Developments in Other Countries

T H E DECADE that has passed since the Social Security Act was adopted in the United States saw a rapid expansion of social security measures throughout the world. When the act was under consideration by Congress in the spring of 1 9 3 5 , Great Britain and almost every country of Europe had one or more social insurance programs providing protection against the risks of old age, death, invalidity, sickness, or—less frequently—unemployment. Outside the European area the most comprehensive nation-wide social insurance system was that established by Chile in 1924 , with effective health and invalidity insurance for all manual workers—including agricultural and domestic workers— and retirement funds covering all white-collar groups. Uruguay had extended old-age, invalidity, and survivors' insurance to industry and commerce. Japan had compulsory health insurance for a substantial number of persons employed in large establishments. A number of non-European countries, particularly the Bri t ish nations, had noncontributory old-age and invalid pensions, while work or relief programs were widely used as emergency measures for the unemployed. I n general, however, except in Europe, the need for permanent and broad social insurance programs had not yet been extensively recognized in legislation. In the 1 0 years since 1935 , important social security laws have been adopted in almost every country in the Western Hemisphere, in New Zealand and Australia, and also in Europe. The most important of these are summarized below.