1. Higher History An ‘assessment’ essay
The Labour Reforms How successful were the Labour party reforms of 1945 – 51?
Higher History
An ‘assessment’ essay

3. We are learning to… Assess the impact of the Labour Reforms I can… Build up notes on the topic Plan a 20 mark essay Pass a 20 mark timed essay

4. Background (for intro)
Throughout World War II, the country was run by a government formed from a coalition of Labour, Conservative and Liberal politicians.
During the war, the government became much more involved in people's lives.
As part of the war effort, the government organised the rationing of food, clothing and fuel and gave extra milk and meals to expectant mothers and children.
Most people welcomed this government intervention and wanted it to go further. The government was seen to be taking an active interest in providing for the welfare of the people

5. Background II (for intro)
The Beveridge Report was a report published in 1942 by William Beveridge
The findings have been credited with providing the guidelines for the reforms the new Labour government introduced when elected in 1945
His findings;
The main problems in existence in Britain were WANT, IGNORANCE, SQUALOR, DISEASE & IDLENESS
He suggested that the government addressed these ‘five giants’ or problems in order to meet the needs of the British people

6. The essay
Your job is to assess how well Labour did in eradicating these five giants
Did they completely meet the needs of the British people? Or did they fail to meet their needs? Or did they meet them to an extent?
You need to look at the reforms they introduced, the good points of each reform as well as the bad points

7. 5 Giants 5 factors
1. Want (poverty) 2. Squalor (poor housing) 3. Disease (ill health) 4. Ignorance (lack of education) 5. Idleness (unemployment)

8. 1. Want (Poverty) Knowledge:
Poverty was seen as the key social problem which affected all others.
In 1946 the National Insurance Act was passed which covered the individual for sickness, unemployment, old age pension, widows’ pension, orphans’ pension, maternity and death grants (compulsory comprehensive insurance against most eventualities)
It provided sickness benefit (for as long as you were sick) and unemployment benefit (for 6 months), retirement pension and widow and maternity benefit.
Family Allowances Act (1945) – 5 shillings per week for each child after the first.

9. Analysis
It was said that social provision was made for citizens from the 'cradle to the grave', catering for their needs from their time of birth to their death (success)
However, the scheme was criticised for the large number of officials needed to operate it and others argued that the Act did not go far enough as the National Insurance benefit was restricted to those citizens who had made 156 weekly contributions. (limitation)
Weekly contributions took up 5% of average earnings & The pensions were not enough to live on (limitation)

10. A and A+ in an assessment essay
Knowledge (K) = Name, date and description of a reform (law)
Analysis (A) = Giving one success OR limitation of the reform
Analysis + (A+) = combining a success with a limitation e.g.
“On the one hand it was said that social provision was made for citizens from the 'cradle to the grave', catering for their needs from their time of birth to their death however on the other hand Weekly contributions took up 5% of average earnings & The pensions were not enough to live on.

11. 1. Want (Poverty) Knowledge point:
In the same year the Industrial Injuries Act was passed.
The act made insurance against industrial injury compulsory for all employees. Under the terms of the act, industrial injury benefits were to be paid at a higher rate than for ordinary sickness.

12. Analysis
The act made insurance against industrial injury compulsory for all employees. (success)
Under the terms of the act, industrial injury benefits were to be paid at a higher rate than for ordinary sickness plus they were paid by the government not the employer (success)

13. 1. Want (Poverty) Knowledge point:
In 1948 the National Assistance Act was passed which provided benefits for those not covered by the National Insurance Act.
National Assistance Boards were set up to help citizens whose resources were insufficient to meet their needs (i.e. old people, very sick people)

14. Analysis
The National Assistance Act helped people who were not in work or those who had not paid enough contributions into the new National Insurance Scheme. The scheme was a provide a 'safety net' to ensure that nobody fell into poverty (success)
The measures did give the elderly an income which allowed them to live with some degree of dignity (success)
The assistance was means tested. This meant the assistance received depended on the amount of money or valuable belongings a family or individual possessed. (limitation)

15. So did the Labour reforms meet the needs of the people in terms of ‘Want’? Analysis +
On the one hand, The Labour government improved on existing reforms and put laws in place which did extend help to people ‘from the cradle to the grave’ and the reforms did help some people who would otherwise be in poverty On the other hand, the ‘means testing’ of national assistance meant many elderly were reluctant to apply for it and the insurance benefits were still to low to live on (about 19% of normal wage) Verdict: to an extent

16. 2 Squalor (poor housing)
Knowledge point:
Most of Britain still had slum areas and overcrowding was a serious problem made worse by bomb damage during the war.
To deal with the problem of squalor the government concentrated on the building of decent homes for the working class after the war.
The government aimed at building 200,000 houses a year and many of these were prefabricated houses (prefabs) which were assembled quickly onsite.
The New Towns Act passed in 1946 laid the plans for 14 new towns in Britain to reduce overcrowding, including Glenrothes and East Kilbride in Scotland

18. One problem with New Towns like Cumbernauld is that people have condemned them as ‘ugly’ and ‘eyesores’.

19. Analysis
Around 700,000 council houses were built between 1945 and 1951 to provide good quality family accommodation which was a big improvement for most at a reasonable rent (1/3 of private sector) (success)
Poor housing, long waiting lists and homelessness were still serious problems at the end of the Labour administration in 1951 (limitation)
The 1951 census revealed that there were 750,000 fewer houses than households in Britain and this was approximately the same level of homelessness as in 1931 so there was little improvement in terms of homelessness (limitation)

20. So did the Labour reforms meet the needs of the people in terms of ‘Squalor’? Analysis +
On the one hand, In housing, the Labour Government's record is far from praiseworthy, not comparing well with either pre-war levels or with the record of the Conservatives in the 1950s On the other hand, However, given the severe social and economic problems (i.e. postwar baby boom) facing the government in 1945 after the end of WWII perhaps the government deserves less condemnation in this respect Verdict: largely unsuccesful

21. 3. Disease Knowledge point:
In 1946 the National Health Service (NHS) Act was passed and for the first time every British citizen could receive medical, dental and optical services free of charge. (universal, comprehensive, free at the point of use)
Treatment by GPs and in hospitals was free also. These benefits were free at point of use, no patient being asked to pay for any treatment on the spot

22. Analysis
The NHS has to be considered the greatest single achievement in the development of the welfare state as it meant that healthcare was no longer based on your ability to pay (achievement)
The NHS faced a backlog of untreated problems, with doctors, dentists and opticians being inundated with patients queuing up for treatment that they had previously been unable to afford. Prescriptions rose from 7 million per month before the NHS to 13.5 million per month in September (limitation)
The enormous expense of the NHS came as a severe shock to the government and by 1950 the NHS was costing £358 million per year. The Labour Government, consequently, had to backtrack on its principle of a free service by introducing charges for spectacles and dental treatment. (limitation)
Further, the government was constrained in what it could realistically afford by the economy's performance and plans for new hospitals and health centres had to be shelved. (limitation)

23. So did the Labour reforms meet the needs of the people in terms of ‘Disease’? Analysis +
On the one hand, the NHS was a wonderful achievement of the Labour government, the ‘jewel in the crown’ of the welfare state. It meant your social status no longer dictated your access to healthcare On the other hand, the government reneged on their founding principle of the NHS being free at the point of use, ageing Victorian hospitals affected the provision of healthcare, most doctors (90%) opposed the scheme and the cost was too high to maintain Verdict: largely succesful

24. 4. Education Knowledge point:
In 1944 the war time Coalition government passed the Education act. The act was actually proposed by the Conservatives, but after the 1945 general election, it was the Labour government that implemented its measures.
The Butler Act made secondary education compulsory until the age of 15 years and provided meals, milk and medical services at every school.
An examination at age 11 years (called the '11+') placed children in certain types of school, according to their ability. Those who got the best marks in this exam went to senior secondary (grammar schools in England) and were expected to 'stay on' after 15 years and possibly go to university and get jobs in management.
Children who failed the exam went to a ‘junior secondary’ or ‘technical school’ and were not expected to stay at school after 15 years and they were expected to get unskilled types of employment.

25. Analysis
With education, the government had introduced the '11+' examination as a selection procedure for the limited number of places at senior secondary and grammar schools. This policy was popularly seen to be socially divisive and highly contentious/ controversial (limitation)
‘for every selection there was a rejection’ – B Walsh (primary source)
Critics said that little had been done to enhance the opportunities for working class children, most of whom left school at 15 years after 1947 with few if any paper qualifications. (limitation)
Furthermore, the building of new schools concentrated on the primary sector to cope with the baby boom; the secondary sector was largely neglected. (limitation)

26. So did the Labour reforms meet the needs of the people in terms of ‘Ignorance’? Analysis +
On the one hand, Compared to the equality of opportunity and provision being enacted in the fields of social security and health, the Labour Government did little for the educational welfare of the working class. Most education reform was developed by the wartime Conservative led coalition, not the Labour party
On the other hand, the school leaving age did rise to 15 and for those who passed the 11+ and attended grammar schools they largely received a good education with the best teachers so middle class benefitted most
Verdict: largely unsuccesful

27. 5. Idleness (unemployment)
Knowledge point:
After the war, there seemed to be work for everyone as Britain rebuilt itself. The Labour Government succeeded in its commitment to maintain high levels of employment after the war.
By 1946, unemployment was reduced to 2.5 % and this was in spite of huge post-war problems such as shortages of raw materials and massive war debts.
One way in which the government kept almost full employment was through nationalisation.
Following the principles of economist John Maynard Keynes, the government took control of certain industries such as iron and steel manufacture. Under this managed economy the government could use tax money to keep an industry afloat even if it faced economic difficulties.

28. Analysis
Unprofitable industries were subsidised in order to keep people in work, keeping unemployment low and showing the government’s commitment to keeping & creating jobs (success)
Despite this, nationalisation did little to improve working efficiency in these industries. Supported by taxation money, these industries had little incentive to be profitable. As such, wages and working conditions remained generally unimproved.(limitation)

29. Verdict: succesful to an extent
So did the Labour reforms meet the needs of the people in terms of ‘Idleness’? Analysis +
On the one hand, the Labour government kept their promise of ensuring employment rates were low and put employment as a priority over the economy, supporting unprofitable industries
On the other hand, nationalisation affected the British post-war economy badly, the British government was reliant on American Marshall Aid, working conditions did not improve, wages remained low and later conservative governments also managed to keep unemployment low
Verdict: succesful to an extent

30. Labour Reforms – Need to know
1946 National Insurance Act (Family Allowances Act (1945) )
1946 Industrial Injuries Act
1948 National Assistance Act
Council House Building
1946 New Towns Act
1948 NHS Act
1944 Education Act
Nationalisation of Industry
8 reforms = 8 points of knowledge

31. Consolidation
A good idea when you have taken all your notes for a topic is to create a condensed revision guide for the essay
This might be a mind map, picture map, bullet points etc. but should fit on one page
For assessment essays a table can be helpful
Do this for homework
Useful link -

32. Evaluation This is a bit different for an assessment essay
Rather than saying one factor is more important than another we need to decide which giants the Labour government addressed best
i.e.
Squalor?
Idleness?
Ignorance?
Disease?
Want?
Once you have decided which was helped most and least your evaluation 1 & 2 should fit around that

33. Historical views (may help with evaluation)
Kerr argues even before 1939, Britain had an established system of welfare help for those In need
Kerr argues many social reforms were either in place or proposed long before Labour swept to power and claimed to establish a welfare state
Kerr argues Labour were credited with reducing unemployment when in actual fact unemployment went down naturally due to rebuilding after WWII
Harris has argued the Labour government should have spent money on the labour force not the old, sick and poor like other European countries did in order to become more efficient
Kerr argues that by 1951 the Labour government had transformed British society and improved the lives of millions of people
Some historians use Labour’s loss in 1951 to back up the view that Labour had failed to fully meet the needs of the British people

34. Evaluation
E1 and E2 - 2 marks can be gained from making evaluative comments which relate to individual factors Example – Upon evaluation, the Labour Reforms helped disease most because… Upon evaluation, the Labour Reforms addressed Squalor least because… NB – You must be saying something new in your evaluation, not repeating your analysis or doing ‘mini conclusions’

35. Evaluation +
E+ - up to 4 marks can be gained from making evaluative comments which show the relative importance between factors (i.e. you compare two) Example – Upon evaluation, want was addressed more than ignorance because…. NB – You must be saying something new in your evaluation, not repeating your analysis or doing ‘mini conclusions’ Remember analysis is really tricky and many candidates get 0/4 but still get an A!

36. Evaluation – largely successful, only successful to an extent, largely unsuccessful
Disease/ ill health (addressed better than any others) Want/ poverty (addressed in some ways) Idleness/ unemployment (addressed in some ways) Squalor/ poor housing (not addressed) Education/ ignorance (not addressed)

37. Writing the intro
Background – 2/3 sentences – describe ww2 changes/ Beveridge Report Factors – The Labour government introduced reforms to address a number of issues such as (5 giants) Argument – It can be argued that the Labour government completely met the needs of the British people/ failed to meet the needs of the British people/ Met the needs of the British people to an extent because… (evidence)

38. Writing the conclusion
In conclusion there is much debate over whether the Labour government reforms of met the needs of the British people. On the one hand… (one side of argument i.e. achievements) On the other hand… (balance the argument i.e. the limitations) Overall, it is clear that… (make a final judgement which goes above what’s already stated and back up with evidence)

39. Example question – exemplar paper
The social reforms of the Labour government of failed to deal effectively with the needs of the people. How valid is this view? 20