3-Class and Social Values Flashcards
laws that created a more permissive society
Family Planning Act- Made pill available on the NHS
Abortion Act- legalised abortions and provided them through the NHS. Introduced by David Steel (40 back street deaths in 1966)
Sexual Offences Act- decriminalised homosexual acts in private. stop being gay as an illness = could be punishable
Theatres Act- abolished censorship in the theatre
Divorce Reform Act- allowed couples to divorce after being separated for 2 years and if only one wanted divorce
why liberal laws were not evidence of a more liberal society
demand for Laws came from people but not MPS
result of long campaigns (homosexuality laws wanted to be changed since 1890)
majority of laws went against British public
majority passed duets the impartial consequences of current legislation rather than moral issues (limit abortion deaths)
evidence for a more sexual society
Pill introduced in 1961. In 1967 one million women were on the pill. Condoms became thiner and more available (boots in 1966)
1959 Obscene of Publications Act and 1968 Theatres Act allowed more sexual content to be published in Britain
The Joy of Sex book was sexually explicit and illustrated sex as a pleasure
4 myst popular film in 1974 was a porno shown in theatres
only 1% continued to wait till marriage to have sex
evidence against a more sexual society
sexual textbooks/ pamphlets had already been in circulation proper 60s (Love Without Fear)
The Sexual Behaviour of Young People suggest that the ‘sexual revolution’ was exaggerated
only 17% of girls and 33% of boys had sex before marriage
evidence for changing attitudes to homosexuality
Trial of Lord Montagu and Wlldeblod - state should not be able to regulate what consenting adults do in private - Sunday Times “ the law is not in accord with a large mass of public opinion”
British Branch of the Gay Liberation Front- set up in 1971
number of men made “camp” bahevour acceptable on TV eg Larry Grayson and his catchphrases “what a gay day”
Popstars Elton John, David Bowie came out as Bisexual
opposition to permissive society
Mary Whitehouse
Clean up Tv potion in 1964 gained 500,000 signatures
1977 launched a legal battle against magazine Gay News for publishing a poem- won her case
campaigned against pornography
Nationwide Festival of Light 1971
promoted Christian morality
supported by famous figures like Cliff Richard
inspired over 70 other regional rallies
crowds of 100,000
1963 poll revealed that 93% thought that homosexuality was an illness
number of men arrested for “public indecency” trebled between 1967 and 1972
Sex and Marriage in young people - most common reaction to homosexuality was “revulsion” - 1/4 of participants
Features of the upper class
Hugely wealthy
* Owned vast amounts of land
* Privately educated in schools like Eton
* Had and exciting social calendar, called ‘the Season’
o The season was divided between country pursuits (hunting, shooting) from autumn to spring and a series of sporting and cultural events largely based in London during the summer months.
o ‘debutantes ball’
o Debutantes ball was ended in 1958
- these events gave the upper class a clear sense of identity
changes to the upper class and causes
WW1
- while 12.9 % of all men in the army died, 20.7% of all Old Etonians died - this was largely because they often served as officers, who had a higher mortality rate - high death rate
- cost of war - income tax and death duties rise - 2 million subject to 40% increase duty. 1914- 2% to 1925 - 57%
- = difficulty to pay for country estates - 1/4 sold post war
changes to upper class and causes
rise of labour
- accelerated decline of landed elite power in house of commons - middle/ working class MPS
- 1910 - 40% mps were wealthy - 1945 - 5%
changes to the upper class and causes
House of lords
- Parliament Act of 1911 meant the Lords could only delay, rather than block, legislation
- From 1958 onwards, hereditary peers were increasingly replaced by politically
nominated ‘life-peers’
- From 1958 onwards, hereditary peers were increasingly replaced by politically
- In 1910, 39 out of 43 Lord Lieutenants had been aristocrats, by 1970 this figure had
fallen to 15 out of 46 - However rise of the new upper class (defined more by wealth than ancestry) meant there was no real decline in elite dominance of politics before 1951 - Macmillan’s
government had 40 Old Etonian cabinet members
changes to the upper class and cuases
rise of satire
- undermined deference (unquestioned respect of establishment figures)
changes to the upper class and causes
National trust
- country houses bought or donated to the national trust
- 1927 Country House scheme alloed families to live in their stately homes rent free if transfered ownership to national trust and opened house to public for 60 days per years
- paid to vist homes - preseve the landed elite
- remained a goal for most rich Britons
features of the middle class
- distinguish themsleves from the working class through their cultural and leisure pursuits - looked down on working class
- £250 annual salary
- home ownership
changes to the middle class and its causes
WW1
- distinction between middle and working class was being erodied
- perception that working class wages increased whilist middle class icnomes remained stagnant
- war time inflation contributed ot fear - impact on middle class savings and incomes
- blamed increasing strength of the trade unions - but was inflations
changes to the middle class and its causes
rise of middle class jobs
- 1911-1921 - 34% growth in commerical and financial jobs
- growth in respectbale jobs and rise of salaired jobs in managment and adminsitraition
- 700,000 in 1931 - 1.25 milllion 1951
- clerking jobs for women drive expansions
