In many ways, it was not dissimilar t the States now.
There was no National Health, you paid for all medicines and doctors. One bi-[rpduct of this was that when the dentists got nationalised in 1948, 60% of the population had rotting teeth.
Another aspect was that if you were unemployed you could get National Assistanve, a type of loan to helo you get by. With thhe Welfare State, came the Dole, Unemployment benegits and an overall improvement to the Social status of the unemployed.
There is an apparent drawback, often spoken of by the vritivs of the system is that there are some people and families that have never worked.
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