ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates how William Beveridge’s vision of the full employment welfare state was translated into practice by governments from Attlee’s to Callaghan’s, why Britain enjoyed three decades of full male employment after Beveridge, and why the three blindspots became increasingly apparent, especially after the 1960s. The construction of the full employment welfare state along the lines of the Beveridge Report, and successful management of the economy to achieve economic growth were the main policy objectives not only of the Attlee government but also, until the mid 1960s, of successive Conservative and Labour governments. British governments’ commitments to full employment and growth through Keynesian demand management policies provide a second, political reason for the high level of demand and full employment during the 1950s and 1960s. In order to fulfil their commitments to full employment and to accommodate the rising tide of expectations, post-war British governments increased their expenditures continually and extended their power over various social groups.
