Paper Summary:

This essay charts the development of the welfare state in Britain prior to, during and immediately after the Second World War. The writer presents the thesis that the welfare state represents both a bold break from the past as well a continuity of the trends that are observable in the period before it was set up after the war. The writer shows how the policy makers were intent on implementing a new policy of "universal benefits" as reflected in the Beveridge report of 1942, and that this represented a break from the past of "limited government". The writer argues that at the same time, the trends towards universal benefits can be observed in the inter-war period, especially in the key areas of health, housing and education. The essay examines each of these areas in detail, using statistics to highlight the trends mentioned above. The writer also uses the argument that the war helped to intensify and mobilize these trends, partly by creating a consensus amongst the political fraternity, and partly by relying on popular support engendered by wartime solidarity.

From the Paper:

"The creation of the Welfare State in Britain during the Second World War and its aftermath represents both a break from the past as well a continuation. This is a paradox that continues to animate political debate in the 21st century, where the legitimacy and efficacy of the welfare state is being questioned more and more. There is no doubt that the Welfare State is entirely the product of the time in which it was created - a time in which central planning was the logical political alternative. It is apparent that the planners were radical, and can even be considered to be utopian. Their effort was to establish a decisive break from history, through fashioning a state apparatus that would continue to nurture a capitalistic society, yet will be able to protect its citizens from the worst ravages of capitalism. It represented a unique point of settlement between right and left leaning politics, or a miraculous compromise between capitalism and socialism."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Atkinson, AB (1995) Incomes and the welfare state: essays on Britain and Europe, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
• Barker, P (1984) Founders of the welfare state, Heinemann, London.
• Blackstone, T (1971) A fair start: The provision of pre-school education, Penguin Press, New York.
• Branson, N, Heinemann, M (1971) Britain in the 1930's, Praeger, New York.
• Constantine, S (1983) Social conditions in Britain, 1918-1939, Routledge, London.

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