4 Post-war austerity and housing Flashcards
housing
affect of the bombings
- 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
Housing
squatting in LDN
- 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
Housing
old industrial cities
glasgow, manchester, liverpool etc. contained slums, grimy terraces lacking sanitation, and sometimes gas/electricity
Housing
how many houses needed
750,000 houses needed. Not possible due to steel, wood, labour shortages.
Housing
which report was used to rebuild
tudor-walters report: specified space regulations, eg. 12 houses per acre.
Housing
slums…
- cramped family homes
- in 1947 400,000 weddings
- 881,000 babies born - baby boom
Housing
ealing comedies
- ‘hue and cry’ 47
- ‘passport to pimlico’ 1949
- portrayed wrecked streets and cityscape ruins
- commentary on the squatting in London.
Blocks of flats
lansbury estate
- 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
Blocks of flats
May 1968 Ronan Point Tower
collapsed. 4 people died
Blocks of flats
what happened to these blocks in the 70s?
- started to be destroyed for a better look
pre fabricated homes
excalibur estate
built between 1945-1946 in south east london
pre fabricated homes
1944 housing and temporary accomodation act
in response to the blitz
pre fabricated homes
how long were prefabs designed to be lived in? what were the problems?
maximum 10 years
- cold, damp problems
- although, many owners satisifed despite the issues
growth of consumer society
new towns act 1934
- 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
growth of consumer society
post-war boom
- global boom
- new welfare state
- low energy prices until the 70s
- commital to full employment
- strong trade unions
- increasing wages
growth of consumer society
1957: macmillan
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.
austerity
bread rationing
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’
Austerity
British Housewife League campaign
- campaigned against rude shopkeepers, and helped remove the food minister ben smith over the withdrawal of powdered egg.
Austerity
food
- more rogue food started to appear
- horses sold as ‘steak’
- whale meat sold
austerity
when was rationing eventually abandoned
1954
austerity
furniture 1942-1952
‘utility furniture’ for married couples only, or people who had lost thier homes during the bombings
- wood was rationed.
austerity
food imports + austerity spending
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.
A Planned Economy
shortage of
food and luxureies. Labour accepted this would be inevitable
A Planned Economy
labour won 1950 election
- 5 seat majority
- they lost in 1951 due to a lack of effiecient food and energy distribution
A Planned Economy
conservatives campaigned
to end rationing.
