The Labour Goverment of 1945

Labour Government came to power in 1945 just after World War 2. During World War 2 a lot of state intervention took place, such as children being evacuated into the countryside. This not only saved thousands of lives but also brought a sense of togetherness with town and countryside people. It gave people who lived in the countryside an idea of how children lived and were brought up in the cities. War brought an awareness of the need for reform and a sense that such reforms were needed urgently. At the end of World War 2 British people had higher taxes and more expensive government controls than ever, so it seemed like an excellent idea to continue with the development of the welfare state. The purpose of my essay is to come to a conclusion as to how far I agree with the statement ‘The Labour Government (1945-1951) simply completed the welfare state which was started by others'.

I will do this by detailing all the things that the Labour Government (1945-51) did and make clear how significant other factors were in explaining the developments of the welfare state.

In 1907 medical inspections in schools were compulsory and school boards had the power to take action against parents who allowed their children to come to school in a filthy or verminous state. From 1912 school clinics were set up to provide free medical treatment. The 1908 children’s charter protected children from cruelty. Child offenders were sent to juvenile courts and instead of being sent to prison they were placed in brostals or put on probation. Parents guilty of neglect could be fined.

So the Liberals made a good job of their reforms but each one had limitations; they didn’t attempt to do anything about housing conditions or education. The Liberals didn’t set out to create a welfare state, yet they lay a good foundation for future governments to build on.

Health insurance was introduced as a sickness benefit, this gave mothers maternity benefit that was 30’s and sick workers got free medical examinations and medicine from a ‘panel’ of doctors.

In 1948 the National Health Service came into action, this was compulsory, comprehensive and universal – everyone would pay into the system and everyone would receive basic benefits if they needed them. The NHS was the biggest innovation and achievement that the government could be most proud of. There was no limit to the amount of free help given by doctors, hospitals, dentists and opticians. There was an immediate demand for treatment and it proved very costly with it being paid by general taxation.

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