WW2 and the coming of the welfare state

\World War II and its impact on British attitudes to poverty

We will investigate: 1. How the war affected

peoples day to day lives.

2. How the war helped to change attitudes to poverty.

The Impact of World War Two

• The experience of World War Two was important in making people more willing to accept government having a greater role in their lives.

• World War Two also brought about a change in attitudes towards poverty.

• For many the war was about fighting fascism but increasingly, due to the experience of war, people began to believe that Britain in 'post–war' must be better than 'pre–war'.

• For many reasons, people wanted a better Britain after the war.

United under a common enemy

• As the bombs fell on rich and poor alike, a shared experience of war united the people in the face of a common enemy. They were equal under threat.

• This meant after the war the population was more united in peacetime, as they wanted a better peace for all.

• The soldiers also mixed together in the frontline – sharing experiences and developing camaraderie across the classes.

Classes mixing

• All classes were mixing in the air raid shelters.

• This led to socialising between them, so in peace time people were much more aware and sympathetic to the plight of all.

Evacuation

• Evacuation of poor children from inner city areas to the suburbs alerted the middle classes of Britain to the real poverty that still existed in the industrial slums.

• This opened the eyes of the population and revealed great poverty and the terrible diet of the poor urban city children.

Rationing• Rationing encouraged a sense of

equality as everyone had the same entitlement to rationed foods. It gave everyone a basic level of income and it came to be believed that this should be a basic for all.

• The government organised the rationing of food, clothing and fuel and gave extra milk and meals to expectant mothers and children.

• This helped to establish the idea of a universal and equal share of the 'national cake' as rich and poor were fighting the war together and enduring equal hardship.