Just Finished Reading: Bread For All – The Origins of the Welfare State by Chris Renwick (FP: 2017) [267pp] 

Britain’s Welfare State didn’t just emerge, butterfly like, from the ashes of WW2 (to mix my metaphors somewhat). No, it was a long time coming – a LONG time. The earliest Poor Laws date from the reign of Elizabeth I and didn’t really change that much for hundreds of years. The Old, the Sick and the Destitute were looked after by Local Authorities as best they could and, mostly, it worked to a reasonable degree – mostly. However, the onset and spread of the Industrial Revolution highlighted its many failings and Charities, Philanthropists and finally the Government began to tinker with the system. Then came the fiasco of the Boer Wars and, on its heels, the Great War. Both conflicts showed, as never before, the failings of British society with the poor health of the average soldier and the inadequate education of the officer class. Promising a ‘Land Fit for Heroes’ after the end of the conflict in 1918 more effort was made to improve both health and educational provision throughout the UK as well as clearance of slums and other Public Health measures. The problem was (as ever) money, which became increasingly short in the 1920’s and most especially after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. So, it wasn’t until after the Second World War than plans for a full Welfare State could come to full fruition in 1948. 

I remember learning about some of this in school, about various reports (Beveridge in particular) which pointed out systemic problems with the UK and proposals to solve (or at the very least ease) them. This excellent book goes into far more detail although I was pleased that I was aware of some of the names of those involved and most of the highlights. What I didn’t fully realise was both the length of time it took for a patchwork of rules, managed by an even bigger patchwork of organisations, to come together as well as just how many people were involved in the process. It was a true mammoth undertaking. Of course, taking so long and involving SO many – both pro and anti – the Welfare State is, and probably always will be, a bit of a mess because of the winding historical path to get here. But it's inarguable that, imperfect though it undoubtedly is, what we have now is far, far superior to what existed before 1945. One of the interesting things that made me smile/laugh ironically throughout the book is the same arguments used, year after year, decade after decade AGAINST the very existence of the Welfare State – arguments that are still used today: about the moral failings of the poor, about the evils of intervention, about the waste of money and the inevitability of rich and poor. But we have also had those, throughout the same timescales, who have pointed to fairness and common humanity, who have shown that a healthy population is a productive population rather than a burden, who have shown that an educated population is innovative, valuable and even more productive, that a Welfare State can be a key factor in preventing political upheaval and even Revolution. 

Despite being comparatively short this slim volume is PACKED with interesting information. Written in a very accessible style (which is periodically rather funny) I can honestly say that I really enjoyed it. This is Social History at its best. You might imagine that a book on the origins of the Welfare State would be rather dry and boring. This is as far from that as you could imagine. If you have even wondered how the Welfare State came into existence or why things are as they are – and why some bits really don’t work as advertised! - this is definitely the book for you. Although flawed in a number of ways, the UK Welfare System is central to much of what makes Britain what it is. Highly recommended – as I’ve come to expect from a Penguin book.

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