1951-64: emergence of the teenager and changing social attitudes and tensions Flashcards
Describe why young girls increasingly had more time.
New labour-saving devices meant that girls did not need to help their bothers at home as much.
Describe why young boys increasingly had more time.
Boys no longer had to take part in National Service after 1960.
Why were the new young generation different to their parents?
They dressed differently to their parents, listened to different music, went to the new coffee bars rather than the old tea houses.
What had swelled the number of teenagers?
The post-war baby boom. One survey in 1959 about the lives of teenagers estimated that there were 5 million teenagers in Britain, about 10% of the population - made them more visible and economically important.
How did media relate to the youth?
They had money to buy records and fashion, helping to create their own culture. By the late 1950s there were magazines and TV programmes aimed specifically at this group.
What helped to spread the youth culture?
Changes in technology like the transistor radio.
What was the most obvious youth subculture in the early 1950s?
The Teddy boys, who were seen as a worrying phenomenon and were linked with juvenile delinquency and rising crime.
Where was there notable crime between the youth subcultures?
Organised riots in Clacton, Margate and Brighton in May 1964 between Mods and Rockers. The fighting went on for 2 days in Brighton and police struggled to restore order.
Give evidence to suggest that tensions in society were reflected in popular film and novels.
- Racial tension was the theme of Sapphire, a 1959 crime thriller with a then rather daring portrayal of sex and violence.
- Gang violence was chillingly portrayed in A Clockwork Orange in 1962
How did television also contribute to inform these social issues?
Tv produced campaigning programmes designed to raise controversy about social issues, such as Cathy Come Home, a powerful drama about homelessness.
When was the Obscene Publications Act passed and what did it do?
1959 - it allowed supposedly obscene work to be published and this is reflected in Lady Chatterly’s Lover in 1962 and Fanny Hill in 1963.
Why was this new permissive culture not universally popular?
There was a backlash against the new ‘immorality and depravity’, led by Mary Whitehouse and supported by parts of the national press.
Why was there criticism from the left wing about this change in attitude?
The concentration on material affluence had negative effects, undermining the decency in society. In general, the majority opinion in Britain remained socially conservative.
