The Pros And Cons Of The 1939-1945 War In Britain

It might be argued that the 1939-1945 war in Britain was one of the greatest collective experiences that the nation had undergone, with every family affected; loved ones in the armed services and families separated. Children were evacuated to the country towns and villages in a bid to keep them safe during the Blitz bombing (Lynch, p.152). Rationing, industrial unrest and financial and economic burdens added to the terror felt by the people of Britain.

However, there was a glimmer of hope. The war won the argument for all those who believed that the prime function of politics was to provide for the welfare of the people (Lynch, p.158). In June 1941, an Interdepartmental Committee was set up to study the existing social schemes of social
The Coalition government wanted to ensure adequate unemployment benefits were made available for the transition between the war ending and the reconstruction of a new Britain (National Archives 2016). In order to tackle unemployment, benefits were paid to claimants for a maximum of 30 weeks and on the condition they were available to work, and had already made sufficient contributions. The benefits would be stopped if the claimant left work of their own accord, or were dismissed. The benefit was paid at 24 shillings a week, which was less than subsistence (National Archives 2016). Beveridge had argued that unemployment insurance should be available to all claimants and for an unlimited period of time (National Archives 2016). However, government saw this as a costly proposal and agreed to cap the benefit at a maximum of 30 weeks (National Archives
In 1902, Parliament passed a new Education Act, drafted by the conservative, AJ Balfour, who later became Prime Minister. The school boards were abolished in England and Wales and elementary schools were looked after by local education authorities (parliament.co.uk). The Labour and Liberal parties fiercely campaigned against the Act. It became a contentious issue; in fact such a major political issue, that it was responsible for the victory of the Liberal Party in the 1906 General Election (Simpkin 2014). Churchill had experienced the furore of the 1902 Education Act and said he did not want to “wipe children’s nose and smack their behinds” during the conflict (Barber