Chapter 3: Social developments Flashcards
In what ways did living standards rise for normal people from 1951 ?
- mens weekly wages rose (£8.50 in 1951 to £15.35 ten years later)
- home ownership increased - more access to cheap mortgages (BUT renting and council houses still outnumbered private accom)
In what ways did consumerism increase from 1951?
- consumer goods - TV, washing machines, furniture brought via hire purchase
- leisure activities - TV ownership rose by** 32%** and car ownership rose by** 25%** (between 1957 and 1959), motorway building began begain in 1958 (Preston Bypass), 1955 commercial TV introduced ,** 60,000 people holidayed in Butins** each week
hire purchase - paying a deposit, then paying the rest of the cost in monthly installments
What was the satire boom - give three examples of shows/magazines involved?
critical of the establishment - focused on on political critique and challenging accepted ways and hierachies
* beyond the fringe - stage show
* Private eye - satirical news magazine
* That was the week that was (BBC TV show) - satiried public figures
Who were the “angry young men”?
group of writers who critisised the actions of the middle and upper classes - rebelled against traditional theatre and writing
* Look back in anger - themes of misogyny - bleak and intense writing - very controversial
What was the average age of marriage in 1951?
What % of women were married?
21 - 75% of women were married
What proportion of women went to work in 1951?
1 in 5
What were public attitudes towards women from 1951 to 1964?
Generally minimal change in views
* Family allowance - paid to women to ensure they didn’t need to work
* trade unions didn’t support women working - thought it would lower wages
In what jobs did women receive equal pay?
teachers and civil servants
How many common wealth immigrants had settled in Britain by 1958?
about 210,000 - largest number came from the west indies
What was the public attitude towards increased immigration?
What was the government attitude to immigration
very mixed but racist tension is still common - results in violence and conflict
- government view immigration as economically beneficial (immigrants would fill low wage jobs) - hoped social tension would reduce - this didn’t happen…
What were the 1958 Notting hill riots?
- Notting Hill has a large caribbean population - many commonwealth immigrants are attacked by gangs of white youths - racially motivated
What was the 1962 Commonwealth immigrants act and why was it passed?
a response to the increasing racial violence
- regulated the number of commonwealth citizens settling in Britain and allowed deportation of immigrants convicted of criminal offences - strongly opposed by labour but they didn’t repeal it after the 1964 election
Why was there change to youth culture during the 1950’s ?
Give examples of the changes
young people have more leisure time and disposable income - end of national servive and development of time saving technologies
- money to buy records and fashion
- magazines and TV shows specifically for this group
Who were the Teddy Boys?
- interested in rock and roll, visited dance halls, cinemas and coffee bars
- caused a moral panic (highly exagerated by media) - associated with rising crime and delinquency
Who were the Rockers?
Who were the Mods?
What was the Battle of brighton ?
- Rockers - interested in rock and roll (Elvis), leather, american films
- Mods - rode scooters, liked pop music, italian dress style
- Battle of brighton - highly exagerated battle between mods and rockers - moral panic mostly came from the older generations
How did attitudes towards homosexuality change?
minimal change
How did attitudes towards censorship and social taboo change?
popular TV and film reflect new attitudes
* A clock work orange - showed gang violence
* Cathy come home - drama which aimed to raise awareness of homelessness
* Lady Chatterleys lover - highly controversial because of sexually explict content (court case under the obscenity act)
* A taste of Honey - young unmarried women becomes pregnant after relationship with a black sailor
What opposition was there to changing attitudes towards social taboos?
majority of people remained socially conservative - Mary Whitehouse led a clean up TV campaign from 1964
