ABSTRACT
Whilst the war of 1939-45 was still being fought there was much discussion of the need to build a new society in Britain when it ended. To those who wished to see considerable advances in educational provision, unhindered by religious controversy, the prospects seemed favourable. There was a coalition government; the nation was united in sacrifice and endeavour. Many of those indifferent to religion felt that educational progress was far more important than disputes among the churches, and many others deeply attached to their own branch of Christianity had come to think that, whilst the need for religious education was clearly greater than ever, sectarian differences mattered much less than the need to combat atheistic Communism or pagan Nazism. The results of anti-semitism had shown what evil forces might be released by religious and racial intolerance, and two world wars had made nonsense of genuine doubts or prejudiced claims about the allegiance of Roman Catholics and Jews, Bomb damage, the increased mobility of the population and (later) slum clearance helped to break up some at least of the enclaves of bigotry and intolerance which had affected local, and sometimes national, politics.
