Britain Transfromed - Changing Quality Of Life Flashcards
Definition of Living Standard
A person’s standard of living is determined by a range of variables
The most important are those that contribute to a person’s physical well-being:
- access to clean water
- adequate sanitation
- quality of diet
- standard of housing
- availability of health care
In addition to such primary needs, some measures of standard of living also include less tangible variables:
- work-life balance
- levels of social capital
- impact of relative rather than absolute poverty on levels of satisfaction
Living Standards in Britain Context
A number of factors affected living standards of living standards in 20th century Britain
Variations of these factors help to explain the range of living standards found in different regions and social classes
Income levels have been the determinant of living standards
- the fivefold growth of average real income between 1918-1979 goes a long way to explaining improved diets, health and housing in this period
State intervention, through legislation, targeted spending or propaganda, also played a large role in the improving quality of life
Technological advances, including those in communications, transport and domestic life, contributed to changes in living standard, though they did not always lead to straight forward improvements
Post-War Britain on Living Standards
As the war came to an end, Lloyd George’s promises of na ‘land fit for heroes’ seemed to be a reality
There was a post-war boom and the government did little to regulate production
Initially, soldiers were returning home from war to jobs
However, this post-war boom collapsed into a recession in 1921
Wages fell for the poorest in society until 1934 and many7 families had to get by on less than £5 a week
Yet , for most Britons, living standards improved between the wars, largely because prices fell faster than wages
- the real cost of living fell by more than a 1/3between 1920 and 1938
An increase in contraception meant that family sizes decreased
This meant that family incomes were shared between fewer people
Negative and Positive impacts of the War on Living Standards
The war had a disastrous permanent impact of many
702,000 people died and a further 1,670,000 were wounded as a resu;t of the fighting
In 1921, 1,187,450 men were in receipt of disability pensions
Some positive trends persisted from WW1 such as a decline in alcohol consumption which led to better health
Rationing towards the end of WW1 caused an increase causes an increase in healthier eating habits
However, for the poorest, their diet was still very poor
Health care also improved between the wars
By 1922, infant mortality had halved and diseases such as TB killed fewer people
This was thanks to advances in medicine and sanitation
The life expectancy increased
There, however, was still variation between regions
- hospital care was seen to be a ‘postcode lottery’
Regional Variations
By the end of the 1920s, there was 1 million unemployed
1/3 of them we’re ex-servicemen
This led to cuts in living standards in mnsay areas
Whilst unemployment never fell below 1 million in the 1930s, this was not the same across Britain
New industries were appearing and this meant unemployment was lower in those areas
The decline in heavy industries had a huge impact on living standards
Industries such as coal and textiles saw a decline due to WW1
This made a stark regional differences in living standards
The gap between the wealthiest and the poorest areas widened in the 1920s and 1930s
Decline in traditional industries led to economic depression in the North
Unemployment was higher in the North and consumption was lower here than in the South
Although consumerism spread to the middle class before 1939, it is not possible to talk about a mass consumer market in Britain before the late 1940s
Families on lower incomes could not take part in the growth of consumerism until purchase prices and running costs had fallen to an affordable level
Total War 1939-1951
Total war meant t5hat everyone was affected by the war
The war on the Home Front had devastating impact with 2 out of every 7 houses being destroyed during the Blitz
Mass bombing during the war resulted in the deaths of 40,000 people and destruction of around 2 million homes
However, this gave architects and town planners the opportunity to rebuild old houses
People moved into houses with bathrooms, kitchens and modern appliances
Evacuation of children from cities to the countryside helped to raise awareness of how ‘slum children’ were living
Rationing was introduced due to lac of supplies
Although this restricted diet for the wealthiest, it actually gave the poorest more to eat
A healthier diet was encouraged
The new government also formed the Council for the Encouragement of Music and the Arts
A range of jobs were created during the war and civilian munitions workers were offered good standards of pay and working conditions
Average pay for British workers increased during the war, however they could only bury as much as their rations allowed
To allow women to work, crèches were established
Austerity 1939-1951
Attlee’s Labour Party had planned to introduce a new Welfare State which would include the creation of a National Health Service
However, this would take a lot of money which the government did not have
Therefore, Labour had to make cuts, otherwise known as austerity
1945-1951 is known as the age of austerity
The Age of Austerity saw government cut backs to deal with the cost of war
This saw increased taxes on incomes and items
Rationing was not repealed until 1954
Income tax remained at 45%, surtax was payable on top by the wealthy
Tax on beer reached record levels
Cripps needed the high revenue to help control domestic spending and the escalating costs of the health service
Despite a good year for exports in 1948 (and helps via Marshall Aid, a balance of payments crisis developed) result of temporary downturn in US economy
Consumer Society 1951-1979 - Introduction
Harold Macmillian famously declared in the 50’s that ‘most of our people had never had it so good’
This reflected the fact that the country had managed to recover from WW2 by the late 50s
It also reflected how Britain’s mixed economy successfully provided for most of the population
However, there were limitations to this
In 1957, Britain spent just over £1 billion on consumer goods, rising to £1.5 billion by 1960
- this shops that consumption of luxuries dramatically increased in a short space of tike
Wages in 1959 were twice what they were in 1950
Consumerism Definition
Consumerism is best understood as a series of attitudes and behaviours associated with the consumption of goods and services
It is generally used in a negative sense
- people in a consumerist society are encouraged by clever marketing to spend more and more money on things that they were told will bring them happiness
- as a result, people begin to define themselves and others by what they buy and place more value on the ownership of material objects
Reasons for the Consumer Society
- Global economic boom
- Welfare State
- Loew energy prices
- Consenus
- Credit
- Rise in wages
- Strong Trade Unions
Advantages of the Consumer Society
Increased disposable income enabled a growing list of ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ after 1951 that would have amazed pre-war generations
Many of these centred on the home
Increased domestic energy consumption is a clear indicator of this trend
- gas sales more than doubled between 1952-1970
Homes became more comfortable, warmer, clear and nicer-smelling places in which to spend increasing amount of free time
The shift away from open fired to central heating was key in this
This change, together with increased TV ownership, fuelled demand for other domestic goods
In Britain, almost every household had a TV by 1970
Personal appearance and hygiene became more important
- the role of advertising increased should not be underestimated
- the money spent on advertising increased threefold between 1947 and 1970
New fashions, such as ‘the Look’ meant that from the mid-1960s, it was almost impossible to tell a young woman’s class from the way he dressed
The first supermarket opened in St. Albans in 1947 but it was the opening of Sainsbury’s in Croydon that marked the permanent start of the supermarket era
- this gave more people choice and drove down prices
Credit allowed working class families to buy consumer goods such as cars
- rules around credit were relaxed
It was also seen as more socially acceptable to live beyond your means
Concern About the Consumer Society
However, there were some concerns about this new consumer society
- writer J.B. Priestley called it “Admass’
People were worried about the ‘Americanisation’
- Harry Hopkins called Britain just ‘one more off shore island’
Despite Macmillian’s claims of people ‘never having it so good’, some Britton’s still lived in poverty
In 1966, the showing charity Shelter was friended to help the 12,000 people nationwide who were homeless
In 1967, c7.5 million people were living beneath the poverty line
The high rise flats that were built. We’re often cold, damp and dangerous
There were high levels of crime on these estates
Cinema
Overall popularity of the cinema has changed over time
- the greater the audience of a film, the more likely it is to have an impact
The cinema became so popular during WW1 due to films like ‘The Battle of the Somme’ (1916)
The introduction of ‘talkies’ in 1928 further increased the popularity of going to the cinema
Cinema remained the most important medium of popular culture in inter-war Britain
In 1950, the average person went to the cinema 28 times a year
- this was more than any other nation, including the US
There was a demand for escapism during WW2
However, after record high ticket5 sales of 1.635 billion in 1946, attendance fell steadily until the late 80s
Shrinking audiences meant that some cinemas had to close
The growth of Tv played an important role here
The impact of cinema was all affected by the make-up of the audience
- the typical profile of a regular cinemagoer was young, urban and working class
In 1946, 69% of 16-19 year olds went once a week, compared to 11% of over 60s
People in the North, on average, went twice as much as people in the South
Despite the differences, Britons enjoyed similar films
In all parts of the country, Saturday mornings were set aside for children
The content also affected the impact
There were concerns about the impact of films on ‘impressionable’ audiences
However, the majority of viewers saw the cinema as escapism
- they appreciated the difference between real life and the film
The BBFC saw it as their duty to protect Britons from bad language, sex and subversive ides
The 1959 Obscenity Act led to greater permissiveness at the BBFC
Films such as ‘Get Carter’, ‘A Clockwork Orange’ and ‘Straw Dogs’ (all 1971) contained scenes of extreme violence
- these films were allowed to be released by the BBFC with a classification
The BBFC were also concerned about the ‘Americanisation’ of cinema goers
- levies ere produced which funded British film making
- the 1927 Quota Act ensured that British films made up 20% of those shown by 1938
The 1970s saw the return of American dominance due to cuts in American funding of British films and Conservative cuts of funding
Music
The British people have always remained attached to middle brow and popular music
Popular music, and the dance styles that went along with it, cut across all classes
There were several waves of American influence on popular music
- the most important being the arrival ragtime and jazz during WW1, the rise of swing and bop during the 1930s, country and western and rhythm and blues during the 1940s and rock and roll during the 1950s
Dance halls became popular after the arrival of the foxtrot dance shortly before WW1
- they remained popular thanks to other American dances such as the Charleston
- dance halls allowed working class men and women to enjoy a degree of luxury which they could not at home
- it was also a socially acceptable way of meeting a partner
Rock’n’roll became popular in the mid-50s
Whilst the first popular examples were American, later rock’n’roll music was British
Record companies found ‘heart throb’ acts such as Cliff Richard and Tommy Steele, to imitate Elvis Presley
- they led their artists to release more respectable songs to appeal to teenage girls
The Beatles are an iconic act of the 1960s, and to many they symbolise the decade
- “Beatlemania’ spread across the country by mid-1963
- in 1964, they led the ‘British invasion’ of the American charts and were able to secure 12 records in Billboard’s Magazine’s Hot 100
In the 1970s, there were a number of different trends in popular music
They can be seen as escapist, or reflective of the troubling times
‘Glam rock’ rose to the force in the 1970s
- artists such as Slade and Gary Glitter were part of this trend
By the mid-1970s, this was going out of fashion and performers like David Bowie had to contend with the rise of New York-inspired disco
This contrasted with the home-made, anarchist style of punk
- The Sex Pistols rose to fame in the late 1970s
- this new music style influenced fashion
Television
When looking at the influence of the mass media, television is most important
The existence of the TV changed the family dynamic and the shows were able to reach a wide audience
Televisions become popular after WW2
Before this, it cannot be considered a mass media
- moving pictures were not broadcast to TVs in British homes until 1929
Sales of TVs took due to the turn of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953
- people wanted to watch the event all over the country
From here, TVs grew more and more popular
- between 1977-1979, people on average watched 16 hours of TV per week ,in the summer
This domestication of spare time blurred class lines
- anyone, regardless of class, could watch similar programmes and talk to people of other classes about them
In 1955, the BBC monopoly on the TV was ended when 14 independent companies were allowed to begin broadcasting
There were concerns that these new channels would promote materialism and Americanisation
- the 1964 Television Act forced the ITV companies to screen 2 plays and 2 current affairs, in addition to the news each week
Hard hitting, social realist plays were produced, such as ‘Up the Junction’ (1965) and ‘Cathy Come Home’ (1966)
- these plays had an impact on those who saw them but didn’t directly change things very much
While the plays contained controversial material, they didn’t inspire a rebellion of the working-class
- the working class actually held the most conservative opinions about liberal reforms
The programme that they identified with the most was Coronation Street
Satirical programmes became popular and influences the youth to question their elders and other authority figures
Other popular programmes were ‘Upstairs Downstairs’, ‘The professionals’ and ‘The Sweeney’
In the 1970s, sitcoms were produced which attracted audiences of up to 20 million
