Democratic Socialism and Economic Policy The Attlee Years, 1945–1951

This major study analyses the economic policies of the Attlee government, both international and domestic, in the light of Labour's issues and doctrines about the economy. Jim Tomlinson highlights the concern of the government with issues of industrial efficiency, and how this concern pervaded all areas of economic policy. He focuses on the economic aspects of the creation of the welfare state, and how efficiency concerns led to a great deal of austerity in the design of welfare provision. In addition, Tomlinson offers detailed discussion of the labour market in this period, both the attempts to 'plan' that market and the tensions in the policies created by attempts to attract more women into paid work. Students, professional historians and even politicians will greatly benefit from this broad-based reappraisal of a crucial era.

List of Tables; Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; 1. Introduction: Labour and the economy 1900–45; 2. Labour and the international economy I: Overall strategy; 3. Labour and the international economy II: The balance of payments; 4. Industrial modernisation; 5. Nationalisation; 6. Controls and planning; 7. The financial system; 8. Employment policy and the labour market; 9. Labour and the woman worker; 10. Towards a Keynesian policy; 11. The economics of the welfare state; 12. Equality versus efficiency?; 13. Conclusions: political obstacles to economic reform.

Democratic Socialism and Economic Policy: The Attlee Years 1945-1951 analyses the economic policies of the Attlee government. It stresses the importance of the government's drive for efficiency. Tomlinson questions the claim that in building a 'welfare state' the government neglected production.