Modern Britain - Beveridge Report

The 1942 report on Social Insurance and Allied Services, known commonly as the Beveridge Report, was an influential document in the founding of the welfare state in the United Kingdom, published in November 1942. It was chaired by the Liberal economist William Beveridge, who identified five "Giant Evils" in society: squalor, ignorance, want, idleness, and disease, and went on to propose widespread reform to the system of social welfare to address these. The Report came in the midst of war, and promised a reward for the sacrifices undertaken by everyone. Highly popular with the public, the report formed the basis for the post-war reforms known as the Welfare State, which include the expansion of National Insurance and the creation of the National Health Service. The report was printed by Alabaster Passmore & Sons Limited which kept their factory in Maidstone busy when there was very little other printing work available.