Then and Now - Problems in Society

The 1930’s saw much social distress and it was made worse as a result of World War II.
Sir William Beveridge in his report highlighted 5 main problems.

1.Idleness was seen as a big problem because unemployment had been high.

2.Many diseases were life threatening since healthcare was only good if you were wealthy.

3.Squalor - Housing was inadequate and poor conditions such as slum areas.

4.Poverty was rife, the elderly suffered as their state pension was barely sufficient (Want)

5.People had little education and the school leaving age was 14 (Ignorance)

 

1.What is the Welfare State?

A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the
protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on
the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public
responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of the minimal provisions for a good life.
The general term may cover a variety of forms of economic and social organization."

2.When was it created

1945

 

3.Explain the concept “from cradle to the grave”

It proposed that all working people should pay a weekly contribution to the state. In return, benefits would be paid to the unemployed, the sick, the retired and the widowed. Beveridge wanted to ensure that there was an acceptable minimum standard of living in Britain below which nobody fell.

 

4.When was the NHS created?

1944

 

Types of Welfare Provision:

State Provision

The Informal Sector

The Voluntary Sector

The Private Sector

 

 Work and Welfare

1.Do you think Welfare should always be provided by the State?

Yes, because I think everyone deserves the same quality of life, and people who are at a disadvantage due to sickness or unemployment should not fall under the line of poverty.

 

2.Which of the four ‘providers’ of Welfare do you think may provide the best provision?

 

3.Do you think the creation of the Welfare State has been a force for good?

In some ways yes, although I think the Welfare State can be unfair to some. If you're unemployed and make no effort to get a job, for no good reason, then I believe you're being unfair to the Welfare State and the benefits that it brings to people.

 

Transport

}In the UK (1945) commuting was unknown and people worked near their homes.

 

1.Why do you think it is different now?

To help with World problems such as pollution - many people carried by a bus will cause less pollution than each of those people driving their cars to wherever they wish to be. However as cars were introduced before hand, this has had a negative impact on the environment.

 

2.How have transport capabilities changed?

 

3.What effect has this had on the population?

We are now able to live where we like and still commute to almost anywhere in the world, at reasonable prices and in reasonable time.

 

4.Are we now ‘better off’?

As individuals, yes. But as a planet, with problems of pollution, not as much.

Why do values change?

Economic circumstances influence the development of values. Pressure groups and the media can encourage change. They seek to persuade society and government to modify existing values, often by changing the law.
Examples of changing values are...

• Acceptance of alternatives to marriage
• Attitudes to abortion and divorce
• Employment opportunities for married women
• Equal opportunities (race and gender)
• Using medical knowledge to aid human life

Cultural Values

Cultural values - where do they come from?

• Cultural values and their sources are very personal and individual.
• They are created from our history and traditions.

A Society

A society is a grouping of individuals, which is characterised by common interest and may have distinctive culture and institutions. In a society, members can be from a different ethnic group.

Socialisation

Is the process by which we learn the behaviour, values, attitudes considered appropriate in the culture and society in which we live.

Cultural Activities

Which include art, song dance, story telling or poetry.

What cultural activities have you been involved in either past or present?
My Cultural Activities
Christmas
Easter
Religious ceremonies such as weddings, christenings, confirmations etc.

Culture

Culture is the distinctive way of life conducted by an entire community or society. Including codes of conduct, dress, language, religion.

Identify the different stages in the argument in the passage
Proposition, conclusion and argument.

To what extent are the arguments used supported by evidence?
They are supported by a fairly large extent due to the analysing the validity and justification of the argument. It also includes anecdotes to provide real-life data along with statistics to give the argument evidence which is more reliable and accurate.

How reliable is the evidence provided?
The evidence is fairly reliable due to the information being from personal accounts; however this can be doubted whether or not these people are providing accurate analytical observations and information necessary to obtain the argument.

Find 2 examples of argument based on authority. In what ways might the claim to be “authority” be A. justification, B. Unjustified Give reasons for your answer?
An expert in one field is not necessarily an expert in others, this makes their claim to authority of justified by their type of field and instead being able to critique on all areas, therefore the topic matter is highly important.
Also, experts are no more entitled to claim authority than any other person, which means that anyone can have the right to authority based argument being easily justified, yet the explanation given can vary to be unjustified to whether or not it makes sense.

Examples from text: “Club bosses believe…” They have authority justified by being bosses, yet their view can be bias or unreliable.
“Jenny Brannigan, 18” shares her view, which suggests she is not of a particular authority but the claims in which any person can have the right supports this idea and gives it justification.

Examples of deductive and inductive reasoning in the passage:Inductive: “If you allow two women into the same cubicle they’ll talk forever” who has rejected idea.
Deductive: “it is fact that young women like to go toilet together”.

To what extent is the conclusion of the passage implicit rather than explicit? How far is it justified?The conclusion considers two points of views which makes it explicit by considering more than one alternative. However, it can be implicit because it is quite vague and therefore not considering the information as effectively.