This broad, introductory course will survey the history of the welfare state in early twentieth century Britain in its social, economic, political and demographic contexts. The extension of central government into various aspects of people'r lives was one of the central features of the twentieth century and the significance of social policies on the everyday lives of ordinary people will be considered. The extent to which transformations in standards of living can be attributed to government policies and actions will be evaluated but the course will also consider the costs of such large-scale government intervention.