The Welfare State - Essay Example

The government realized that the state’s duty is to look after its citizens from birth to death. After its implementation, the government tried to facilitate whatever conditions favourable for the citizens. The present essay tries to analyse the meaning of welfare state in Britain. Further the essay shows how the government had tried to eliminate the ‘five giants’, as stated by Beveridge, for the development of welfare state. Moreover an evaluation is made on the strengths and weaknesses of the welfare state in Britain.

Thus the essay is an attempt to throw light on the various aspects of the welfare state in the United Kingdom. The meaning of welfare state in UK: The idea of welfare state began in the year 1942. William Beveridge proposed the suggestions for making the country a welfare state. The Clement Attlee government was favourable for implementing the project of William Beveridge. The period of the government from 1945-1951 witnessed many of the welfare programmes for the people. It aimed to reduce the social inequalities and bring up social justice to all in the British society.

The Attlee government was in support of the common people and so the implementation of welfare state made many people friendly programmes for the total developments of the people. . 2-3). As stated above the nation has a great role to play for the wellbeing of the people. It should make programmes for the security and future of the citizens. It is the duty of the state to provide maximum programmes for child developments and health care. The educational requirements of the citizens are the duty of a welfare government.

The concept of welfare state in relied upon the report of Beveridge. The report demands the destruction of five giants. Ken Browne in his Introduction to Sociology pinpoints that the development of welfare services aimed at the destruction of the five giants-“of Want (poverty), Disease (ill-health and lack of healthcare), Squalor (poor housing), Ignorance (lack of educational opportunity) and Idleness (unemployment), and the creation of a society in which each individual would have the right to be cared by the state from womb to tomb” (Browne 2011, p.383). When these five giants are reduced by the government to the lowest level, the society is said to be in favour of the people.

In analysing the implementation of the welfare state, it can be seen that the government had tried its level best to eliminate these five giants from the land. Thus in the history of Britain anyone can understand that the government is worth enough to be called a welfare state. UK as a welfare state and the analysis of five giants: To analyse the welfare state in Great Britain, it is worthwhile to make an evaluation of the five giants and the governmental policies to eradicate the giants from the society.

In the UK, the government headed by the Labour party was ready to implement some of the suggestions of Beveridge and implemented a series of laws to protect it. It had many up and downs. It remained up to Margaret