Labour Reforms

Question 1

What was the life expectancy for men and women in 1931?

Answer 1

• 59 for men

- 63 for women

Question 2

What was the life expectancy for men and women in 1951?

Answer 2

• 66 for men

- 72 for women

Question 3

How many people were unemployed due to the Great Depression?

Answer 3

Over 2.5 million

Question 4

Why was the Great Depression relevant to the Beveridge Report?

Answer 4

• People believed post-war had to be better than pre-war

- Lead to people wanting change + made the Beveridge Report more popular

Question 5

Who produced the Beveridge Report + when?

Answer 5

• William Beveridge

- 1942

Question 6

What battle was won and why was it significant to the Beveridge Report?

Answer 6

A battle in North Africa that gave people hope of the war ending

Question 7

What did the benefits from the National Insurance consist of? State both couples and single adults.

Answer 7

• 26 shillings for single adults

- 42 shillings for couples

Question 8

Why was the National Insurance Act beneficial?

Answer 8

Gave people more financial security and peace of mind

Question 9

How many houses did Labour intend to build per year?

Answer 9

200,000 per year

Question 10

Did Labour hit their target + when?

Answer 10

Yes, after a couple of years of the scheme they were able to build over 200,000 per year built

Question 11

What kind of benefits were there in the National Assurance scheme?

Answer 11

• Sickness + unemployment benefits
• Orphan + widow benefits
• Death grants

Question 12

What was the benefit of new grants in the National Assurance scheme?

Answer 12

• These people were never helped before
• Better of quality of life
• Wider range of needs met

Question 13

What were the ages for male + female pensions lowered to?

Answer 13

• 60 for women

- 65 for men

Question 14

Why was the lowered age for pensions beneficial? Why was this still not enough?

Answer 14

• Allowed more people to access it before death as the new age was closer to life expectancy + end of working life
• Still not enough money to live on

Question 15

Who was the first person/family to squat in an army branch + when?

Answer 15

• James Fielding’s family
• 20 other families
• May 1946

Question 16

How did the local councils react?

Answer 16

• Some received funding from local councils and National Exchequer
• Local councils hooked army branches up to gas + electricity

Question 17

What was a drawback of the NHS?

Answer 17

Costed a lot while Britain was recovering from war debt + Great Depression

Question 18

How much was the budget for the NHS in 1914?

Answer 18

£134 million

Question 19

How much was the budget for the NHS in 1949?

Answer 19

£288 million`

Question 20

How much was the budget for the NHS in 1950?

Answer 20

£356 million

Question 21

What was one of the things the government did to help businesses after WWII?

Answer 21

Kept interest rates down

Question 22

How did the actions of the government to support businesses help?

Answer 22

• Encouraged pre-existing businesses to expand
• Encouraged creation of new businesses
• Made more jobs
• Encouraged people to invest

Question 23

What did each house built by Labour have with it?

Answer 23

• Separate kitchen
• Indoor bathroom
• Gas
• Electricity

Question 24

What were the 2 benefits of government houses being built?

Answer 24

• Started to help with the housing problem, gave homes to people who lost them during WWII
• Gave lower classes better homes
• Made cities less crowded

Question 25

Why were the aims of the NHS good for the population?

Answer 25

Allowed the health of the nation as a whole to improve as everyone had access for free

Question 26

How many spectacles were given out for free during the first year of the NHS?

Answer 26

5 million pairs

Question 27

How did the NHS improve on the old National Insurance Act?

Answer 27

- Only tuberculosis was treated in hospitals before | - Now all healthcare was free

Question 28

What was the benefit of giving out dental + optical care?

Answer 28

- Small amenities people weren't able to afford before | - Better quality of life

Question 29

What were 3 industries Labour nationalised?

Answer 29

- Railways - Steel - Coal - Iron - Telecoms - Airways

Question 30

What percentage of industries were nationalised?

Answer 30

20%

Question 31

Why was nationalising businesses positive?

Answer 31

- Prevented businesses from shutting down as they weren't working for profit - Allowed for more jobs

Question 32

Why could Labour not be purely attributed for low employments rates?

Answer 32

- High global demand | - The Marshall Plan (economic recovery plan from US)

Question 33

What were two facts that proved housing did not go far enough?

Answer 33

- 750,000 people were still homeless - Long waiting lists for housing - People squatting in army barracks due to lack of housing

Question 34

How did Labour react to the squatters in army barracks?

Answer 34

Hooked them up to water + electricity

Question 35

When was the NHS created and what were its aims?

Answer 35

- 5th July 1948 - Free healthcare - Comprehensive - Available for everyone

Question 36

How many dental patients were there after the NHS started?

Answer 36

8.5 million

Question 37

In which period of time did the Labour Reforms occur?

Answer 37

1930s - 1950s