Class Structure And Social Values 1918-79 Flashcards
What is democratisation?
Change that promotes democracy, particularly in relation to electoral systems and popular access to power or influence.
What is satire?
A form of humour used to expose and criticise people’s behaviour, often ridiculing politicians.
How did self-classification differ in pre-industrial Britain compared to post-industrial Britain?
In pre-industrial Britain, self-classification was based on local rank, while post-industrial Britain saw a broader class consciousness influenced by mass communication.
What factors contributed to the change in class structure in Britain from 1918 to 1979?
Factors include the growth in average wealth and income, rise of white-collar jobs, technological change, and mass education.
What impact did mass media have on British society between 1918 and 1979?
Mass media promoted ‘ordinary’ celebrities and satire aimed at traditional elites, further democratising British society.
What did some commentators in the 1950s and 1960s fear about British youth?
They feared that British youth were adopting American consumer society values, abandoning pre-war values of decorum and tradition.
True or False: Changes in British values and attitudes from 1918 to 1979 were primarily driven by mass media.
False.
What characterized the upper class in Britain post-1918?
They were distinguished by wealth tied to landownership, dress, education, and a social calendar known as ‘the Season’.
What events comprised the upper-class ‘Season’?
Events included hunting, shooting, Badminton horse trials, horse-racing at Royal Ascot, rowing at Henley, and polo matches.
What led to the decline of the landed elite after World War I?
The war caused high mortality rates among peers and their sons, and increased taxes made maintaining estates difficult.
What was the significance of the debutantes’ ball in British society?
It was a tradition for presenting aristocratic daughters to the monarch, reflecting upper-class identity until its cancellation in 1958.
Fill in the blank: The average income tax on incomes over £2,500 rose from ____ in 1914 to 57 percent in 1925.
two percent.
What are death duties?
A tax paid by the inheritors of property over a certain value, calculated as a percentage of the property’s value.
What does the term ‘permissive’ refer to in the context of British society?
Tolerant of a broad range of different lifestyle choices, behaviours, and attitudes.
Who are Old Etonians?
Former students of Eton College, perceived to dominate positions of influence in Britain.
What major cultural shift occurred in British music around 1962-63?
The rise of the Beatles with hits such as ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘Please Please Me’.
What was the significance of the Theatres Act of 1968?
It abolished censorship of plays on stage in the UK.
What percentage of agricultural land in England was owned by the wealthiest 0.6 percent of the population in 1883?
98.5 percent
This statistic highlights the concentration of land ownership before the changes that occurred between 1918 and 1920.
What proportion of the gentry listed in Burke’s Landed Gentry were landless by 1937?
One-third
This figure increased to half by 1951, indicating a significant shift in land ownership among the gentry.
What percentage of aristocratic families owning over 10,000 acres in 1910 still had over 1,000 acres in 1979?
65 percent
This shows that only the largest landowners managed to maintain their estates over the decades.
How many landowners owned a quarter of all farmland in England by 1979?
1,200 landowners
This amounted to six million acres of farmland.
What is the definition of ‘Gentry’?
Wealthy and often powerful individuals, often landowners but not peers (nobility with titles like Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount and Baron).
What was the percentage of MPs that were wealthy landowners in 1910?
40 percent
This figure fell to around five percent by 1945, indicating a decline in landed-elite power.
What did the Parliament Act of 1911 change about the House of Lords?
It meant the Lords could only delay rather than block legislation.
What was the trend regarding Lord Lieutenants from 1910 to 1970?
The number of aristocrats serving as Lord Lieutenants decreased from 39 out of 43 in 1910 to 15 out of 46 by 1970.
What was the impact of the rise of the new upper classes on elite dominance of politics before 1951?
There was no real decline in elite dominance of politics before 1951.
What social changes occurred after the Second World War that undermined deference?
The rise of satire and greater social mobility in the 1960s and 1970s.
What legislation improved educational opportunities in 1944?
The 1944 Education Act.
What was the trend in real wages for all workers in the 1950s?
Real wages improved for all workers.
What does ‘Establishment’ refer to?
A group of privileged people who are perceived to exercise a firm grip on power through official and unofficial channels, to the exclusion of all outsiders.
What is the National Trust?
An organisation established in 1895 to preserve and protect historic houses and landscapes for the benefit of the nation.
How did the 1937 Country Houses Scheme benefit stately home owners?
It allowed families to live in their stately homes rent-free for two generations if they transferred ownership to the National Trust and opened the house to the public for at least 60 days a year.
What was a significant cultural influence on the preservation of the landed elite?
Television series such as Brideshead Revisited (1981) and Upstairs Downstairs (1971) reinforced popular admiration of country estate style and refinement.
How did the middle class define itself?
The middle class is most easily defined by what it is not: they are neither the ‘ruling class’ at one end nor manual workers at the other.
What was the perception of the middle class after the First World War?
There was a fear of erosion of material privileges, particularly due to the perception that working-class wages were increasing while middle-class incomes stagnated.
What impact did wartime inflation have on the middle class?
Wartime inflation contributed to fears regarding middle-class savings and incomes, as costs rose significantly from 1914 to 1920.
What was a defining characteristic of middle-class status in the interwar period?
Home ownership became a defining characteristic, with 60 percent of the middle class being homeowners by 1939.
What role did the middle class play in the domestication of leisure time?
The middle classes led the way in the domestication of leisure time, retaining privilege through exclusive memberships of certain clubs and societies.
What differing views exist regarding the impact of the world wars on the working class?
Arthur Marwick argues that the wars led to profound change, while Paul Addison believes they resulted in only modest change, with a consensus that the Second World War brought about greater change than the First.
What was largely responsible for the transformation of the working class from 1918 to 1997?
Sustained and effective government intervention after 1945.
Compared to the ‘broken promises’ of a land fit for heroes’ after 1918.
How was the working class structured?
It consisted of skilled workers (working-class aristocracy), unskilled labourers in the middle, and a destitute or criminal underclass (the ‘residuum’).
What effect did full employment during both wars have on the working class?
It helped absorb the ‘residuum’ into the respectable working class, with trade union membership increasing by 90 percent between 1914 and 1918.
What was the major division in the working class experience after the First World War?
The division was between those with and without work, rather than between various grades of manual labour.
What did George Orwell attribute the passivity of the working class to?
The growth of consumerism between the wars.
What changes did some of the poorest in society experience post-war?
They began to prosper, gaining access to better varieties of food and experiencing a rise in social status.
What was the impact of the 1920-22 recession on trade union membership?
Trade union membership fell by 40 percent and failed to recover in the aftermath of the General Strike.
What role did welfare reforms play for the working class?
They helped reduce the social stigma of state assistance for those at the bottom.
Why did a smaller percentage of the working class fight in the First World War?
Due to the number of reserved occupations and a significant percentage being rejected for service due to health issues.
What was the effect of rationing on working-class health?
Life expectancy rose significantly, from 49 to 56 years for men and 53 to 60 years for women.
What were the living conditions for many working-class families post-war?
Many continued to live in squalid houses with poor diets, and slum clearances did not start until the 1950s.
What was the perception of new housing schemes among working-class families?
Some families appreciated the modern conveniences, while others felt isolated due to lack of local amenities.
What was the wealth distribution in Britain during this period?
The top 0.1 percent owned 33 percent of the wealth, while the bottom 75 percent had less than £100 each.
What significant change did the Second World War bring to the working class?
It renewed the traditional working class by restoring staple industries to full employment.
