The aims of the post-war Labour government
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can recall that the Labour Party came into government in 1945 with a plan to implement the results of the Beveridge Report.
Key learning points
- At the end of WW2, Britain was in a desperate state, an election was called, leading to a landslide Labour victory.
- The Labour leader, Clement Attlee, signalled the government's desire to make post-war Britain a 'New Jerusalem'.
- After WW2, many British people wanted aspects of state control to remain.
- The Labour government aimed to implement recommendations from the Beveridge Report.
- Beveridge argued that the state had a duty to provide protection to people from "cradle to grave".
Keywords
Consensus - a general agreement among opposition parties
Manifesto - a written declaration of a party’s policies, produced before an election
Nationalisation - taking privately controlled companies and industries and putting them under government control
Landslide - in politics, the overwhelming majority of votes for one party in an election
Common misconception
Students may aassume William Beveridge was a member of the Labour Party.
William Beveridge was actually a member of the Liberal Party.
Teacher tip
Students will benefit from a brief explanation of the main parties in the UK in the 20th century, their beliefs, and the reasons for the rise of Labour and the decline of the Liberals.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of violence or suffering
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.When was the Second World War?
Q2.The name of Britain's war-time leader during the Second World War was Winston...
Q3.Which of the following were political parties in Britain at the end of the Second World War?
Q4.The letters NHS stand for Health Service.
Q5.Which of these words would you think could be used to mean 'poverty', not having what you need to have a basic standard of living?
Q6.Which class or group of people was the Labour Party originally set up to help?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.How many people were moved from British cities to the countryside at the start of World War Two (WW2)?
Q2.The term for a system which protects the health and well-being of its citizens is a state.
Q3.What is the term for a general agreement amongst opposition parties?
Q4.By how many seats did the Labour Party win the 1945 General Election?
Q5.The Beveridge Report wanted the government to provide care ...
Q6.Which of the following were issues mentioned in the Beveridge Report?
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: The aims of the post-war Labour government, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 9 history lesson on: The aims of the post-war Labour government, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Post-war Britain: for whom did the United Kingdom become a 'New Jerusalem'? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.