Did Churchill's Wartime Coalition Government 'Create' the Welfare State - Essay Example

? Did Churchill's wartime coalition government 'create' the welfare Task: Did Churchill's wartime coalition government'create' the welfare state? Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill is one of the most prosperous and famous conservative politicians in the United Kingdom. During the Second World War, he manifested proficient leadership qualities during the wartime, leading a coalition government as a prime minister. The sole role of Churchill’s coalition government was to defeat political enemies; however, the government faced a blow when labour ministers demanded an election since they wanted a change. Due to misjudgments and colossal understanding, Churchill was confident to call the election since he believed British people probably would back the greatest hero of the hour. The voters wanted an end to the wartime austerity and economic depression, which was an opposite of what William Beverigde promised before war. Securing 47% of the votes, the labour party garnered 393 seats in the House of Commons, which saw a switch in place with the new prime minister, being Clement Atlee, the former deputy to Churchill. Although Churchill was not happy with the win to the point that he described Attlee as, “sheep in sheep’s clothing,” several questions arose during Attlee regime (Addison 1977, pp. 20). This is because of high restriction on food and other basic commodities experienced later in Attlee regime, compared to Churchill’s leadership during the war. In as much as the people wanted a change, various looming factors replaced the change such as accelerated social and economic differences and class inequalities. This left people with the main question, whether Churchill’s wartime coalition government created the welfare state. A welfare state is a state that assumes health and social security responsibility for its citizens. Various debates arise due to the creation of the welfare state mainly realized by Attlee labour party regime. Liberal historians believe the welfare state originated from past centuries from 1906 to 1914 before the First World War. Consequently, they insist the labour party only implemented the laid down strategies (Jefferys 1991, pp. 49). From this perspective, the labour state was an implementation of a blue print formulated by people in the old generation. However, there are various historians who also believe the welfare state got formulated during Churchill’s regime of the Second World War. This was the years when Churchill’s coalition government played an effective and active role in transforming the lives of British citizens. From this perspective, the labour party only built on the footsteps laid by the coalition Government. Whether it is the liberals, war cabinet or the labour government of 1945 to 1951, the paper focuses on establishing if Churchill’s coalition played a role in culminating the welfare state. The Beveridge report of 1942, which contributed to the achievement of the welfare state, was produced during Churchill’s regime. This links the formation of the welfare regime to Churchill’s coalition government. With increasing problems during wartime, the coalition government headed by Churchill appointed Sir William Beveridge to assess and write a report on the best and effective way of helping people with low income. The result of the research carried out by Beveridge was a report produced in 1942. In the report, Beveridge identified five main key problems, which acted as basic roots of society failure. Terming them as five giant evils, Beveridge mentioned them as, poverty, diseases, poor housing, idleness (unemployment) as well as ignorance (lack of education) (Addison 1977, pp. 36). In addition, the report proposed working people despite the level should pay weekly contribution to a common social institution, which would then distribute it back to sick people, unemployed, widowed as well as retired. In his argument, the system would provide a standard of living beyond which one would not suffer from common life problems. In as much as the coalition government accepted the Beveridge report and proposed it as a way forward, its implementation was not effective (Lowe 1990, 152). The labour party that took power in 1945 only implemented the report, which also proposed the formation of a comprehensive National Health Service (Jefferys 1991, pp. 61). In addition, the social reform of the labour party was pure fight against the five giants proposed by Beveridge. The coalition government made many revolutionary reforms aimed at improving the living conditions of its people. For instance, some of the interventionist approaches implemented by the coalition government headed by Churchill included rationing of food, clothing and fuel. The government did this, to ensure all people got the available food in equal measures; as well as provide the necessary materials needed for war did this. Another reason, which justifies the rationing of the basic, included the economic downfall the country was facing due to the war, which saw all resources channeled towards providing resources for the war (Fraser 2003, pp 98). It was a form of training whereby got used to the rationing; therefore, was not a new event when the labour government implemented it during the post war era. It is from this perspective that the labour government implemented various regulations on the basics. With an aim of ensuring the welfare of it citizens, the labour government implemented such conditions. These ties down implementation of the welfare state to the coalition government headed by Churchill hence making the welfare state a product of the coalition government with only new implementers. Churchill’s coalition government gets attributed to the configuration of the welfare state from the perspective of children. The welfare of children was a key concern of Churchill’s government. In order to prevent children from suffering due to poverty and other horrors of life, which engulfed inner city children, the government evacuated the children to other parts of the country far from towns (Addison 1977, pp. 20). This is because towns became a crucial target sites during the war, which only needed people who could work and endure the hard conditions prevailing in the war torn times. In addition, Churchill’s government set up the national milk scheme, a project, meant for mothers who earned not more than $2 per week (Lowe 1990, 160). They also got supplied with free vitamins and cod liver oil with an aim of ensuring gracious living standards. Consequently, the government also provided free meals and milk in schools, for all students whether from a poor family or rich family. According to statistical data, the number of students attracted by free meals in a day rose from 130,000 in 1940 to 1,650,000 in 1945. During the same period, milk consumption also increased from 19% to 46% a symbol people welcomed the welfare projects. This was a clear sign that as much as the labour party made improvement by giving favorable conditions; the pioneer government to initiate such initiatives was the coalition government headed by Churchill ((Jefferys 1991, pp. 73). The introduction of National Health Service remains the greatest monument for the labour party when in power. However, a close glance at the components of the scheme reveals various underlying factors linked to the coalition government headed by Churchill. The topology of welfare states brought out by the labour regime continued immunization of children (Lowe 2005, pp 11). However, it must come to notice that the coalition government headed by Churchill first introduced immunization. This was after it reappeared that immunization could reduce child mortality rate; a factor that was causing loss of many children. For example, after the introduction of immunization against diphtheria the number of children dying dropped from 3,000 during the war period to 818 in 1945. This is a clear understanding that aspect of the welfare state came from the coalition government headed by Churchill; hence, the certainty that the welfare state came from the coalition government (Lowe 1990, 175). The labour government, which came to power after the coalition government headed by Churchill bragged for creating a well fare state. However, this has proven not to be true. Talking of the perspective of education, the labour government conducted an exact replication of what the coalition government had undertaken. This is because; it is the coalition government, which passed reforms such as the family reforms act of 1945. This was an act to ensure that all families engaged in employment contributed five shillings in a week of working towards the education of second and subsequent children of the family. This was after the introduction of a free secondary education passed under the education act of 1944. In addition, the act specified school leaving age to be 15 years. The bedrock of labour social reforms claimed by the labour reformists towards the creation of a well fare state is; therefore, completion of structures ground broke during the war era (Addison 1977, pp. 50). This is because; all the reforms initiated by welfare interventionist get attributed to world war two, a period when the reforms were needed most. This is a proof that generation of the welfare state had a base during Churchill’s coalition regime. It is clear that welfare states derived by the labour government are evolutionary rather than revolutionary. They are reforms proposed by previous governments but implemented by the labour government, which took a more keen interest. The old age pension scheme is one of the reforms, the labour government chest thumps for having implemented; however, this is not a true acclamation as its origin gets tied to the Churchill’s coalition government (Harris 2004, pp 18). Although there were new improvements the labour party made in the pension scheme, it gets attributed to the war era when soldiers and other employees needed money start over from wars. While the post war labour government concentrated in passing reforms from 1945 to 1951 to create a well fare state, the wartime coalition government remains the key player in reforms passed (Brooke 1992, pp 43). In as much as various reasons point at Churchill’s government for the formation a welfare state, various reasons show welfare state, originated from early liberals. For example, the national health service begun before Churchill’s regime in 5th July 1948. This was a promise the British government had made for the people and had come true when the government implemented it in 1948. It was a reform, which transformed a dustman to a duke, whereby everybody was entitled to a free medical care from dentists and other medical needs. Before Churchill’s regime, labour also created a council housing to deal with Squalor and welfare of the country citizens. This got transformed during the coalition government into a labour party (Brooke 1992, pp 44). It is the same labour party, which made various transformations in the labour government, making Churchill’s coalition not responsible for the creation of the welfare state. The labour government did not create the welfare state without any basis or from nothing; however, the ideas came from a given comprehensive base. The old age pension schemes, for example, come from the liberal government legislation of 1906 to 1914, which introduced Old age pension, health and unemployment insurance (Lowe 2005, pp 06). The realm got extended by the labour government, which concentrated in modernizing the trend to provide more conducive health reforms. For instance, the labour government initiated the building of council houses for council employees as well as an extension of the pension schemes to many people. In addition, a comprehensive framework was drown by the government, which guided the implementation of pension schemes (Rubinstein 2006, pp 04). This was a step from the old and activated pension scheme, making Churchill’s coalition government not the only government to initiate the welfare state. In as much as the labour government is not attributed to the many reforms it made, which led to the welfare state, it also made various reforms. The reforms were natural implementation by the labour government, which had no alteration or influence from the previous regimes. For instance, the national insurance that covered industrial injuries was the Act of 1946 (Brooke 1992, pp 43). This is a law that ensured industrial workers got compensation for any accident or disability resulting from work operations. This was different from the Churchill’s regime, which left workers responsible for any accident they met while working. From this perspective, the coalition government as much as past legislation on the health of workers missed a point, which ensured workers convenience. The national insurance Act of 1946 was a replacement of health, unemployment and pension insurance of 1911. In order to come up with a comprehensive welfare state, the labour government made changes in the old scheme producing a proficient insurance cover, which covered employees from all calibers. For instance, the scheme covered both sickness and unemployment benefit not forgetting retirement as well as widow’s pensions and maternity grants (Jefferys 1994, pp. 45). Adults were to pay weekly contribution, which under the new scheme; employers were to subsidize. From this perspective, Churchill’s coalition government is not by any chance responsible for the formation of the welfare state, as past generations played a vital role the policies, which lead to the creation of the welfare state. The most striking welfare service got created in 1948 when the national health service came into force. However, this was not an original plan but a build up from Lioyd Georges health insurance system of 1911. The system comprised of free medical cover in dental and optical facilities. In the new scheme that led to the creation of the welfare state insurance contributions got overshadowed by national taxation leading to subsidized prescriptions (Brooke 1992, pp 45). Consequently, country hospitals and other institutions got nationalized with services provided for all citizen free. Contrary to the British medical association, the labour government upheld private system of medication, which also ensures quality medical services. It is, however, crucial to note that the policy was an idea from previous generations and not an original formulation by the government. Moreover, the Churchill’s government is found not to be responsible for the initiation of such policies, which led to the birth of a welfare state (Rubinstein 2006, pp 04). In 1944, a white paper on employment guiding principle committed the government to provide high and stable employment after war. This was to be as a security during the interwar years and industrial depression. This was an idea implemented by the labour government whereby settlement for post war players was given a priority. However, a close analysis of the policy reveals it was from the Keynesian ideas of managed economy of 1930. The ideas proposed management of government activities with increased spending without the need to balance the budget (Jefferys 1994, pp. 45). This was an idea implemented by the labour government making unemployment to drop to 2.5%. In as much as there, was no economic problems during the time the government faced many problems paying for the increased social services, war debts and repairing damage caused by the war. From this perspective, the formation of the welfare state was not from the coalition government headed by Churchill; however, it was from policies formulated in the past centuries (Rubinstein 2006, pp 04). In summary, the rise of the welfare state was because of various government interventions. It was because of successive policy formulation by previous liberalists, which got implemented by the labour government, to come up with a proficient welfare state. Among the many programmes developed by various governments, it remains one of the best means for maintaining the welfare of citizens, as much as it later faced problems. This is because; it provided free high school education, free medical cover and industrial compensation in case of accidents. Formation of the welfare state, therefore, does not have a specific origin or particular regime, but successive development with final perfection. It is in this regards that Churchill coalition government becomes a contributor in the rise of the welfare state, but not a sole initiator. References Addison, P 1977, The Road to 1945. Quartet, London. Brooke, S 1992, Labour’s War: The Labour Party during the Second World War, Oxford, Clarendon. Jefferys, K 1991, The Churchill Coalition and Wartime Politics 1940-1945. Manchester University Press, Manchester. Jefferys, K 1994, War and Reform, Manchester University Press, Manchester. Lowe, R 1990, The Second World War, consensus and the foundation of the welfare state, Twentieth Century British History, Manchester university press, Manchester. Lowe, R 2005, The Welfare State in Britain Since 1945, (3rd edn), Macmillan, Basingstoke. Page, R.M 2007, Revisiting the Welfare State, Open University Press/McGraw-Hill, Maidenhead. Fraser, D 2003, The Evolution of the British Welfare State, (3rd edition), Palgrave, Basingstoke. Harris, B 2004, The Origins of the British Welfare State: Society, State and Social Welfare in England and Wales, 1800-1945, Palgrave-Macmillan, Basingstoke. Rubinstein, D 2006, The Labour Party and British Society, 1880-2005, Sussex Academic Press, Brighton. Read More