The creation of a welfare state is one of the most contested aspect of liberal ande neoliberal theory. The creation of the welfare state occurred as a response to a crisis, the Great Depression. It was expanded in the 1960's by Lyndon Baines Johnson and the Great Society programs. The Welfare State remains an important component of American life. Food stamps, subsidized housing, free breakfast and lunch programs and Social Security and Medicaid and Medicare programs constitute important components of the welfare state.
