Opposed
support for Marshall. Keep le did not succeed in altering the Alee government’s foreign policy.
Influence of the Keep le declined in the early 1930s. The North Atlanc Treaty of Mutual Assistance,
signed on April 4, 1949, consisted in the guarantee that the USA and the ales would defend western
Europe.