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Beveridge report
The report set out recomendations for the improvement of social welfare. It was comprehensive program. It removed the means test, so welfare was provided to all who paid taxes. It was a liberal pan which stayed away from "giving everybody something for nothing" -
General election, Labour wins
Labour gained 393 seats of the total 640 seats. However they did not gain the majority of the votes, only the seats. Churchill's polularity did not convert over to peacetime, People still remembered many of Conservative failings, such as the promise to give "a land fit for heroes" in the years between the wars, the inability to prevent war and the accosiation with depression. The convervatives also replied too heavily on Churchill's personality, believing that that alone could allow them to win. -
Victory for Labour (cont.)
The Labour party represented the zeitgeist at the time, reform and reconstruction after the war. The leading Labour ministers had gained a lot of respect during the war. People were more willing to overlook Labour's previous failings. -
Family Allowances Act
First Act to bring in child benefit, as suggeted in the Beveridge report. -
Nationalisation Programme began
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National Insurance Act
Comprehensive welfare supprt system, paid for with taxes everyone contributed to -
Industrial Injuries Act
Supplied conpensation from the state to those injured in work related injuries. -
Period: to
Severe winter-higher austerity measures
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Stafford Cripps becomes Chancellor of the Exchequer
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Independance of India
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NHS began
A completely free and comprehensive system of healthcare. The medical proffession was very opposed to this, because they didn't there pay to go down, they didn't want to loose their social position, they did want the government interfering with them. Bevan basically had to buy the doctors off. He promised that they would be paid a lot, would still be able to have private practises alongside NHS practices if they wanted, and doctors were employed like freelancers, paid per patient on their book. -
National Assistance Act
Established boards that dealt directly with cases of poverty -
Marshal Plan aid
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Nationalisation of iron and steel
This was contraversial because it was still profit making and therefore hard to negotiate compensation around -
Pound devalued
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Election, labour held majority by 5 seats
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Start of Korean War