Aneurin Bevan on the Socialist Roots of the NHS
On this day in 1948, the National Health Service was born. To mark the occasion, its founder, Aneurin Bevan, spoke to Tribune about the socialist ambitions of public healthcare.
4 Articles by:
Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin Bevan was the Labour member of parliament for Ebbw Vale between 1929 and 1960, and the Minister of Health who founded the NHS. He was also a founder of Tribune and served as its co-editor with Jon Kimche in the 1940s.
Aneurin Bevan on the Socialist Ambitions of the NHS
On Nye Bevan’s birthday, we republish an interview in which he describes the socialist ambitions that influenced the creation of the NHS.
The End of a Tyranny
‘The enemy who has now been overthrown was the particular and special enemy of working-class institutions, ideas and hopes.’ To mark VE Day, we republish Aneurin Bevan’s Tribune editorial on the end of the Second World War.
Tides of History
In 1959, after Labour had suffered three consecutive election defeats, Nye Bevan made a defiant conference speech in defence of socialism. We republish that speech today.