AffSoc - Social Developments Flashcards
How were living standards at the beginning of this period?
Infrastructure was badly run down/bombed and housing development was needed.
Rationing was still around
Mens wages were average £8.30/wk
How were living standard improved during this period?
Pre-war slums cleared and new towns built - Harlow in Essex.
Wages increased to £15.35/wk
Massive increase in private savings.
Farmers did well as rationing ended..
Homeownership increased.
What were some of the limitations of the improvements to living standards?
Shifts in population as slums were cleared meant traditional communities were broken up.
Council housing still outnumbered homeownership.
What was the most obvious sign of affluence?
Increase in consumer goods - TV, washing machine, fridge and furniture.
What payment scheme was introduced which increased consumerism?
Hire purchase - you can hire for a specific amount of time then return or pay the remaining amount at the end.
What year was the Mini Cooper released?
1951 - throughout the 1950s Mini actually broke even because their cars were so cheap.
How many households owned a TV in 1959?
32%
What % of the population watched TV in the evening?
50%
What did car ownership rise by 1957-1959?
25%
How much money did Butlins make per week?
£60,000
What percent of the population holidayed abroad?
2%
How many new miles of road were built from 1957-63
1200
What aspects of society were steadily retreating during this period?
Deferentialist and conformist attitudes were beginning to diminish.
What %s of working class voters went Labour and what % of middle class voters went Cons?
65% Lab from working calss
80% Cons from middle class.
What did Suez expose about the government?
Blatant lying and manipulation.
What did the rise in the CND movement show?
It encouraged challenging authority, making Br seem more individualist.
What was the satire boom?
1961 - Private Eye - 1962 That Was The Week That Was - 1963 Profumo Affair.
What did critics think was holding back Britain, and who did they cite for this?
The ‘ruling elite’. The Cons PMs had all been from ‘The Establishment’.
What was John Osborne’s role in popular media?
Late 1950s - Angry Young Men - Look Back in Anger
What was the position of women at the start of this period?
Avg marriage age - 21
75% of women married.
1 in 5 women worked, instead paid a Family Allowance.
What year was the Equal Pay for Female Teachers act passed?
1952.
What aspect of society made life easier for women?
Consumerism
When did Second Wave Feminism start?
Early 1960s.
What was the general attitude towards immigration at this point?
Generally tolerated but largely disliked, however people admitted it was economically desirable
What year was the Empire Windrush and how many West Indian immigrants did it carry?
1948 - 453
How many people entered Br compared to how many people left in the 1950s?
670,000 in, 1.32M out.
What was the revolution for girls and separately for boys that gave them more free time.
Labour-saving machines
No Nat Service - 1960 onwards.
What did the Baby Boom cause?
5 million teens in 1959, 10% of the population.
When and where was the large-scale conflict between the Rockers and the Mods?
1964 Brighton - 2 days of violence and rioting.
