| Unit name | The Welfare State and Modern Britain (Level H Special Subject) |
|---|---|
| Unit code | HIST30040 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Baughan |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of History (Historical Studies) |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Although 1948 is remembered as the birth of the British welfare state, the involvement of the government in the wellbeing of its citizens has a far longer history. In this unit, we will explore the gradual evolution of British welfare practice and policy from the formation in 1869 of a voluntary welfare bureau, the Charity Organisation Society, until the present day. We will chart the shifting relationship between citizens and the state in modern Britain. Prior to 1948, welfare was a ‘mixed economy’, provided via an ever-changing balance of local and national government, and the largely voluntary efforts of private citizens. In our analysis, we will carry this ‘mixed economy’ perspective through into the post-1948 era to explore the continuing role in welfare provision of non-state actors, such as business, NGOs and individual citizens. In doing so, this unit will place in historical context the contemporary idea of the ‘Big Society.’ We will ask whether, as critics suggest, it rests upon ahistorical nostalgia for the pre-1948 welfare tradition, or if it is simply a new way of viewing Britain’s mixed economy of welfare, which has been a constant feature of national life since the nineteenth-century. We will also explore the ways in which welfare debates within Britain influenced the nature and extent of welfare provision by British colonial governments and, at the same time, how innovations in health and social care in British territories overseas shaped the development of welfare practice and policies at home.
On successful completion of this unit students will have developed: (1) a broad understanding of the development of Welfare provision and policy in Britain since the nineteenth century ; (2) the ability to analyse and generalise about how and why the British Welfare State developed in the way that it did; (3) the ability to select pertinent evidence/data in order to illustrate/demonstrate more general issues and arguments; (4) the ability to derive benefit from, and contribute effectively to, small group discussion; (5) the ability to identify a particular academic interpretation, evaluate it critically, and form an individual viewpoint.
Weekly 2-hour seminar
One summative coursework essay of 3500 words (50%) and one unseen examination of two hours comprising 2 questions out of 8 (50%). Both elements will assess ILOs 1-3, and 5.
J. Bailkin, The Aftermath of Empire, (London 2012)
G. Bock, and P. Thane (eds.), Maternity and gender policies : women and the rise of the European welfare states, 1880s-1950s, (London 1991)
J. Harris, ‘Political Thought and the Welfare State, 1870-1940: An Intellectual Framework for British Social Policy’, Past & Present, 135 (1992)
D. Gladstone (ed.), Before Beveridge: Welfare Before the Welfare State, (London 1999)
M. Hilton, J. McKay, N. Crowson, and J. Mouhot, The Politics of Expertise How NGOs Shaped Modern Britain, (Oxford 2013)
M. Pugh, The State and Society: A Social and Political History of Britain 1870–2008, (London 2008)
