New
New
Year 9

The aims of the post-war Labour government

I can recall that the Labour Party came into government in 1945 with a plan to implement the results of the Beveridge Report.

New
New
Year 9

The aims of the post-war Labour government

I can recall that the Labour Party came into government in 1945 with a plan to implement the results of the Beveridge Report.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. At the end of WW2, Britain was in a desperate state, an election was called, leading to a landslide Labour victory.
  2. The Labour leader, Clement Attlee, signalled the government's desire to make post-war Britain a 'New Jerusalem'.
  3. After WW2, many British people wanted aspects of state control to remain.
  4. The Labour government aimed to implement recommendations from the Beveridge Report.
  5. Beveridge argued that the state had a duty to provide protection to people from "cradle to grave".

Keywords

  • Consensus - a general agreement among opposition parties

  • Manifesto - a written declaration of a party’s policies, produced before an election

  • Nationalisation - taking privately controlled companies and industries and putting them under government control

  • Landslide - in politics, the overwhelming majority of votes for one party in an election

Common misconception

Students may aassume William Beveridge was a member of the Labour Party.

William Beveridge was actually a member of the Liberal Party.

Students will benefit from a brief explanation of the main parties in the UK in the 20th century, their beliefs, and the reasons for the rise of Labour and the decline of the Liberals.
Teacher tip

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
  • Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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6 Questions

Q1.
When was the Second World War?
1899-1902
1914-1918
1945-1991
Correct answer: 1939-1945
Q2.
The name of Britain's war-time leader during the Second World War was Winston...
Correct Answer: Churchill
Q3.
Which of the following were political parties in Britain at the end of the Second World War?
Correct answer: Conservative Party
Green Party
Correct answer: Labour Party
Correct answer: Liberal Party
Republican Party
Q4.
The letters NHS stand for Health Service.
Correct Answer: National
Q5.
Which of these words would you think could be used to mean 'poverty', not having what you need to have a basic standard of living?
disease
idleness
ignorance
squalor
Correct answer: want
Q6.
Which class or group of people was the Labour Party originally set up to help?
Correct answer: working class
middle class
upper class

6 Questions

Q1.
How many people were moved from British cities to the countryside at the start of World War Two (WW2)?
0.5 million
1 million
Correct answer: 1.5 million
Q2.
The term for a system which protects the health and well-being of its citizens is a state.
Correct Answer: welfare
Q3.
What is the term for a general agreement amongst opposition parties?
Correct Answer: consensus
Q4.
By how many seats did the Labour Party win the 1945 General Election?
126
136
Correct answer: 146
156
Q5.
The Beveridge Report wanted the government to provide care ...
'from childhood to retirement'
'from education to employment'
Correct answer: 'from the cradle to the grave'
Q6.
Which of the following were issues mentioned in the Beveridge Report?
Correct answer: disease
famine
Correct answer: ignorance
pestilence
Correct answer: squalor

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