The welfare state functioned as revolution insurance now being forgotten.

Evidence

It was introduced not out of the kindness and largesse of the capitalists, but as “revolution insurance”, so that widespread discontent did not spill over into revolution. They have forgotten that, and as a consequence they think they can keep pulling away those social safety nets without any problem. Last year’s riots give us a glimpse of some of the possible repercussions. — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk, 1675

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Welfare states were created as revolution insurance, not capitalist benevolence — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 1675; The welfare state originated as an insurance policy against revolution — Mark Fisher (edited by Darren Ambrose), K-Punk: The Collected and Unpublished…, 1993