3A - Class and Social Change, 1945-1979 Flashcards
What impact did WW2 have?
- WC had desire for more equal GB
- Thought experience of war would make a classless society
- Social classes cooperated and interacted
Why did WW2 make social classes cooperate and interact?
Evacuation, experience of being made homeless through bombing, hardships of rationing felt by all classes
How were the political parties impacted by WW2?
1945 Election - both parties campaigning for greater state intervention - suggests role of gov had changed
What characterised the 1950s and 1960s?
Increase in affluence, leisure time and consumer choice. Living standards rose as well as spending power and attitudes towards class system changed.
How did peoples views change in the 1950s and 1960s?
Notions of morality about sexuality, marriage, abortion and homosexuality were challenged. Led to legal reform. Concerns over materialism and consumerism.
When did rationing end and what consequence did it have?
1954 + relaxation of consumer credit = WC households could enjoy prosperity
How did traditional views about class and deference begin to change?
TV and cinema exposed satirical content which ridiculed social class and newspapers exposed scandals involving ruling class
What is an example of a satirical show from the satire boom in 1960?
‘Beyond the Fringe’ stage show played to large audiences, controversial show made fun of Britain’s establishment: gov, army and UC
What did the episode ‘The Aftermyth of the War’ from ‘Beyond the Fringe’ do?
Scorned GB war effort
What did ‘That Was The Week That Was’ from 1962?
Combined satirical humour with interviews with leading politicians. First time GB public could see elites on TV
What was the British New Wave in the 1950s and 1960s?
New generation of writers and filmmakers depicted attitudes towards the class system. Saw novels about WC men and women experiencing prosperity.
What is an example of a novel about a working class man desperate to escape his background from the British New Wave?
‘Saturday Night Sunday Morning’ 1958
What sex scandal occured in 1963 about sex parties?
Rumours of sex parties held at Cliveden - stately home for Astor family
Which newspaper reported sex scandals in the 1950s and 1960s and what was a famous scandal they reported?
Private Eye reported rumours e.g John Profumo shared a 19 yr old sexual partner Christine Keeler with a Soviet attache, Yevgeny Ivanov
What do people believe a consequence of the Profumo Affair was?
1964 - some believe Profumo scandal led to defeat in election
What characterised the sexual revolution of the 1960s?
Laws more liberal towards male homosexuality and abortion, didn’t translate to changes in public attitudes
How many children had had sex education in 1949?
Less than 1/10 had any sex education, little evidence that parents discussed sex with their children
What was the view regarding sexual activity in the 1950s?
View that state had a role in regulating private sexual activity e.g homosexuality
Why is it unlikely that GB was sexually repressed prior to the sexual revolution?
- Cases of venereal disease were high, prostitution did well in WW2
- 1930s onwards - growing popularity for sexual advice books - Eustace Chesser’s 1941 book ‘Love Without Fear’ sold 3 million copies by 1964
What did a 1950s survey find about sexual intercourse before marriage rejecting the idea of a sexual revolution?
⅕ of women born between 1894 - 1904 had experienced pre marital sex
½ all women born between 1924-1934 had sex before marriage
How many boys and girls between 16-19 had sex in the 1960s and why is this misleading?
⅓ boys and ⅙ girls between 16-19 had had sex in 1965
Nearly all those that had were in relationships
Why were sex scandals reported more frequently in the media in the 1960s?
Sex scandals = popular - particularly with celebrities. Advertisers wanted to reach large audiences - sex = large audience
How did media techniques of sex sells come about in the 1960s?
People began to associate celebrities with sex and consumerism became associated with sex
How does Phillip Larkin’s poem Annus Mirablis capture the mood of the early 1960s?
Refers to Chatterley ban - Lady Chatterley’s Lover - book depicting explicit sex between WC and UC couple - obscenity trial - sold 3 million copies so popular among some but rejected by some
