Blueprint for Welfare? The Beveridge Report and the Making of the Welfare State

The lecture will review the content and context of the Beveridge Report and explain why it is of enduring importance. There was a marked difference between the enthusiastic popular response to the Report and what was perceived to be a lukewarm reception by Churchill and the wartime coalition.  How far was the Report implemented in the creation of the Welfare State in 1948 and why 75 years later do many politicians wish to "Get back to Beveridge"?

Derek Fraser is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Teesside, where he served as Vice-Chancellor for 11 years.  He was previously Professor of Modern History at the University of Bradford and Professor of English History at UCLA. His expertise is in modern British social and urban history and the 5th Edition of his book, The Evolution of the British Welfare State, was published in September 2017.

Mary Evans is LSE Centennial Professor in the Department of Gender Studies.

A Time for Revolutions: making the Welfare State is exhibited at LSE Library Gallery Monday 8 January – Friday 13 April. This exhibition marks the 75th anniversary of the Beveridge report and looks at how welfare provision has been shaped and changed through the ages. This is one of a series of ongoing exhibitions and events hosted by LSE Library which utilise its world class special collections in order to provide food for thought for all.

 

Twitter hashtags for this event: #LSEBeveridge #LSEFestival

This event is part of the LSE Festival: Beveridge 2.0 running from Monday 19 to Saturday 24 February 2018, with a series of events rethinking the welfare state for the 21st century and the global context. The full programme will be online in January 2018.