Britain Transformed - Changing Quality Of Life Flashcards
Living standards 1918-1979
Living standards - measured by many factors that contribute to a person’s physical well-being
- e.g. public health, diet, housing, social capital and wages
boom, crisis, recovery and war 1918-1945
Real income
This takes into account the effect of inflation on what can be bought with miney earned at a particular time
Severe recessions in 1921 - ages for the poorest fell until 1934
However, living standards still imposed because
- prices, especially food prices, fell faster than ages
- an increase in the use on contraception meant that families shrank (average number children of 2.19 in 1920 compared with 4.6 in 1880) so wages were shared between fewer people so went further
Real cost of living fell by 1/3 bewteen 1920 and 1938
Average wages doubled during WW2
Housing
4 million homes built during inter-war period (Conservative housing acts of 1923/24 and labour housing act 1930)
1914, 10% of population were homeowners
- by 1938 it was 32%
Effects of the Blitz in WW2 (3.5 million homes bombed, 60 million changes of address)
1944 housing and temporary accommodation act
After WW2 pre-fabricated homes were built
1946 New Towns Act
Health and diet
700,000 died and 1.7 million injured in war
- by 1921 over 1 million men were receiving disability pensions
WW1 40% of men exposed as unfit for combat
Amount spent on alcohol decreased throughout interwar years
- due to pub restrictions during WW1 and rise of tiger entertainment
Diets improved due to rationing and 1914 education act (provision of meals) which provided meals to poor school children
By 1922 infant mortality halved from 1900
More people were living beyond 65 although geriatric care was poor
However this was dependant on where you lived
- e.g. there were fewer live births in wales than in parts of London
1930s hunger marches
However,s till large regional variations in health and diet
- infant mortality 5.17 detah per 1000 in wales but 0.86 per 1000 in Kensington
- still no national healthcare, hospital care postcode lottery
Families who looked after children during WW2 were foten scheduled by the diver of the porn
- the poor preferred to each fish and chips or biscuits rather than vegetables
Impact of WW2 rationing - government price control meant foods became more affordable, working class had a healthier diet
- ministry of foods ‘dig for victory’ campaign encourages people to grwo their own vegetables
450,000 Britons killed in WW2
Rationing ended in 1954
Regional variations
Industrial aeras like southbound wales fared worse than areas with a large service sector or newer industries (like London)
Traditional industries heavily reliant on exports
- suffered due to loss of trade post WW1, return to gold standard, competition from Germany and Us and the depression
Rise of long-term structal employment
- in 1929, 5% of people out of work had been jobless for na year
- by 1932 this had risen to 16.4%
In 1944 Beveridge report calculated that 85% of all long-terms unemployment was in south wales, Scotland and north of englands
1936 Jarrow March
Regional variations in the ‘means test’ to determine the amount of dole money persisted
Consumption
Regional variations reflected in consumption
Car ownership was more common in south east
1920, 730,000 people had electricity
1938 this rose to 9 million
1961 96% of homes had electricity
1926 Electricity supply act which created a central electricity board and a national grid
1938 - people in south-east used 816 kilowatts per hour, in north people used 386 kilowatts per hour
- in north it was mainly used for lighting, in south it was also used for labour-saving devices
1920s/30s electric fridges, cookers, heaters and washing machines were a preserved of the middle class
- stil; no mass consumer market
WW2 austerity
- clotting rationing levelled fashion cross classes, life became drabber
- 1946 roughly 1/4 of consumer expenditure was controlled by rationing
- rose to 30% in 1948
growth of a consumer society 1951-1979
Incomes
Historian Eric hobsbawm - 1950s-70s the gold era of western capitalism
Real disposable income rose 30% in 50s, 22% in 60s and 30% in 70s
People spent more of housing, cars, durables and entertainment
1950-1970 - home ownership increased form 29% to over 50%, car ownership rose form 16% to 52%
Harold Macmillian - ‘most of our people have never had it so good’
By 1965, he necessities of food and clothing absorbed only 30% of consumer spending
Growth of consumerism
The number of homes with central heating rose from 5% in 1960 to 50% in 1977
Growth in tv ownership - nearly every house had one by 1970
Between 1947 and 1970, the amount of money spent on advertising tripled
1957 old spice was advetistded - more men used deodorant
- bu 1969, over half of all men and women used deodorant, perfumes and aftershave
By the 60s, new fashions line ‘the look’ menat it was hard to tell; which class a wom,an belonged to by her clothes
- twigg7y aid that clothing brand Bibi was ‘for everyone’
1947 - fist supermarket (in St Albans) -shortened lived
1950 - Sainsbury’s opened in Croydon, Ames the permanent start to the supermarkets era
Supermarkets did we;; due to their size
- by 1971 there were 3,500 in Britain
- this ;ed to 2/3 of all specialist grocer shops closing
1957 consumer associations founded and launched Which? Magazine
1972 ministry for sonsumer affairs set up to protect cosnsuemrs
Credit
1974 consumer credit act clarified the rights and reposbsilties of lenders and borrowers, paved the way for an explosion of borrowing in the 80s and 90s
Credit cards began being sue3d in 1966
Mass popular culture
Cinema
Popularity:
Grey popularly druing WW1
- 1916 battle of the Somme seen by 20 million in teh first 6 weeks
1928, talkies further increases popularity
- cinema most improsnmt medium of popular culture in interwar years
- number of cinemas increased from 3000 in 1914 to 5000 in 1930
Another boom during WW2
- popular fi;ms included 1942 In which we serve (about the navy)
- 1943 The gentle sex (exploring wartime problems for women)
Admissions peaked in 1946 at 1.64 billion
1950 - average person went 28 times a year (more than nay other country)
However, attendance fell until late 80s
- half of cinemas closed 1955-1963
This was due to the rise of tv
Audience:
Typical cinemagoer was young, urban and working class, often female
In 1946 - 69% of 16-19 year olds went once a week compared to 11% of over 60s
People in the north west went twice as much as people in south
However, people still encouraged the same types of film
Saturdays mornings were for kids films with cheap seats
Content:
Content controlled by British Board of film censors
- established 1912
Led by Tory upper-midd;e class men who were cornered about the impact of cinema on impressionable audiences
1917 ‘43 rules’ were the unofficial refgualtions of what were acceptable to show
1928-1939 the BBFC banned 140 films
1959 obscenities ac5 and 1968 theatres act5 loosened censorship
By 70s, more violent, sexual films like 1971 A clockwork organise and 1974 emmanuelle
British cinema
Ww1 les to collapse of British cinema
- due to funding problems, disrupting of prosecutions and use of studios for progoganda
1925 only 5% if films shown in cinemas were British
1927 quota ensures 20% all films shown were British made
Americanisation of cinema goers in 40s
- youths dressing like gangsters and girls like actresses, using slang like ‘sez you’
1950 ‘eady levy’ charge one tickets was used to subsidies British film making
James Bond - popular British film
British film production collapsed in 70s
- number of British fuels made each year fell from 40 in 1968 to 31 in 1980
This was due to funding cuts
Radio
National anf regional programme:
BBC founded i9n 1927 as a ‘quango’
2 radio services - national programme and regional programme
Both aimed at a general audiecne
BBC estibaloushed itself as a ‘public service broadcaster’ aimre3d to enrich and educate listeners
Programmes like the monarch’s Christmas message and anniversary programmes for new year and empire days ere ‘reassuring symbols of national community’
The war years - the home service:
National and regional programmes replaces with the home service
Done to prevent enemy aircrafy6 using regional radio as navigation
Programmes like worker’s playtime aimed to boost moral of factory’s workers
News and speech based entertainment
Home, ;light and third b
Peacetime programming returned after war
The light programmes (created 1945) was a mix of comedies and soaps, was the most popular
0- held 1/3 of the 11 mullion daily listeners
Daytime showers aimed at home at home - gedner roles
The third programmes was a highbrow classical music and drama (attracted only 3% of listeners)
The pirates:
Despite BBC’s monopoly on radio ‘pirate’ stat rations like radio Caroline, radio Luxenvrud broadcast from ships
1967 act banned pariate radio - radio0 Caroline ignored this
1967 light programmes split into BBC 1 and BBC 2
- BBC 1 first channel dedicated to pop an younger aduendiecne, while the Third programme became BBC 3 and Home Service became BBC4
1973 act enables monopoly and introduced competitions
- BBC 1 still popular (breakfast show attracted 20 million listeners)
Influence:
BBC had monopoly until 1973
- held control over what people heard
Consistently a popular medium of entertainments
- 11 million daily listeners during WW2
Many working class had radio on all time
- listened to a wide range of programming, broadened their horizons
Lack of infleunce:
BBC tired to influence tatstes of the public but failed
People favoured ‘Top 40’ pop music station over BBC’s highbrow content - radio Caroline popular pirate stations
BBC didn’t chnagfe society
- as forced to adopt to meet demands of society (creation if BBC 1 in 1967)
Music
20s:
Vera Lynn - slow sentimental musics
Rag time and Jazz from America
Dance halls very popular (especially woth working class) with American dances like the Charleston, wing, jive
30s
Swing and bop
40s
Country, western and blues
50s
1955 film “black bald jungle’ marks arrival of rock’n’roll
Elvis Presley - the king of rock n roll - a more sexual, wild kind of musics
British music companies responded withy softer vartsicts Like cliff richards
Rock n roll coincided with the brith of teenager (emerge because young people have more disposable income and stay in school longer)
60s
Skiffle bands become popular - influences by folk, blues and jazz
Beatles start a a skiffle band called Quarry Men in Liverpool, develops into the Beatles in Hamburg
1962 single love me do released, led to beatlemania
