\World War II and its impact on British attitudes to poverty
We will investigate: 1. How the war affected
peoples day to day lives.
2. How the war helped to change attitudes to poverty.
The Impact of World War Two
• The experience of World War Two was important in making people more willing to accept government having a greater role in their lives.
• World War Two also brought about a change in attitudes towards poverty.
• For many the war was about fighting fascism but increasingly, due to the experience of war, people began to believe that Britain in 'post–war' must be better than 'pre–war'.
• For many reasons, people wanted a better Britain after the war.
United under a common enemy
• As the bombs fell on rich and poor alike, a shared experience of war united the people in the face of a common enemy. They were equal under threat.
• This meant after the war the population was more united in peacetime, as they wanted a better peace for all.
• The soldiers also mixed together in the frontline – sharing experiences and developing camaraderie across the classes.
Classes mixing
• All classes were mixing in the air raid shelters.
• This led to socialising between them, so in peace time people were much more aware and sympathetic to the plight of all.
Evacuation
• Evacuation of poor children from inner city areas to the suburbs alerted the middle classes of Britain to the real poverty that still existed in the industrial slums.
• This opened the eyes of the population and revealed great poverty and the terrible diet of the poor urban city children.
Rationing• Rationing encouraged a sense of
equality as everyone had the same entitlement to rationed foods. It gave everyone a basic level of income and it came to be believed that this should be a basic for all.
• The government organised the rationing of food, clothing and fuel and gave extra milk and meals to expectant mothers and children.
• This helped to establish the idea of a universal and equal share of the 'national cake' as rich and poor were fighting the war together and enduring equal hardship.