ESSAY 1
Welfare state is a governmental concept whereby the state is involved in playing a key role in protecting and promoting economic and social well-being of the citizens. Welfare state is based on public responsibility, equality of opportunities and equitable distribution of wealth principles especially for people who lack the minimal provisions of good life. A welfare state developed in Britain during the years after war and the labor government tried to make visions of reconstruction come true ( Shattock et al, 59). The welfare state aimed at eradicating poverty, diseases, ignorance, idleness and squalor. This essay aims at exploring the British welfare state after 1945 based on the reforms that were made on most systems. Further, this paper will discuss the impetus for change and whether the reforms were successful or disappointing.
It was inevitable that Britain’s welfare was ultimately dominated by provision of state. Presently, the journey to the state welfare is now at end. In the period after 1945, Britain’s welfare was characterized by voluntary provision whereby mutual and friendly societies delivered benefits to the nation. The local authorities together with the national systems in the medical sectors were financed from the health insurance contributions. The state welfare was delivered collectively and was free from the state. Parishes had responsibility to the poor and beggars often were sent to their parishes for provisions. A white paper on social security was drafted by Margaret Thatcher’s government on social security and identified the changes needed as a measure of landmark.
The national health care system had its act in 1948 that is known as the National Health Service Act (1948). Doctors insisted on continuing to treat some patients in the private clinics that were against this health act. After Bevan brought the health act to reform the state of British in the medical sector was to take place after the 1945 period. On contrary to the doctors, who wanted to create patients privately and make money, the health act made doctors, ambulances, midwives and other medical instruments and personnel were made available and no charges were made for the services. This free service was an aim to reduce expenditure on medical services and reduce the mortality rates among all age groups.
Education and economy of Britain experienced an improvement in the amendments and acts that were established.’ Rab’ Butler set a school leaving age of fifteen in the Education act of 1944 (Hollowell et al, 49). The education act introduced a free secondary curriculum whereby the secondary schools were not paid for. The students were later tested to prove what they had been learning in school. An IQ test was used to see whether the pupils went to grammar school and the secondary students were tested whether they had practical subjects. The act of education is known as the free education act. Economically the government participated by ensuring full employment for the qualified. The marshal aid was used by the government to get the industry going. The British government made road haulage become nationalized, the railways, the steel industries and the coal industries (Van et al, 31). The general theory of employment was captured in the economist book. It is through this book that the government learned how to keep the economy vibrant and increased public spending. Allowances given to children in families also boosted economy of Britain as the poor were as well able to meet their basic needs.
In conclusion, the impetus for changes in Britain was the need for a different country after the world war that Britain underwent and made it undergo a political earthquake. In other words, there was need for reconstruction. Just as wars depress economies and nations, Britain had underwent such and needed to rise up. The British reforms proved successful since most of the targets were achieved apart from housing targets that did not meet the number of houses to be built. The health sector was able to provide free medication and the economic sector also grew and became a success. Education became easy to attain and to date the British curriculum is used in many other several countries.
Works Cited
Hollowell, Jonathan. Britain Since 1945. Malden, MA: Blackwell Pub, 2003. Internet resource.
Shattock, Michael. Making Policy in British Higher Education, 1945 2011. Berkshire: Open University Press, 2012. Print.
Van, Hook J. C. Rebuilding Germany: The Creation of the Social Market Economy, 1945 - 1957. Ann Arbor, MI: UMI, 2009. Print.
ESSAY 2
The scramble for was one of the greatest event of the colonization period. It involved the invasion, occupation and the eventual colonization of African by powers from Europe. The scramble for Africa is also referred to as the partition and conquest of Africa. Scrambling for Africa occurred during the period of New Imperialism and a great percentage was under the control of Europeans. The nineteenth and twentieth century scramble for Africa involved several activities and took a long number of years to complete. The Berlin conference that was formed in 1884 helped in the regulation of European colonization and their trading activities in Africa. It is mentioned that this Berlin conference was the starting point in the European conquest of Africa. This essay aims at exploring the nineteenth and twentieth century scrambles for Africa. The essay will further analyze and rank the forces, factors and interpretations behind the Empires’ rapid expansion and even quicker contraction.
The mentioned forces that made Europeans scramble for Africa were; search for global markets, African labor, raw materials and acquisition of military and naval bases. Political and economic rivalries in Europe made them fight for the continent and everyone wanted a portion of Africa. In the last quarter of the nineteenth century, the Europeans partitioned Africa in order to avoid wrangles among themselves over Africa. Military influence made a transition from the imperialism that was informal to the direct ruling of people. Economic dominance increased colonial imperialism. Europeans who were involved in the scramble and further colonization of Africa were the Belgians, British, French, Germans, Italians, Portuguese and the Spanish.
In the nineteenth century, the most famous European had already mapped several areas in both the southern and central Africa. The great central lakes and source of river Nile were located. The water bodies were an important factor for the Europeans since water was a basic need and the intelligent ones had in mind the importance of having water especially when readily available. These Europeans by the end of the nineteenth century had chartered the entire river Nile from its source. They further traced the courses of rivers Niger, Congo and Zambezi. By locating such rivers, the Europeans had realized the vast resources in Africa. The Portuguese were able to hold Angola and Mozambique, France holding areas around Ethiopia and Liberia and later in the years more colonizers acquired colonies and expanded their ownership
Technological advancement is seen to have facilitated overseas expansion because the Europeans did not entirely visit Africa for surveys but sent their fellows at times. Communication was efficient with the presence of technology like telegraphs. The by then industrialization insisted on rapid advancements for the transportation and communication purposes. Steam navigation, telegraphs and the railways were good boosters in the transportation and communication sector that further enabled the Europeans to have a good exploration of the African continent. The Europeans had medical advance and these were important because every individual falls sick whether less often or often and being that the African continent was tropical it was a new environment. The Europeans were able to make medicines for tropical diseases including the quinine that was an effective treatment for malaria. The quinine enabled a vast expansion of the tropics to be easily accessed by the Europeans.
In concluding, the Europeans were not good friends as they competed for resources from Africa. The scramble for Africa was a way to lead to the colonization of Africa and make it better as the Europeans thought. Scrambling took several years and by the time the Europeans had divided the African continent into their wanted equals, colonization begun. However, it is mentioned that not all of the Europeans had same portions to colonize as others had bigger portions of areas and resources as compared to others.
Work Cited
Louis, William R. Ends of British Imperialism: The Scramble for Empire, Suez and Decolonization : Collected Essays. London: I.B. Tauris, 2006. Print.
ESSAY 4
A permissive society is one whereby social norms become liberal increasingly. Permissiveness usually accompanied by a change in whatever is considered to be deviant. It is believed that a revolution in Britain involving the behavior and social attitudes of the people took place in the 1960’s. The British revolution led to the discovery of sex and drugs by the young people. Changes in the social attitudes and behaviors marked an end to the Christian Britain and the society was replaced by a secular one (Collins, 56). Later, there were debates regarding the merits and demerits of permissiveness and such debates heralded the start of culture wars that exist up to date. This essay aims at exploring the permissive society” of 1960s Britain, including changes in the educational system, family and marriage patterns, as well as changes in society and culture at large. The essay will further analyze the limitations and successes of the permissive society.
In the British permissive society of 1960’s the major things that were experienced were sexual freedom and the power of groups that were concerned with religion. Freedom to take part in the sexual activities that were previously considered as crime and unaccepted came to exist. Sexual fetishes and homosexuality came to exist and gain fame (Galbraith, 57). The freedom to view both sexual and violent materials like music and movies increased with censorship of the other relevant arts decreasing. Research shows that 1963 marked the year when sex became a hobby in Britain and many people changed their sexual beliefs and orientations. The power of religious groups subsided and secularism arose at a high notch. Britain had its sexual deregulation by introducing the contraceptive pill, the decriminalization of homosexuality and abortion act.
For families, divorce became a normal issue and partners could divorce with no obstacles. The rising rates of permissiveness ensured that arguments came up to oppose it while others supported permissiveness. The social conservatives came up to claim that permissiveness destroyed the moral and socio-cultural structures that were necessary for a society to be considered civilized. An example provided was that lower divorce rates would decrease the incidences of sexually transmitted diseases. This was argued because divorce lead to a partner finding another or a divorced person gets into prostitution. The usual marriage pattern that was heterosexual was replaced by homosexual marriages that gained so much fame and this affected the entire society and how the people would relate with others. The culture of decency was eroded by the new sexual patterns and even the dressing modes that came up were not the ones that could be loved at first sight. The changes were confusion with more effect on the cultures as the beliefs, values and norms of the people were getting eroded (Galbraith, 61).
The women’s role in the society was challenged with development of many techniques. Labor saving devices that were used at home changed the women’s role of being housewives and the machines made work easier. Changes in fashion including dressing as mentioned before reinforced female stereotyping and contraceptives made women sex objects (Marwick, 35). The permissiveness narrowed the gap between rich and the middle classes with invention of the televisions and they were available to empower everyone. Youth culture and mass tourism also emerged.
In conclusion, the permissive society had limitations of eroding the cultures and behaviors. Laziness and lack of respect also emerges as a limitation. Some of its successes were development of the affluent society, growth of a consumer culture, increased assertiveness among teenagers, better roles of women, growth of frankness about sex and lack of sexual inhibition and the technological advancements including improvement in science. The permissive society of Britain could thus be viewed as a transition bridge into the current world.
Works Cited
Collins, Marcus. Modern Love: Personal Relationships in Twentieth-Century Britain. Newark: Univ. of Delaware Press, 2006. Print.
Galbraith, John K. The Affluent Society. Boston, Mass: Houghton Mifflin, 2008. Print.
Marwick, Arthur. The Sixties: Cultural Revolution in Britain, France, Italy, and the United States, C.1958-C.1974. , 2012. Print.
