7 - Social Rights and Citizenship During World War II

Summary

During World War II neither Germany nor the United States is known to have significantly expanded or reshaped its system of social provisions in a “progressive” way. The Nazi “warfare state,” with its rejection of human rights, is almost by definition the opposite of the modern “welfare state.” Efforts in the United States to vastly expand the responsibility of the government for the economic and social well-being of its citizens came to naught: “World War II and its aftermath did not bring consolidation of the New Deal, but rather its failure and redefinition.” The credit for pioneering the modern welfare state usually goes to Great Britain: Publication of the Beveridge report in December 1942 is generally considered to have set the agenda for a comprehensive welfare state not only in Britain but in other countries as well, although it was only after the war that these plans materialized. In most countries, including the United States and Germany, there were debates during the war on recasting social policies, debates that centered on the critical issues of citizenship, social entitlements, and rights. This should not be surprising because these issues have loomed large from the beginning of governmental attempts at establishing social institutions. However, the war years saw the emergence of a new discourse about economic and social rights, both on the national and, toward the end of the war, international levels.