To what extent does the welfare state still fulfil its original aim of providing care "from cradle to the grave"? Discuss the cases of the UK and France, supporting your argument with examples.
To what extent does the welfare state still fulfil its original aim of providing care "from cradle to the grave"? Discuss the cases of the UK and France, supporting your argument with examples.
The foundations of the Welfare State in Britain can be traced back to the years immediately following the Second World War. The rigours of War had left Britain ravaged both socially and financially. The effects that this terrible event had wrought upon the country prompted the government at the time to utilise a report into what could be done to ease the suffering of the disenchanted citizens of Britain that had been drafted in 1942. The report by William Beveridge is regarded as the basic foundation of the Welfare State in contemporary Britain. Beveridge identified what he termed as 'five giant evils' that were holding Britain back, these were; want; ignorance; disease; squalor and idleness. He argued that by 'slaying' these giants Britain could eventually reach what could almost he felt be a utopian society. Beveridge drew upon the ideas of collectivism and came up with a revolutionary model of state provision. This model held the fundamental ideals that there would be high spending on welfare with benefits for all, whereby a command economy meant that 'the many can provide for the few' (Beveridge 1948). Thus the concept of state protection from 'cradle to grave' in Britain was born. Since its birth however the Welfare State has come under criticism for failing to deliver upon its original aims; this has occurred partly due to its originally being flawed and partly due to each new government amending its functions and methods.
French Social Welfare can also trace its roots back to the 1940s. In 1945 the principle idea of welfare was initiated, this was followed up and defined more clearly by the law of 22 May 1946. This law was in part a derivative from the Beveridge report in Britain. The principle of Social Security was in theory to be extended to all with the priority being given to those who earned a wage. A form of National Insurance was made compulsory that would cover disability, illness, old age, accidents and death. This is very much similar to the provision provided by the British welfare state. The primary objective of this scheme was to provide a security from the government for those who were incapable of protecting themselves from possible future economic or social crisis. A stealthy aim was to also provide a more equitable distribution of the National wealth and thus indirectly increase wages. Employers throughout France "accepted the plans with a gloomy resignation" (Dupeux 1976), with the realisation that there was a negative correlation between the cost of welfare and the level of salaries that would need to be paid. In contrast the workers received the new welfare laws heartily as they would benefit accordingly.
The foundations of the Welfare State in Britain can be traced back to the years immediately following the Second World War. The rigours of War had left Britain ravaged both socially and financially. The effects that this terrible event had wrought upon the country prompted the government at the time to utilise a report into what could be done to ease the suffering of the disenchanted citizens of Britain that had been drafted in 1942. The report by William Beveridge is regarded as the basic foundation of the Welfare State in contemporary Britain. Beveridge identified what he termed as 'five giant evils' that were holding Britain back, these were; want; ignorance; disease; squalor and idleness. He argued that by 'slaying' these giants Britain could eventually reach what could almost he felt be a utopian society. Beveridge drew upon the ideas of collectivism and came up with a revolutionary model of state provision. This model held the fundamental ideals that there would be high spending on welfare with benefits for all, whereby a command economy meant that 'the many can provide for the few' (Beveridge 1948). Thus the concept of state protection from 'cradle to grave' in Britain was born. Since its birth however the Welfare State has come under criticism for failing to deliver upon its original aims; this has occurred partly due to its originally being flawed and partly due to each new government amending its functions and methods.
French Social Welfare can also trace its roots back to the 1940s. In 1945 the principle idea of welfare was initiated, this was followed up and defined more clearly by the law of 22 May 1946. This law was in part a derivative from the Beveridge report in Britain. The principle of Social Security was in theory to be extended to all with the priority being given to those who earned a wage. A form of National Insurance was made compulsory that would cover disability, illness, old age, accidents and death. This is very much similar to the provision provided by the British welfare state. The primary objective of this scheme was to provide a security from the government for those who were incapable of protecting themselves from possible future economic or social crisis. A stealthy aim was to also provide a more equitable distribution of the National wealth and thus indirectly increase wages. Employers throughout France "accepted the plans with a gloomy resignation" (Dupeux 1976), with the realisation that there was a negative correlation between the cost of welfare and the level of salaries that would need to be paid. In contrast the workers received the new welfare laws heartily as they would benefit accordingly.
