Attlee's Gov was responsible for initiating much of the change that shaped post war Britain.

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Attlee’s Gov was responsible for initiating much of the change that shaped post war Britain.  Much of the groundwork had been done before the 1st w.w. especially by Lloyd George.  The idea of a better post war world, symbolised by the Beveridge report became the aims in which people believed they were fighting because people could remember promises made after ww1 and how they didn’t materialise.  Lab was promising a new world, by putting forward a good set of policies.

The Beveridge report of 1942 provided a blue print for politicians to follow, and it was Lab which embraced these proposals.  The creation of the welfare state was immensely popular, however, cons objected to the structure of the nhs.  In 1950 Lab introduced contributions and charges for those who could afford them.  Lab also put a great deal of effort into housing although their record was somewhat disappointing.  Although unemployment never became a major problem, unemployment benefit and pensions were greatly improved.

Britain had lost a quarter of its national wealth in defeating Hitler, without urgent attempts to recover lost exports markets, the Gov faced a big problem.  With the negotiation of an American loan, ministers forged ahead with an extensive reform programme.  Food rationing was kept in place in order to keep living costs down, progressive rates of taxation were kept in place, and regional development was pursued vigorously to help avoid any return to mass unemployment.

Nationalisation

Socialists advocated public ownership to prevent unemployment, redistribute wealth, rationalise production and create better relations with industry.  The war years saw an increase in interest in public ownership because of the successful role played by the Gov in the economy at the time.  To a considerable extent the nationalisation programme was a continuation of policies e.g Disraeli encouraged the purchase by the Gov of a minority shareholding in a private profit making concern, the suez canal.  

Common ownership in 1945 was the principle which most distinguished the party from the libs and cons.  Labour didn’t intend to take the whole of British industry into public ownership, there was also a refernce to industries ‘not yet ripe for public ownership’.  Many socialists believed that, on grounds of principle, the state should control at least the basic industries.

A Lab Gov would aim to create a prosperous economy with full employment and nationalisation was presented as a means to this end.  Several major industries were taken into public ownership such as bank of England, coal, iron , steel electricity and transport.  By 1948-49 nationalisation was tending to become unpopular.  Cook has dismissed Lab’s whole nationalisation programme as merely ‘an administrative manoeuvre’.  It was public ownership without real public control.

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The jewel in Lab’s welfare crown was the NHS, which introduced free access to a wide range of hospital and general practioner services.  The Cons voted against the 1946 nhs act, though opposition dwindled as the popularity of free medical care became obvious.  The aim was to provide adequate hospitals throughout the country.  The act was a personal triumph for Bevin.

Coal and railways were 2 classic issues of nationalisation, neither had been profitable before the war and were heavily unionised in favour of abolition of private ownership.  Lloyd (1970) states ‘it was the performanance of these ...

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