The British welfare state has been a political and ideological battleground since its inception, yet many of the voices in the crucial debates have been lost in orthodox histories. This work explores the development of the welfare state through the debates which surrounded it in three key periods: the turn of the century; the Beveridge period; and the 1970s and 1980s. Each section focuses on four main, and competing approaches: laissez-faire individualism, fabianism, soicalism and feminism. The tension between them is developed in a selection of readings which are contextualized and contrasted by detailed commentaries from the authors. The combination of documentary material and commentary provides a history of welfare in the 20th century for students of social policy and administration.