NATIONAL QUALIFICATIONS CURRICULUM SUPPORT
History
From the Cradle to the Grave?
Booklet 3
The Second World War
[ACCESS 3]
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Acknowledgement
Learning and Teaching Scotland gratefully acknowledges this contribution to the National
Qualifications support programme for History.
The publishers gratefully acknowledge permission from the following sources to reproduce
copyright material: photograph of ‘children getting their free milk at morning break’ reprinted
with permission from Middle Street Primary School, Brighton; image of ‘damage done during
German bombing of the Scottish town of Clydebank’ courtesy of the Herald and Evening
Times picture archive; cartoon of the ‘five evils of British society’ © Mirrorpix; photograph of
Sir William Beveridge © Getty Images.
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overlooked, the publishers will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first
opportunity.
© Learning and Teaching Scotland 2007
This resource may be reproduced in whole or in part for educational purposes by educational
establishments in Scotland provided that no profit accrues at any stage.
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Contents
Introduction
4
Topic 1:
The Second World War
5
Topic 2:
Government reforms during the war
10
Topic 3:
The Beveridge Report
13
Topic 4:
The 1945 General Election
18
Review
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INTRODUCTION
Introduction
In this booklet you will find out how the Second World War changed
the attitude of people towards helping the poor.
The war caused a great many problems for people. The government
also made lots of changes to help people.
This booklet is about:
 the hardships people faced during the war such as evacuation,
bombing and rationing
 the changes the government made during the war
 the Beveridge Report
 the 1945 General Election
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Topic 1: The Second World War
The Second World War affected civilians at home in Brit ain as much as
the men who were away from home fighting. This meant that those at
home had a feeling that everyone was fighting together and that
everyone was equal. There was great hardship during the war and the
government took on powers that people would not have accepted before
the war began.
The hardships people had to face were seen in a number of different
areas.
1(a): Evacuation
When war came in 1939, the government thought it was very likely that
the Germans would bomb British cities. To save lives, they decided to
evacuate children. This meant moving them out of the cities to safer
areas of the country. Many children who were evacuated from the
slums in the cities were put in the homes of middle class people who
lived in better conditions. The families who took in evacuees were
horrified by the condition of the evacuees.
Sources A and B are by a historian.
Source A
Large numbers of the children had head lice. One clinic showed that
two-thirds of a group of London schoolchildren were infested with nits
when they arrived. Many of them also had ringworm, impetigo, scabies
and other skin problems.
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Source B
Many evacuee children were not used to a WC (toilet). They thought
nothing of relieving themselves in the street or on a sheet o f newspaper.
Some people had difficulty in getting the children to wash themselves
and keep their clothes clean.
Slum children did not want healthy food but only wanted fish and chips,
bread and jam, pickles, biscuits, sweets and cream.
Activities
1.
What medical problems did evacuees have?
2.
Use Source B. Give three problems poor evacuees brought with
them.
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
1(b): Bombing
German bombing killed over 61,000 civilians during the war. It also
damaged or destroyed 4 million homes. All groups in society – even
the royal family – had their property damaged. Taking shelter from the
bombs meant that middle and working classes mixed more than they
had before. People had more sympathy for each other as a result.
Source C shows some of the damage done during German bombing of
the Scottish town of Clydebank.
Activities
Why was German bombing a problem for people living in cities?
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
1(c): Rationing
Much of the food Britain needed had to be imported from other parts of
the world. German ships and submarines did their best to sink ships
bringing food to Britain.
The government set up the Ministry of Food and the Ministry of Supply
to organise a way of rationing food. This was to make sure that people
person could get the basic foodstuffs they needed. It was also to try to
make sure those who were well off did not buy up a lot of food they did
not need and leave others to go without.
They calculated what would make a healthy diet. They then added
calcium, iron and vitamins to keep people healthy. The government
were especially worried about children.
Source D is part of a document produced for the Cabinet (the
government) during the war.
There is a danger of children not getting enough to eat and of them
eating unhealthily. We are not concerned about whether people can
afford to pay. It is possible we might find that the children of well off
parents and the children of poor parents both suffering from being
unable to get the food they need.
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Activities
1.
Why was there a shortage of food in Britain during the war?
2.
What did the government do to help people?
3.
Use Source D. Write down the evidence that shows the
government wanted all children to get enough food.
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE? (ACCESS 3, HISTORY)
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Topic 2: Government reforms during the war
In September 1940, the government’s National Milk Scheme allowed
children under 5, pregnant women and nursing mothers a pint of milk a
day for 2 pence instead of 2.5 pence. The Emergency Milk and Meals
Scheme of 1941 provided cod liver oil and orange juice as well as milk.
Source E shows children getting their free milk at morning break at
school.
The government encouraged local authorities to supply meals for all
children not just the poor because many mothers were out working
during the war. Only 1 child in 30 took school meals before the war.
By the end of the war in 1945 1 child in 3 was taking a school meal.
This was a total of 1,650,000 meals every day.
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Source F shows reforms or changes made by the government during the
war.
Date
1940
Welfare reform
Emergency Hospital Scheme to organise beds for war
wounded
1940
1940
1941
1941
National Milk Scheme
Extra payments for 1 million old age pensioners and widows
Free immunisation against diphtheria
Greater number of state nursery places made available to let
mothers go out to work
1941
1942
1943
1944
1945
Means Test replaced by Needs Test
Emergency Milk and Meals Act (school children)
Ministry of National Insurance set up
Education Act – free secondary education to 15
Family Allowance to be paid
People began to think that if the government could make these
improvements while the war was on they could look forward to this
continuing after the war was over.
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE? (ACCESS 3, HISTORY)
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Activities
1.
Write down the information that shows that more school meals
were provided during the war.
2.
Write down:
12
(a)
two reforms that helped children’s health
(b)
two reforms that helped children’s education
(c)
one reform that helped families
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Topic 3: The Beveridge Report
Source G is a picture of Sir William Beveridge
Sir William Beveridge was 62 when the government asked him in June
1941 to investigate improvements that could be made to the system of
providing insurance cover against sickness and unemployment.
Beveridge had, for a long time, been interested in poverty. He had
helped Churchill introduce Labour Exchanges in 1909 and was involved
in the 1911 Insurance Act. He left the civil service in 1919 and became
Director of the London School of Economics. He became an important
man at London and Oxford Universities. He was involved in planning
the food rationing in 1940.
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE? (ACCESS 3, HISTORY)
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
His report was published in December 1942. Huge numbers of the
public rushed to buy it and it sold 635,000 copies. It was an important
report. It gave people something to fight for. Up until then they had
just been fighting against the Nazis.
Source H and I are part of his report.
Source H
My Plan for Social Security is an attack on the 5 giant evils in our
society. It is an attack on Want (or poverty); an attack on Disease (or
sickness) which often causes want. It is an attack on Ignorance (lack of
education). It also attacks Squalor (poor quality housing) and finally
attacks Idleness (unemployment).
Source I
The purpose of victory in the war is to live in a better world than the
old world. Each person is likely to concentrate in putting everything
into the war effort if they feel the government will be ready with plans
to make the world better for everyone.
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Activities
1.
Write down a piece of information that proves Beveridge’s Report
was very popular.
2.
Use Source H. What were the five giant evils of British society?
3.
Use Source I. Why did Beveridge think that plans for a better
world would help the war effort?
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Source J is a cartoon from the Daily Herald newspaper.
There was a great deal of support for the Beveridge Report. However,
not everyone was happy with it.
Source K gives reasons why some people did not like it.
Source K is from a letter in December 1942 by Vita Sackville-West
who was writing to her husband who was an MP.
I hope the report gets cut down. I am not for giving them everything
for nothing. They don’t appreciate this anyhow. Health, yes.
Education, yes. Old age pensions, yes, I suppose so. But not this kind
of charity which makes people fold their arms feel they don’t need to be
enterprising because everything will be provided for them.
Source L gives the view of the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill.
There is a dangerous optimism growing about the kind of conditions we
can provide here after the war. Ministers should be careful not to raise
false hopes as was done during the last war by speeches about ‘Homes
fit for heroes’. It is because I do not want to raise false hopes that I
have so far not made any promises about the future.
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Activities
1.
What does the cartoon in Source J show Beveridge trying to do?
2.
Using Source K and L, write down two reasons why some people
did not like the Beveridge Report.
3.
Explain why Source K is useful as evidence of reasons why
people did not like the Beveridge Report.
Using the information in Source K decide which of the following
statements are accurate:
A
Source K is a Primary Source.
B
Source K is a Secondary Source.
C
The purpose of Source K is to criticise the Beveridge
Report.
D
The purpose of Source K is to support charity.
E
Source K gives us a lot of useful information about the
problems the Beveridge Report might bring.
F
Source K gives a lot of useful information about old age
pensions.
The three accurate statements are:
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE? (ACCESS 3, HISTORY)
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Topic 4: The 1945 General Election
At the end of the war there was a General Election to choose a new
government. Churchill and the Conservatives said that people could
look after themselves and social security would be there if it was
needed.
The Labour Party, led by Clement Attlee, said that the government
should look after everyone. Social services would be available to all
people and wealth should be shared more equally.
Source M is by a Labour politician, Herbert Morrison.
Political leaders should recognise their duty and prepare for peace. The
Beveridge Plan can provide social security for all. Some may ask, ‘Can
we afford to do this?’ I would say, ‘Can we afford not to do it?’
Labour won the election easily. Labour’s more positive attitude to the
Beveridge Report was one reason why they won the election.
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FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE? (ACCESS 3, HISTORY)
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Activities
What did Herbert Morrison say the Beveridge Plan could do for
Britain?
Intermediate 1 extension
Describe the ways the Beveridge Plan could help Britain. Use Source
M and the information on pages 13 to 16.
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FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE? (ACCESS 3, HISTORY)
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Second World War: Wordsearch
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Find and colour the words below in the wordsearch.
ALLOWANCE
ATTLEE
BEVERIDGE
CLYDEBANK
EVACUATION
FOOD
GIANTS
LABOUR
RATIONING
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FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE? (ACCESS 3, HISTORY)
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
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(Over,Down,Direction)
ALLOWANCE (5,6,SE)
ATTLEE (2,6,NE)
BEVERIDGE (10,9,NW)
CLYDEBANK (12,2,SW)
EVACUATION (11,1,SW)
FOOD (11,4,SE)
GIANTS (6,1,SE)
LABOUR (8,8,NE)
RATIONING (1,11,E)
FROM THE CRADLE TO THE GRAVE? (ACCESS 3, HISTORY)
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THE SECOND WORLD WAR
Review
Look over your work in this unit.
Make sure you have checked over the Self Assessment booklet.
Complete the boxes below.
Yes
No
I have completed all the work successfully.
I am confident I understand this unit.
I need to do the work in this unit again.
If you ticked Yes for the last statement, decide which parts of the unit
you need to do again. Talk to your teacher about this.
Write a comment on your work in the box below.
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