ADV INFO - 1950s Britain Flashcards
What race tensions were there
white people did not want Black people in their houses and Black people did not want white people in their houses. White houses would have signs that said “no blacks, no dogs, no children”
what were there riots over
the Vietnam war, these were extensive and violent
what was the issue of youths at the time
young people during an age of affluence were less respectful and that society was less respectful and that society was less law-abiding
what happened to youth culture
fights between mods and rockers broke out and they were incredibly violent
which groups were associated with violence and hooliganism
the teddy boys
What did Harold Macmillan say about Britain
never had it so good
what would suggest Harold Macmillan was right
improvements for the life of women
economic improvements
what would suggest Macmillan was wrong
race relations and youth culture
What happened in Notting Hill in 1958
6 days of race riots
How were the PM and the government criticised through satire
Beyond the fringe - Peter Cook
which campaign movement emerged after a nuclear agreement between the USA and Britain
the CND movement
how much of the population was alleged to support nuclear disarmament
a third
Who replaced Eden as PM in 1955
Harold Macmillan
how many of the Cabinet were related to Eden
7 in the Cabinet
which plays demonstrated anger at ‘tory’ Britain
a taste of honey 1961
look back in anger 1956
the entertainer 1957
Which British businesses were booming
Rolls Royce, ICI, Feranki
Which was the most important car ever made in Britain
the Mini
What happened to male worker wages
the average weekly wage of an adult male worker increased from £8.30 in 1951 to £18.35 in 1964
what happened to real wages
the percentage increase in real wages was 2.9% in 1955-60 and 4% in 1960-64
what was the increase in wages in comparison to prices
average wages increased by 72% while average prices rose by only 45%
What did finance companies enable people to do
borrow much larger sums than they could obtain by saving
what did access to credit allow people to do
it allowed consumers to buy an unprecedented amount of manufactured goods
what did Macmillan refer to this new consumer society as
a property-owning democracy
why was Britain a property-owning democracy
banks and building societies, encouraged by the government, advanced more in the form of mortgages
What was passed in 1957
the rent act
what did the rent act 1957 do
implanted the rental market by abolishing controls on rent
what happened to housing due to the rent act
6 million houses came onto the market
what did the availability of credit do to society
helped blur class divisions, with a rise in house buying and consumerism
who was housing minister
Macmillan
what was Macmillan’s target for housing that they achieved
300,000 new homes
what were the conservatives able to claim by 1964
to have built 1.7 million
what per cent of the houses built by the Conservatives were private dwellings
60%
What happened in 1950 economically
a consumer boom
what happened between 1950-65
the sale of private cars nearly quadrupled from 1.5 million to 5.5 million
what became in reach of ordinary people due to the existence of credit
foreign holidays, clothing and mod cons
What consumer goods boomed in sales
TVs, refrigerators and music systems
What happened in 1953
Elizabeth II coronation
What was the coronation the first major occasion of
a TV event that was watched by millions of Britons
what happened to the number of cars
it rose from under 3 million to over 7 million between 1951 and 1953
What did Arthur Marwick say about the cultural revolution
‘the important transformation was in the way that the ordinary people of whatever class or race, gained freedom in basic relationships and everyday living, non-existent in the mid-1950s’
How did Dominic Sandbrook describe the period
continuity, caution and conservatism
what statistics did Sanbrook claim
one in ten young people in the late 1960s went to university
what figures did Sanbrook claim about music
a million people rush out every Saturday to buy the latest hit singles, but two million boys went in pursuit of fish, and a staggering 19 million people pottered about the garden
what did Sanbrook say about the lives of women
in 1970, a survey found that only 9 in 100 single women had ever taken the pill
the average age of a bride fell below 23 for the first time
Where was there continuity in consumerism
Although credit was available, many were still afraid of being in debt so wouldn’t buy many things
What did the change in the British economy mean for the life of women
it meant that women were required to work after the boom in demand for British manufacturing
What were the statistics about women in work
in 1951, the number of women in manufacturing was 1/5th but by 1957 this had become 1/3rd
What were still the most common roles for women
homework and mothering
what was the difference between the pay of men and women
they were not paid equally. Women were rarely paid 50% of a male wage for the same job
What was the expectation surrounding women
that they would predominantly be a housewide
how did marital status affect women
married women were treated differently to single women
What was still in place that affected married women
the marriage bar was in place, where women could not get certain jobs when they became married
what did the BBC say in 1951
that their radio bulletins were only to be read by men
What had been created for youths
a large market for clothes, records, hairstyles, magazines and all the accessories that were essential to developing a distinct day
How were the mods a real sign of change
they were originally called modernists, something that became a serious movement
What was good about the future of youths
unemployment was at 1% and youths had a lot of potential jobs
What were some popular music groups at the time
the Beatles
what was the actuality of the ‘swinging sixties’
they were only experienced through the pages of the tabloids and on the TV for most people
What was passed in 1948 that helped race relations
the British Nationality Act
what did the British Nationality Act 1948 do
gave people from across the commonwealth the status of ‘citizen of the UK and colonies’ and allowed mass immigration to Britain
Where did immigrants find opportunities
they benefitted from the rise in disposable income, such as the establishment of Chinese restaurants by Hong Kong Chinese people
What ship brought over a lot of immigrants
the SS Empire Windrush
what were those who came across on the Windrush unprepared for
the level of racial abuse that they experienced.
where did racial abuse come from
gangs of young men in the east end of London as well as from employers, landlords and shops that refused to employ, rent and serve these new immigrants
Where were there race riots
Notting hill
what was passed in 1962
the Commonwealth Immigration Act
What did the Commonwealth Immigration Act do
limited immigration to people with work permits
