Housing In Ww2 Essay

In my opinion the housing for the civilians in WWII was the most depressing situation that many English and all of Europe had to deal with. Some generals would even call the millions in damages just a simple dent to the “Housing Empire of England”. They wouldn't understand the pain in losing a house you grew up in from a German bomber.
WWII stopped all housing for living purposes, only defense building was allowed to be continued (bunkers, trenches etc). That left a lot of people hungry, and tired of the war. “When the war ends the British empire shall bloom all over Europe!” they said. Not only did thousands of homes getwere destroyed, they were transformed into something for the war. Now the housing market is going to experience something

Estimated that 750,000 homes were required in England in 1933 until 1942, to provide all homeless civilians with food, shelter, etc. The lack of housing began much before the second world war. It all began with the Industrial Revolution. With the advantage of new factories and the need of skilled workers, thousands of people moved from the countryside to the towns and urban areas where jobs were concentrated.
This new labor force helped the cities create products and fed the capitalization of the economy but most importantly the people. This revolution also created an unforeseen social problem: lack of housing for all these new workers. As a consequence, people lived in Slums. Slums were apartment buildings in which families lived in each room; having sometimes up to six or eight families in one apartment; often rooms would be crowded. There were thousands of people living in dire conditions. The slums brought with them another problem: unsanitary conditions and health

At the beginning of the first World War, parliament tried to address the problem by providing housing to returning soldiers by enacting the Addison Act. The Addison Act promised subsidized housing, with the slogan “Home fit for Veterans.” All that really means is that the government would cover the cost of building proper housing with electricity and sewers and offer affordable rent specifically for returning soldiers.
But after the first world war building materials, wood, cement, etc, were scarce, therefore progress was slow. In fact by 1935 only 23 percent of the promised million houses were even viable to live in. Political pressure and a change in authorities canceled the Addison Act all together (who saw that coming).
In 1936 England had passed the Housing Act with subsidies going to the private sector to encourage the building of new houses for ownership and rent. In 1937, however, a new government enacted the Wheatley Housing Act which channeled funds toward local authorities called “council housing.” By 1942 500,000 council houses were built- however, these properties remain unattainable for poor working families. Unfortunately, overcrowded and filthy slums remained a problem in Britain even at the outbreak of World War