Welfare State

There are three main interpretations of the idea of a welfare state:

The development of welfare states

Modern welfare states developed through a gradual process beginning in the late 19th century and continuing through the 20th. They differed from previous schemes of poverty relief due to their relatively universal coverage. The development of social insurance in Germany under Bismarck was particularly influential. Some schemes, like those in Scandinavia, were based largely in the development of autonomous, mutualist provision of benefits. Others were founded on state provision. The term was not, however, applied to all states offering social protection. The sociologist T H Marshall identified the welfare state as a distinctive combination of democracy, welfare and capitalism.

Related Topics:
19th century - 20th - Social insurance - Germany - Bismarck - Scandinavia

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Examples of early welfare states in the modern world are the Sweden and New Zealand of the 1930s. Changed attitudes in reaction to the Great Depression were instrumental in the move to the welfare state in many countries, a harbinger of new times where "cradle-to-grave" services became a reality after the poverty of the Depression. In the period following the Second World War, many countries in Europe moved from partial or selective provision of social services to relatively comprehensive coverage of the population.

Related Topics:
Sweden - New Zealand - 1930s - Great Depression - Poverty - Second World War - Europe - Social service

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