Citizenship Concept and Transformation of Social Policies of England after the Second World War

Citizenship theory which was put forward by the English sociologist T.H.Marshall in 1950s,is the vital foundation of the universal welfare system in Britain after the Second World War.Social rights of is the core of concept,and they have affected powerfully on social policies in Britain after war.This article ascends to the origin and changes of meaning of concept,and suggests that describing social security as a basic civil right is the highest form of development.Consumerism,initiated by the Conservative in the end of 1970s,bases on a consumer-oriented principle,whose purpose is to avoid individuals' dependence on national assistance and return to self-help and informal care,denies the universal welfare rights that citizens enjoy.New Labor has carried out the new system,whose core is to make the balance of rights and duties and which is the basic thinking of welfare state reform and has again refined the concept of social rights.In fact,the changes of the meaning on citizenship also refines the role of welfare state and emphasizes the consciousness of citizens' individual responsibility.