Chapter 3 focused study guide
Post-war Britain, the Welfare State and Social Change
Study Britain since 1945, including the Attlee government, welfare state, NHS, migration, decolonisation and changing society.
Section 3.2
Britain since 1945
The Second World War left Britain victorious but financially strained. Voters elected a Labour government in 1945, led by Clement Attlee. It expanded social security and established the National Health Service in 1948, with Aneurin Bevan as Minister of Health.
The decades after the war brought decolonisation, greater prosperity, changing social attitudes and migration from the Commonwealth. Music, fashion and film made the 1960s especially visible, while laws increasingly addressed discrimination and unequal treatment.
Science and technology
British researchers and engineers contributed to television, radar, computing, jet propulsion and the study of DNA. For the test, connect an inventor or researcher to the correct field rather than memorising a name alone.
Later governments took different approaches to the economy and public ownership. Devolution created new elected institutions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at the end of the 20th century.
Targeted practice
Questions about Britain since 1945
These questions prioritise terms covered on this page. Open an answer to review the explanation before moving to the full Chapter 3 practice set.
-
Sample question 1
Which British Prime Minister was famous for the speech ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat’?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Winston Churchill
During the Second World War, Winston Churchill made many famous speeches including lines which you may still hear: ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat’. This was Churchill’s first speech to the House of Commons after he became Prime Minister, 1940.
-
Sample question 2
Who was voted the greatest Briton of all time in 2002?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill in 2002 was voted the greatest Briton of all time by the public.
-
Sample question 3
Which two of the following social laws were liberalised during the ‘Swinging Sixties’?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: The law of abortion and The law of divorce
The law of abortion and the law of divorce were liberalised during the ‘Swinging Sixties’.
-
Sample question 4
Who became Prime Minister of the UK in May 1940?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: Winston Churchill
Churchill was the son of a politician and, before becoming a Conservative MP in 1900, was a soldier and journalist. In May 1940 he became Prime Minister.
-
Sample question 5
When did Alexander Fleming win the Nobel Prize in medicine for the discovery of the penicillin?
Show answer and explanation
Answer: In 1945
Fleming won the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1945 for the discovery of the penicillin.
Further verification
Official and primary sources
Use the official handbook for the knowledge syllabus. For current administrative information or broader context, consult the relevant primary source.
Reviewed 27 July 2026. See the editorial policy and factual update log.