THEME 2: CREATING A WELFARE STATE, 1918-79
2a: Provision of Social Welfare
1918- WELFARE PROVISION PRE-1918
31 Largely informed by Victorian Poor Laws, this largely
remained in place until 1930
o Poor Law guardians levied poor rate on local
landowners + businesses → to fund workhouses
o Workhouses = designed for impoverished families →
more commonly homed the sick + destitute n some
became hospitals
Abolished by 1930 Local Government Act
1911 Unemployment Insurance → some unemployed
entitled to benefit = 7 shillings/ week (for up to 15 weeks/
year) – however, avg. wages = 20 shillings/ week
o Women also covered + entitled to maternity
allowance
o Covered 10% of working male pop.
Pre-WWI welfare = ‘a patchwork of local, voluntary and
charitable organisations’
1918-20 ‘OUT OF WORK DONATION’
Designed to provide temporary support to ex-soldiers not
covered by 1911 Insurance act
Paid out of taxation → early example of gov accepting
duty to support unemployed
1920 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ACT
National Insurance extended → covered 4mil in 1919;
>11mil in 1921
Benefits increased → 75p for men; 60p for women
o However, avg. low-paid salary = £3/ week
Created the ‘dole’ – available without means testing
Justified by high levels of unemployment + fears of
revolution (ref 1917 Bolshevik Rev) + desire to support
soldiers post-WWI
1929 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT
Councils set up Public Assistance Committees (PACs) →
abolished Board of Guardians (under Poor Laws) + transferred
power to councils
, THEME 2: CREATING A WELFARE STATE, 1918-79
1931- 1931 NATIONAL ECONOMY ACT
39 10% cut in unemployment benefits (the ‘dole’)
Introduced household means test → in order to reduce
cost
o Exacerbated hardship for most vulnerable – e.g., in
Tyneside and S. Wales
o Disqualified ‘short-term workers’ – e.g., occasional
shipyard workers
o Introduced ‘transitional payments’ = support after
the max. 6 months → PACs investigated to check
eligibility
Required recipient to have exhausted all
savings + sold any valuables
o Unemployed with working children → could lose
benefits
1933 UNEMPLOYMENT LEVELS
Peaked at 3 mil in 1933 = 20% of adult working pop.
1934 UNEMPLOYMENT ACT
Reversed 10% benefit cut
Created Unemployment Assistance Board → to replace
PACs and centralise relief
Divided benefits:
o Insurance → covered those who paid into scheme
o Assistance → managed by UAB for those not covered/
who had exhausted claims
By 1937 – assisted >1mil people
1939- WARTIME EXPERIENCE
45 Managed economy (through rationing, centralised
planning, etc)
o normalised state intervention + raised public
expectations
Evacuations → interclass mixing
o 1.5 evacuated in 1939
Rationing → equalised population + public health
improved (1/3 of pop. found their living standards
improved – compared to Depression levels)
1942 BEVERIDGE REPORT
William Beveridge identified the ‘5 evils’ → squalor,
ignorance, want, idleness + disease
Advocated universal benefits – rejecting means tests
V. popular → even backed by traditionally conservative
2a: Provision of Social Welfare
1918- WELFARE PROVISION PRE-1918
31 Largely informed by Victorian Poor Laws, this largely
remained in place until 1930
o Poor Law guardians levied poor rate on local
landowners + businesses → to fund workhouses
o Workhouses = designed for impoverished families →
more commonly homed the sick + destitute n some
became hospitals
Abolished by 1930 Local Government Act
1911 Unemployment Insurance → some unemployed
entitled to benefit = 7 shillings/ week (for up to 15 weeks/
year) – however, avg. wages = 20 shillings/ week
o Women also covered + entitled to maternity
allowance
o Covered 10% of working male pop.
Pre-WWI welfare = ‘a patchwork of local, voluntary and
charitable organisations’
1918-20 ‘OUT OF WORK DONATION’
Designed to provide temporary support to ex-soldiers not
covered by 1911 Insurance act
Paid out of taxation → early example of gov accepting
duty to support unemployed
1920 UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE ACT
National Insurance extended → covered 4mil in 1919;
>11mil in 1921
Benefits increased → 75p for men; 60p for women
o However, avg. low-paid salary = £3/ week
Created the ‘dole’ – available without means testing
Justified by high levels of unemployment + fears of
revolution (ref 1917 Bolshevik Rev) + desire to support
soldiers post-WWI
1929 LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT
Councils set up Public Assistance Committees (PACs) →
abolished Board of Guardians (under Poor Laws) + transferred
power to councils
, THEME 2: CREATING A WELFARE STATE, 1918-79
1931- 1931 NATIONAL ECONOMY ACT
39 10% cut in unemployment benefits (the ‘dole’)
Introduced household means test → in order to reduce
cost
o Exacerbated hardship for most vulnerable – e.g., in
Tyneside and S. Wales
o Disqualified ‘short-term workers’ – e.g., occasional
shipyard workers
o Introduced ‘transitional payments’ = support after
the max. 6 months → PACs investigated to check
eligibility
Required recipient to have exhausted all
savings + sold any valuables
o Unemployed with working children → could lose
benefits
1933 UNEMPLOYMENT LEVELS
Peaked at 3 mil in 1933 = 20% of adult working pop.
1934 UNEMPLOYMENT ACT
Reversed 10% benefit cut
Created Unemployment Assistance Board → to replace
PACs and centralise relief
Divided benefits:
o Insurance → covered those who paid into scheme
o Assistance → managed by UAB for those not covered/
who had exhausted claims
By 1937 – assisted >1mil people
1939- WARTIME EXPERIENCE
45 Managed economy (through rationing, centralised
planning, etc)
o normalised state intervention + raised public
expectations
Evacuations → interclass mixing
o 1.5 evacuated in 1939
Rationing → equalised population + public health
improved (1/3 of pop. found their living standards
improved – compared to Depression levels)
1942 BEVERIDGE REPORT
William Beveridge identified the ‘5 evils’ → squalor,
ignorance, want, idleness + disease
Advocated universal benefits – rejecting means tests
V. popular → even backed by traditionally conservative
