CHAPITRE 3 

: BRITISH WELFARE STATE

I : What is a welfare state

States: political entity by which a society is organized. It decides for example of the legal and
political framework of its citizens via the government.
Wellfare state : a state that provides for its citizens. It provides a range of social services :
unemployment, medicines, housing, education. This mission can not be entrusted to
individuals or private corporations or local communities. It is based on the equality of
opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth and public responsibilities. It is essentially a
state that provides more than its compulsory function. It also carries out optional function.
Compulsory function: law and order, security, justice, diplomacy, and war.
Optional function: education, socialization, health, housing, work, culture.

While the UK has a longstanding tradition of non-intervention, there are 3 periods in which it
was not the case:

 The first period is between 1830’s and 1840’s

 Edwardian period at the dawn of the 20th century
 The last period is in the 1940’s (post-war Britain)

II : 1830’ and 1840

1834 : Poor Law Amendment Act
It came to replace the old poor law, which was based on local parochial system in which local
taxpayers helped. But such a method was seen as encouraging idleness and large families.
That’s why from 1944 onwards, relief would only be given in workhouses. They were closed
places in which the constitutions were made to be less desirable than the lowest paid worker
outside.
Within these workhouses:
 Families were split according to gender
 The focus was a moral and behavioural change
 The experience was as de-humanizing as possible
These workhouses were known as “bastilles” and were immortalized in Charles Dicken’s
Oliver and Twist novel and they remained a powerful thing in British people’s mind.

III : Edwardian Period (1900-1914)

For most people the living standards rise during the 1950. However, there still were
inequalities. That is why that period saw the 1st major welfare reforms. They increase the
role of the State in social politicies.
 In 1908, we have the begging of State old age pensions.
 In 1911, it was the 1st state run health insurance.

Infant Welfare :
  Free education
 Health insurance
It was the foundation of the modern British Welfare State.

IV : Post-war Britain

In the 1930’ they have been the black years of the Welfare State because of the “Means
Test”. The State would run investigations, to know whether or not to support them. After
the war, the party won the election, so they implemented the measures of the Beveridge
Report of 1942.
 It was an extensive survey of Britain’s social situation + some measures to improve it.
 Social/security that cover a lot of sectors.

Beveridge said that philanthropy was not sufficient that government should take care of
everything. He wanted to fight the “5 giants” (IDlemens want disease, ignorance,) to do that
he imagined a comprehensive plea from the cradle to the grave.
It is that vision which influenced Clement Atlee’s actions as prime minister during this time
(after the war).
But the most enduring legacy of that period is the NHS : National Health Service (1948). And
it is still referred to as the “Jewel in the Creron”. NHS ensures that all hospitals of the state
are ran and funded and that medical treatment are available to all regardless of wealth or
social position. But since the 50’ the NHS is at the center of a debate about the cost and the
efficiency. Margaret Thatcher introduced 3 market economics into the NHS.
Starting from the 80’ the NHS started to be privatised.

In the 90’ the Blairite government enforced what now they called labour, that means they
embraced these ideas of competitive economy.
Nowadays, the policy of NHS summed up the equality of opportunity rather than the
equality of outcome.
The current state of the Welfare State is that most of the infrastructure is ageing, most of
the benefits once universal one now means-tested (the state decides we then forget them or
not).