4 Post-war austerity and housing

Question 1

housing

affect of the bombings

Answer 1

• 400,000 died in mass bombings, and there were 2m homes lost
• post-war homelessness. Southhampton and coventry lost 1/3 of housing overnight
• 60m changes of address during the war

Question 2

Housing

squatting in LDN

Answer 2

• autumn 1946… womens voluntary service brought hot drinks and the police supplied tea, coffee, blankets, money, food and chocolate to squatting families in LONDON
• eventually, it fizzled because they were threatened their council housing queue place would be revoked

Question 3

Housing

old industrial cities

Answer 3

glasgow, manchester, liverpool etc. contained slums, grimy terraces lacking sanitation, and sometimes gas/electricity

Question 4

Housing

how many houses needed

Answer 4

750,000 houses needed. Not possible due to steel, wood, labour shortages.

Question 5

Housing

which report was used to rebuild

Answer 5

tudor-walters report: specified space regulations, eg. 12 houses per acre.

Question 6

Housing

slums…

Answer 6

• cramped family homes
• in 1947 400,000 weddings
• 881,000 babies born - baby boom

Question 7

Housing

ealing comedies

Answer 7

• ‘hue and cry’ 47
• ‘passport to pimlico’ 1949
• portrayed wrecked streets and cityscape ruins
• commentary on the squatting in London.

Question 8

Blocks of flats

lansbury estate

Answer 8

• george lansbury
• built in 1949
• leader of the labour party until 1935
• designed so inhabitants would have close access to amenities
• walls became vandalised, asbestos discovered, thin walls
• initially attractive + modern solution to housing issue

Question 9

Blocks of flats

May 1948 Ronan Point Tower

Answer 9

collapsed. 4 people died

Question 10

Blocks of flats

what happened to these blocks in the 70s?

Answer 10

• started to be destroyed for a better look

Question 11

pre fabricated homes

excalibur estate

Answer 11

built between 1945-1946 in south east london

Question 12

pre fabricated homes

1944 housing and temporary accomodation act

Answer 12

in response to the blitz

Question 13

pre fabricated homes

how long were prefabs designed to be lived in? what were the problems?

Answer 13

maximum 10 years
- cold, damp problems
- although, many owners satisifed despite the issues

Question 14

growth of consumer society

new towns act 1934

Answer 14

• 14 new towns designed
• meant to relieve overcrowded working class districts in cities like London/Birmingham
• stevenage, cumbernauld, telford designed with modern architecture and planning
• housing conditions improved - full employment - consumer society
• there was also a new belief that the government had a social responsibility to improve living standards

Question 15

growth of consumer society

post-war boom

Answer 15

• global boom
• new welfare state
• low energy prices until the 70s
• commital to full employment
• strong trade unions
• increasing wages

Question 16

growth of consumer society

1957: macmillan

Answer 16

the people had ‘never had it so good’
- mixed economy provided for most of the populations material needs and luxuries
- problems still remained for some areas of society.

Question 17

austerity

bread rationing

Answer 17

labour continued bread rationing from 1946-1948
- daily mail said it was the ‘most hated measure ever to have been presented to the people of this country’

Question 18

Austerity

British Housewife League campaign

Answer 18

• campaigned against rude shopkeepers, and helped remove the food minister ben smith over the withdrawal of powdered egg.

Question 19

Austerity

food

Answer 19

• more rogue food started to appear
• horses sold as ‘steak’
• whale meat sold

Question 20

austerity

when was rationing eventually abandoned

Answer 20

1954

Question 21

austerity

furniture 1942-1952

Answer 21

‘utility furniture’ for married couples only, or people who had lost thier homes during the bombings
- wood was rationed.

Question 22

austerity

food imports + austerity spending

Answer 22

55% of food was imported, but there were not enough currency reserves to pay for everything
- britain was also responsible for feeding parts of Germany and Malaya under British control
- korean war - in 1950 23% of britain’s gdp was spent on defence.

Question 23

A Planned Economy

shortage of

Answer 23

food and luxureies. Labour accepted this would be inevitable

Question 24

A Planned Economy

labour won 1950 election

Answer 24

• 5 seat majority
• they lost in 1951 due to a lack of effiecient food and energy distribution

Question 25

A Planned Economy

conservatives campaigned

Answer 25

to end rationing.