Abstract
Before 1945, the fight against poverty and social exclusion was organized around the concept of charity. Initially, the Church used to take care of the most destitute on the basis of donations. The institution succeeded in building some refuges in order to help people in need. Hence, poorest people were relieved from misery thanks to small groups which depended on contributions from individuals and private organizations. Subsequently theory of socialism claimed state intervention in the fight against poverty, through means such as social benefits, production of collective goods, market regulation, and a fight against external effects. The emergence of the welfare state was thus based on special needs and this social protection was meant to protect the individual from social risks such as age, unemployment, health, family and exclusion. This collective management of risks was aimed at anticipating unexpected changes linked to human activities that do not depend on the individual will. However, the concept of the welfare state has several strong critics.
