12. Imperialist ideals 1947-67 Flashcards
How did TELEVISION continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
- People started to have televisions in their homes - new way for sharing imperial ideas
- Till Death Do Us Part - satire (racism) - showed attitudes of racial superiority and stereotyping
- The Black and White Minstrel Show - white people wearing black face; BBC mainstream TV; shows racial superiority; showed how empire values were still in Britain
- Not a celebration of the empire but values were still there
How did FILM continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
- Continued to be a great pass time for people
- Many films related to Empire and had imperial themes - Zulu, Guns of Batasi, Lawrence of Arabia, Khartoum
- Gave the same interpretation of events that were present in Victorian times - imperial heroes, white saviours, noble savages, ‘crazy, evil black’ people
- There weren’t loads of films about the empire
- Most films were about nostalgia for empire - most released after the majority of empire had already gone
- Positive portrayal of the empire
- Westerns become popular
How did the NEWS continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
- Suez Crisis was widely reported - naivety of reporting believing that Britain could still act as it chooses and that Britain had nothing but good intensions
- Condemnation of the actions of indigenous people - e.g. Mau Mau rebellion
- Media largely accepted the loss of empire - the timing was right and Britain should focus on internal issues
- Often portrayed a positive view of Britain
How did FESTIVALS/CELEBRATIONS continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
- End of Empire day in 1962 - renamed Commonwealth Day (no longer a national holiday)
- Continuation of Colonial Exhibitions - many held in Glasgow but they became less significant over time
- Became more for engineers and technical experts rather than for the public - responsibility of trusteeship and colonial development
- Queen Elizabeth II Coronation (1954) - didn’t have much of an empire theme
- Festival of Britain (1951) - didn’t focus on Britain’s role world wide - focussed on what was happening in Britain - suggests Britain wanted to be seen as less of an imperial power in the early 1950s
How did LITERATURE continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
- Imperial novels of the past became classics - imperial themes became accepted views - e.g. The Jungle Book
- Literature became more liberal
How did EDUCATION continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
- Still focused on Britain’s imperial past
- Textbooks gave a positive opinion about the Empire - more pro Empire
- History showed the importance of education
- Our Commonwealth 1959 - showed the importance and celebration of Britain - wasn’t critical of the empire
How did YOUTH SUB-CULTURES continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
- Teddy Boys (1950s) - right wing views of superiority - racist group that were involved with ‘Pakistan bashing’
- Mods (1960s) - listened to black genres; fought with Rockers because of race
How did CHILDREN’S MAGAZINES continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
- After WW2 magazines changed and focused on other things however sometimes they still had racist themes
- WW2 literature was more popular
How did TRAVEL continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
- More exposure to other areas of the world
- People went to other areas other than empire - reflects the move towards Europe
How did NATIONAL SERVICE continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
- Some people served overseas in the imperial emergencies
- e.g. Malaya, Mau Mau - exposed to empire temporarily
- Ceased to exist in 1960
How did MIGRATION continue to shape culture and public attitudes in Britain 1947-67?
Migration to the Commonwealth
- Mainly white areas
- More familial ties to the Empire
- More people were exposed to the Commonwealth
Migration to Britain
- More profound effect on Britain than the people migrating to Britain
- Brought out a sense of racial superiority in Britain - views came to the surface
- It couldn’t be ignored because it was a very real aspect of people’s lives now
What were views towards the Empire like in Britain 1947-67? How were they shaped?
- More shaped by migration than anything else - kept viewpoints towards the empire alive - they wanted to stop people from the Commonwealth coming to Britain
- Values were being more shaped by culture from America e.g. music, films, tv - became less British and less imperial
- Views of Empire were still strong gin the 1950s - there was hope for the Commonwealth
- By the 1960s there was a recognition that the empire was not the future of Britain
- Liberation of views under Wilson’s government - became more accepting
- If the attitude was softening in these areas, some of the views from the ‘old order’ were being challenged
- People were still racist but their attitudes were beginning to change
To what extent did the Empire/Commonwealth continue to shape culture and public attitude in Britain? (did shape)
- Imperial themes in films and television - people regretted the loss of empire but saw it as time to go
- Education still focused on empire
- Migration affected public attitudes - more about race than empire
To what extent did the Empire/Commonwealth continue to shape culture and public attitude in Britain? (did NOT shape)
- Celebrations of empire were less widespread - focused on modern Britain instead
- People, especially youth, became interested in other things e.g. space race in Children’s magazines
- Travel to other areas - more people could travel
