During World War Two the government became involved in people’s lives. The Beveridge Report identified five major social problems which had to be tackled.
Britain did not have enough farmland to sustain its increased population. The problem was solved by importing a large number of goods from the British Empire.
The German Government tried to disrupt delivery of goods by sea to Britain. Many British merchant ships were destroyed by German U-boats.
In order to cope with reduced supplies, the British Government introduced food rationing in 1940.
Rationing helped to change attitudes - the fact that everyone was restricted to buying a certain amount of goods, created a sense of sharing and cooperation in Britain.
It was accepted that the government was more involved in people’s health and food intake.