Welfare Ideologies Since 1945

Paper Summary:

The paper assesses the developments of social policy in Britain from the end of World War II, paying particular notice to the issue of education. The paper shows that the education and wider social welfare policies of governments since World War II have been directly effected by ideology and it is the ideological base of the two main political parties that has directed their legislative actions towards education. The paper relates that Conservative rule dismantled the post war consensus on welfare and education. Nonetheless, whether the major political parties have been in convergence or disagreement, their policy maneuvers with regard to education have largely been defined by the ideological stance that they have adopted towards the general issue of welfare. The paper contends that to fully understand British government education policy, we must also understand the ideological frameworks that has guided it.

From the Paper:

"During the Second World War the coalition government headed by Winston Churchill was forced to undertake measures that in normal circumstances it would not have done. All aspects of the British war effort had to be directed and managed by the central government in London in order for maximum efficiency and effort to be attained. Although smaller exertions had been adopted by the governments of the First World War, the onset of total war required one thing above all on the part of government; planning (Pelling, 1978; p.22). Wartime planning was wide-ranging and largely successful. It was therefore a logical development that after the war, there would be many who would argue that for such planning in peace."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Childs, David. "Britain Since 1945: A Political History" London: Routledge, 2000.
• Pelling, Henry. "A Short History of the Labour Party" London: Macmillan, 1978.
• The Labour Party. "Let Us Face The Future: A Declaration of Labour Policy for the Consideration of the Nation" London, 1945.
• The Labour Party. "The Nations Schools" London, 1945.
• Chitty, Clyde. "Education Policy in Britain" Basingstoke: Macmillan, 2004.

More papers on Welfare Ideologies Since 1945:

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• Book Review # 91316 : "A History of the United States Since 1945"
• Essay # 74382 : "U.K. Press Since 1945"

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