by Francis Beckett and Clare Beckett
The creation of the National Health Service was the most significant of the many reforms of the post-war Labour government. The man responsible was Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan. The son of a Welsh miner, he became a local trade union leader at only nineteen and in 1929 was elected as a Labour MP. Bevan believed the war was Britain's opportunity to create new society, a position he maintained throughout the conflict. When the war ended in 1945, the landslide Labour victory gave him the chance to make this vision a reality. Known for his impassioned oratory, Bevan's fundamental belief that the new NHS should be freely available to all was ultimately at odds with a government struggling to balance the books. He resigned in 1951 over the introducton of charges for prescriptions and glasses. With the NHS requiring an ever-increasing share of national income, this updated edition considers Bevan's legacy as the future of the health service he created is fought over as never before.
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