Changing living standards, 1945–89 Flashcards
How did the war damage in 1945 affect the living standards?
War damage meant that families were torn apart, people were starving and many people were homeless.
What were the most pressing issues of the late 40s?
Housing and food as one-fifth of all housing had been bombed flat.
What changes were made in order to combat the housing issue?
A ministry of housing was set up to oversee rebuilding, rents were frozen and the building industry were given tax concessions to build.
As the economy strengthened, what sort of consumer goods did people spend their money on?
By 1963, 63% of homes had a fridge, 42% had a TV and 36% had a washing machine.
Throughout this change in living standards, how did the people cope financially?
All through the period, real wages kept ahead of prices and by the 1980s, about 90% of all people were covered by benefits and healthcare.
What was the link between Pension reforms and life expectancy in the 1980s?
Pension reforms meant that most people received a state pension, which is just as well as people in the 1980s lived, on average, 12 years longer than people in the 50s.
In this period of great change how had social inequality deepened?
Even in the 1960s when the economy was at its best, 1% of all households owned 35% of the wealth and in 1973 the top percent of all households owned 78% of the wealth.
In this period of great change how had social inequality deepened?
The unions succeeded in acquiring higher pay rates, shorter working hours and increasingly long periods of holidays.
What other financial assistance did the government give to families?
Tax cuts were given for families and financial assistance provided to enable families to buy their own homes.
Unlike the Nazi era, how did the attitudes of the people change under the FRG?
People began to grow more comfortable in the new and stable government and to a certain extent can be seen to have sought to make up for the dark years of Nazi Germany by enjoying life and by embracing capitalist culture.
