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Clement Attlee and the post-war welfare state

Study note

Clement Attlee led the Labour Party to victory in the 1945 election and became Prime Minister. His government, elected just after the Second World War, carried out major reforms that shaped modern Britain. It was Attlee's government, rather than that of Winston Churchill, Margaret Thatcher or Robert Walpole, that built the post-war welfare state.

The most famous achievement was the creation of the National Health Service in 1948, which provided healthcare free at the point of use. The government also expanded the social security system and nationalised major industries, taking the railways, coal mines and other key industries into public ownership. Remember Clement Attlee as the Prime Minister from 1945 whose government created the NHS and built the welfare state.

Memory tip: Attlee, PM from 1945, builds the NHS and welfare state.

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Which Prime Minister led the government that created the NHS in 1948?

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Clement Attlee and the post-war welfare state: questions, answers and explanations

  1. 1. Which Prime Minister led the government that created the NHS in 1948?

    • Winston Churchill
    • Robert Walpole
    • Clement Attlee
    • Margaret Thatcher

    Correct answer: Clement Attlee

    Clement Attlee's government, elected in 1945, created the NHS in 1948.

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