A level exam Chapter 11-Social and cultural change Flashcards
How was unemployment?
Due to the decline in staple industries, unemployment remained at about 10-15% of the insured workforce. However, there were regional variations and the living standards between the poorest and wealthiest widened. There were areas of industrial growth in London, Coventry and Bristol where there was an increase in production in new industries but there were areas of depression in Jarrow and Wigan where there was more staple industry production.
What were the key legislative changes between 1922 and 1929?
The Matrimonial Causes Act meant that women were no longer required to prove a cause to get grounds for divorce.
The Guardianship of infants act meant that guardianship was given to both parents.
The New English law of property allowed married and single women to hold their property on the same terms as men.
The 1928 Representation of the people act gave women over 21 the vote.
What work opportunities were there for women?
At the end of the war, women were encouraged to return to pre-war occupations and many reluctantly returned to domestic service. More women were working in clerical work and there were more opportunities in law or civil service after the 1919 sex disqualification act. However, many women remained in jobs with low skills and long hours and they had low wages. The ‘marriage bar’ meant that women were sacked as soon as they married and women were still encouraged to stay at home and have babies.
How were women involved in politics?
Although they were enfranchised, women faced opposition to the idea that they could take an active role in government. 69 women by 1929 were parliamentary candidates but they were unlikely to win. There were 8 women MPs from the 1923 election and only 4 in 1924. In 1929 Margaret Bondfield became the first female cabinet minister and women never made up more than 5% of MPs. The National Union for the Societies of equal citizenship lobbied parliament to gain further legislative equality. The Women’s Institutes became a place where women came together to discuss various topics.
What were the changing fashions for women?
The elaborate dress of the Edwardian era disappeared and hems rose, waistlines dropped and corsets disappeared. Flappers wore their hems at knee levels and cut their hair into short bobs. Clothing for sport such as swimming and tennis, became simpler.
What were the changing lifestyles of women?
There was a loosening of social restraints on women and they were seen in public more often. They began to smoke, wear make-up, got to the cinema and to dancehalls. They also had access to birth control, which meant average family size fell from over 4 to 3.5.
What happened to newspapers?
They were a very important form of mass communication and there had been an expansion of readers after the war. In 1930 there were 5 newspapers and they were read widely, although mainly by the wealthy. They wanted to appeal to the mass market and so used ordered columns, bigger headlines and more illustrations to appeal to readers.
How did magazines change?
Women’s magazines were popular and ranged from high-quality magazines such as Vogue to the less expensive ‘Women’s weekly’. Magazines were used to advertise clothing and appliances as well as recipes and help on home management. Magazines also appealed to the youth with boys reading about patriotic heroes and by the 1930s there was also The Beano.
How were Cinemas important?
Cinema was the most popular entertainment medium and many new cinemas were opening. A Saturday matinee would cost around 2 pence, allowing even the poorest people to visit. Many films were American and by 1925 only 5% of films were British. In 1927 the Cinematography Act was passed and this means that 7.5% of films shown had to be British. By the end of the 1920s, the talkies had come along and cinema audiences grew.
How did radios increase in popularity?
The BBC became the first major corporation and control of the radio meant there was no danger of spreading revolutionary ideas. It was introduced to ‘inform, educate and entertain people’ and it remained serious in style with classical music. It was not until the 1930s that comedy was broadcast. The number of licenses issued rose to 2 million in 1926 and to 8 million in the late 1930s.
What were the cultural reactions to war?
There was a rejection of the idea that art should reflect beauty and instead many believed that art should protest bourgeois and nationalist interests. Writers such as Charles Montague challenged pre-war assumptions and women writers such as Virginia Woolf dealt with the suffering and effects of War. There was widespread support for disarmament and the League of Nations and the remembrance poppy becme a national symbol of rememberance.
