Britain History
HISTORY OF BRITAIN
INTRODUCTION :
With the end of World War Two in 1945, the British people were given the chance to vote for a new government. It was the first General Election since 1935. Outlining an ambitious future for Britain in their manifesto "Let Us Face the Future", the Labour Party, led by Clement Attlee won the election and held office for six years. Attlee led the Labour Party to a resounding victory in the 1945 general election, becoming Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951. His was an era of social and economic reform, and key to this was a programme of nationalisation: the Bank of England, coal mines, civil aviation, gas, electricity, railways, road transport and the steel industry were all nationalised. Most notably, the National Health Service was introduced, and India and Burma (now Myanmar) were both given independence.
After the end of the war, Britain underwent enormous social change and took a long time to recover from the cost of war.
I About 1945-1951: Post-war austerity
During 1945 and 1951 the Labour government vigorously introduced a programme of nationalization of industry and extension of social services. The Bank of England, the coal industry, communications facilities, civil aviation, electricity, and internal transport were nationalized, and in 1948 a vast program of socialized medicine was institute. Also in 1948, Labour began the nationalization of the steel industry, but the law did not become effective until 1951. Austere wartime economic controls were continued, and in 1946 the United States extended a large loan. The United States made further assistance available in 1948 through the Marshall Plan. In 1949 the pound was devalued in terms of U.S. dollars, to make British exports more competitive.
Yet, the crowning glory of the Attlee administration was the introduction of the Welfare State, and the National Health Service; providing universal medical service free of discrimination.
Internationally, The British...
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