- Student Homepage
- Resources
- Student 'How to' Guides
- Articles and Publications
- Podcasted History Series
- Selected Articles by Topic
- GCSE Zone
- Transition to University
- Careers in History
- Public Speaking
- History and Identity
- HA Competitions
- Student News
- Events
Make a donation
- Politics, Reform and the impact of War
- Early British Radicals
- The Chartists
- Gladstone and Disraeli - Reform and Rivalry
- 1890-1922 - Change and Reform
- Domestic impact of World War I (Part 1)
- Domestic impact of World War I (Part 2)
- Social, political and economic problems of the 1920s and 30s
- Britain and World War II
- 1945-64 - Post War Consensus and the welfare state
- 1964-79 - Reasons for the growing domestic problems under the Labour and Conservative Governments
- Margaret Thatcher and her legacy
- Britain and Europe: relations since 1945.
- Britain and the Cold War (Part 1)
- Britain and the Cold War (Part 2)
- About the Authors
1945-64 - Post War Consensus and the welfare state
In this podcast Professor Keith Laybourn of the University of Huddersfield looks at the period 1945-64. What were the key forces that led to the welfare state and the ‘post war consensuses? To what extent did this consensus transform the lives of British people?
1. What was the Welfare State and what were its origins? Lloyd George to Beveridge. National Insurance - unemployment benefit, maternity pay, pensions. Universal coverage. |
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
2. The NHS - Aneurin Bevan. The right at point of need to be treated. |
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
3. Housing, Education and Foreign Policy consensus and continuation. The end of Empire, establishing NATO, creating a tripartite education system. |
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
4. Was there a consensus from 1945-79? Diverse opinions within parties. Absolute and relative consensus. Disagreement on education. |
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
5. Did the welfare state fundamentally change people's lives? |
Get the Flash Player to see this player.
Suggested Reading: Keith Laybourn, The Evolution of British Social Policy and the Welfare State (1995) |
Post War Consensus 1 (2.59 MB MP3 file (audio))- Post War Consensus 2 (2.6 MB MP3 file (audio))
- Post War Consensus 3 (4.15 MB MP3 file (audio))
- Post War Consensus 4 (6.41 MB MP3 file (audio))
- Post War Consensus 5 (2.86 MB MP3 file (audio))