GCSE British Society | Revise Post-War Domestic Policy

History Quiz - Britain: British Society 1931-1951 - The 1945-1951 Labour Government's Domestic Policy (Questions)

Explore how the Labour governments of 1945–51 tried to build a fairer Britain through welfare reforms, the NHS and nationalisation, and why these changes still matter today.

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Fascinating Fact:

By 1951 many of the main welfare state foundations were in place. Supporters saw this as a major social change, although critics argued about cost and efficiency.

In GCSE History, this topic looks at Labour's domestic policies between 1945 and 1951. You study how the government built the welfare state, including the NHS, new benefits and improved housing. The course also explores nationalisation of key industries, reasons for these changes and the debates they created. By examining sources and historians' views, you assess how far these policies transformed life in Britain and whether they matched the promises made in 1945.

Key Terms

Welfare State: A system where the government provides services and support such as health care, education and benefits to protect people from poverty and hardship.
Nationalisation: When the government takes ownership and control of private companies or industries, such as coal, railways or steel.
National Health Service (NHS): A state-run health service created in 1948 to provide medical care that is free at the point of use for everyone.

Frequently Asked Questions (Click to see answers)

What were the main achievements of the 1945–1951 Labour governments?

The main achievements included founding the NHS, expanding social security, improving education and housing, and nationalising key industries to create a more planned and secure economy.

Why did Labour introduce the welfare state after 1945?

Labour introduced the welfare state to tackle poverty, poor health and unemployment exposed by the Depression and the war, aiming to guarantee basic security for all citizens from cradle to grave.

How did nationalisation affect British industry in the late 1940s?

Nationalisation brought key industries under state control, which supporters hoped would improve coordination and investment, while critics argued it reduced competition and could lead to inefficiency.

Try These Related Quizzes

In 1947 the new Minister of Education raised the school leaving age to what?

[ ]	15 years old
[ ]	14 years old
[ ]	16 years old
[ ]	17 years old

In 1947 Hugh Dalton, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was forced to resign. On what grounds did he hand in his resignation?

[ ]	He had been fiddling his parliamentary expenses
[ ]	He had confided budget secrets to a journalist just as he was about to deliver his budget speech
[ ]	He had been accused of having an affair with a female M.P.
[ ]	He had been plotting to remove Attlee as prime minister and had been found out

"A sheep in sheep's clothing." - This rather cruel jibe by Churchill was made about which Labour minister?

[ ]	Herbert Morrison
[ ]	Tom Williams
[ ]	Emmanuel Shinwell
[ ]	Clement Attlee

Which Liberal economist and government supporter, the author of the "General Theory", urged a policy of full employment and state stimulation of the economy?

[ ]	John Maynard Keynes
[ ]	William Beveridge
[ ]	Friedrich Hayek
[ ]	Walter Balogh

Who was the only woman in Attlee's government?

[ ]	Margaret Bondfield
[ ]	Barbara Castle
[ ]	Jennie Lee
[ ]	Ellen Wilkinson

Which cabinet minister, the founder of the NHS in 1948, was ridiculed by Churchill, now Leader of the Opposition, as the "Minister of Disease"?

[ ]	Ernest Bevin
[ ]	Aneurin Bevan
[ ]	John Strachey
[ ]	Michael Foot

What proportion of British industry had been nationalised by Labour in 1951?

[ ]	35%
[ ]	50%
[ ]	20%
[ ]	40%

The coal industry was nationalised. By what named was its controlling body now known?

[ ]	The Coal Corporation
[ ]	British Coal
[ ]	Carbogen
[ ]	The National Coal Board

In 1948 the Representation of the People Act removed some anomalies from the electoral system. Which of the following reforms was enshrined in the Act?

[ ]	The voting age was reduced to 18
[ ]	The University seats were abolished, so that university graduates were denied their extra vote
[ ]	Voting was made compulsory in parliamentary elections
[ ]	The deposit required to be paid by parliamentary candidates was raised to £50

10.

Labour's 1918 Constitution provided for the state control of industry in the interests of employees and the wider public. Which clause of the Constitution set out this intention?

[ ]	Clause 4
[ ]	Clause 231
[ ]	Clause 95
[ ]	Clause 101

History Quiz - Britain: British Society 1931-1951 - The 1945-1951 Labour Government's Domestic Policy (Answers)

In 1947 the new Minister of Education raised the school leaving age to what?

[x]	15 years old
[ ]	14 years old
[ ]	16 years old
[ ]	17 years old

The Labour Party regarded free education as an intrinsic right and they were keen to keep children at school for as long as possible

In 1947 Hugh Dalton, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was forced to resign. On what grounds did he hand in his resignation?

[ ]	He had been fiddling his parliamentary expenses
[x]	He had confided budget secrets to a journalist just as he was about to deliver his budget speech
[ ]	He had been accused of having an affair with a female M.P.
[ ]	He had been plotting to remove Attlee as prime minister and had been found out

Dalton was replaced by the austere Stafford Cripps

"A sheep in sheep's clothing." - This rather cruel jibe by Churchill was made about which Labour minister?

[ ]	Herbert Morrison
[ ]	Tom Williams
[ ]	Emmanuel Shinwell
[x]	Clement Attlee

Churchill was very quick to make these half-amusing and half-abusive asides

Which Liberal economist and government supporter, the author of the "General Theory", urged a policy of full employment and state stimulation of the economy?

[x]	John Maynard Keynes
[ ]	William Beveridge
[ ]	Friedrich Hayek
[ ]	Walter Balogh

The government was keen to have intellectual support for full employment, partly as they criticised the Conservatives for the high levels of unemployment in the 1930s

Who was the only woman in Attlee's government?

[ ]	Margaret Bondfield
[ ]	Barbara Castle
[ ]	Jennie Lee
[x]	Ellen Wilkinson

Women MPs were still in short supply

Which cabinet minister, the founder of the NHS in 1948, was ridiculed by Churchill, now Leader of the Opposition, as the "Minister of Disease"?

[ ]	Ernest Bevin
[x]	Aneurin Bevan
[ ]	John Strachey
[ ]	Michael Foot

Churchill kept up a steady stream of insults against his political enemies

What proportion of British industry had been nationalised by Labour in 1951?

[ ]	35%
[ ]	50%
[x]	20%
[ ]	40%

Labour had promised to take into public ownership transport and the major utilities as well as the Bank of England

The coal industry was nationalised. By what named was its controlling body now known?

[ ]	The Coal Corporation
[ ]	British Coal
[ ]	Carbogen
[x]	The National Coal Board

The coal industry employed nearly a million miners and had enjoyed poor industrial relations in the inter-war period