Class Structure And Social Values 1918-79

Question 1

What is democratisation?

Answer 1

Change that promotes democracy, particularly in relation to electoral systems and popular access to power or influence.

Question 2

What is satire?

Answer 2

A form of humour used to expose and criticise people’s behaviour, often ridiculing politicians.

Question 3

How did self-classification differ in pre-industrial Britain compared to post-industrial Britain?

Answer 3

In pre-industrial Britain, self-classification was based on local rank, while post-industrial Britain saw a broader class consciousness influenced by mass communication.

Question 4

What factors contributed to the change in class structure in Britain from 1918 to 1979?

Answer 4

Factors include the growth in average wealth and income, rise of white-collar jobs, technological change, and mass education.

Question 5

What impact did mass media have on British society between 1918 and 1979?

Answer 5

Mass media promoted ‘ordinary’ celebrities and satire aimed at traditional elites, further democratising British society.

Question 6

What did some commentators in the 1950s and 1960s fear about British youth?

Answer 6

They feared that British youth were adopting American consumer society values, abandoning pre-war values of decorum and tradition.

Question 7

True or False: Changes in British values and attitudes from 1918 to 1979 were primarily driven by mass media.

Answer 7

False.

Question 8

What characterized the upper class in Britain post-1918?

Answer 8

They were distinguished by wealth tied to landownership, dress, education, and a social calendar known as ‘the Season’.

Question 9

What events comprised the upper-class ‘Season’?

Answer 9

Events included hunting, shooting, Badminton horse trials, horse-racing at Royal Ascot, rowing at Henley, and polo matches.

Question 10

What led to the decline of the landed elite after World War I?

Answer 10

The war caused high mortality rates among peers and their sons, and increased taxes made maintaining estates difficult.

Question 11

What was the significance of the debutantes’ ball in British society?

Answer 11

It was a tradition for presenting aristocratic daughters to the monarch, reflecting upper-class identity until its cancellation in 1958.

Question 12

Fill in the blank: The average income tax on incomes over £2,500 rose from ____ in 1914 to 57 percent in 1925.

Answer 12

two percent.

Question 13

What are death duties?

Answer 13

A tax paid by the inheritors of property over a certain value, calculated as a percentage of the property’s value.

Question 14

What does the term ‘permissive’ refer to in the context of British society?

Answer 14

Tolerant of a broad range of different lifestyle choices, behaviours, and attitudes.

Question 15

Who are Old Etonians?

Answer 15

Former students of Eton College, perceived to dominate positions of influence in Britain.

Question 16

What major cultural shift occurred in British music around 1962-63?

Answer 16

The rise of the Beatles with hits such as ‘Love Me Do’ and ‘Please Please Me’.

Question 17

What was the significance of the Theatres Act of 1968?

Answer 17

It abolished censorship of plays on stage in the UK.

Question 18

What percentage of agricultural land in England was owned by the wealthiest 0.6 percent of the population in 1883?

Answer 18

98.5 percent

This statistic highlights the concentration of land ownership before the changes that occurred between 1918 and 1920.

Question 19

What proportion of the gentry listed in Burke’s Landed Gentry were landless by 1937?

Answer 19

One-third

This figure increased to half by 1951, indicating a significant shift in land ownership among the gentry.

Question 20

What percentage of aristocratic families owning over 10,000 acres in 1910 still had over 1,000 acres in 1979?

Answer 20

65 percent

This shows that only the largest landowners managed to maintain their estates over the decades.

Question 21

How many landowners owned a quarter of all farmland in England by 1979?

Answer 21

1,200 landowners

This amounted to six million acres of farmland.

Question 22

What is the definition of ‘Gentry’?

Answer 22

Wealthy and often powerful individuals, often landowners but not peers (nobility with titles like Duke, Marquess, Earl, Viscount and Baron).

Question 23

What was the percentage of MPs that were wealthy landowners in 1910?

Answer 23

40 percent

This figure fell to around five percent by 1945, indicating a decline in landed-elite power.

Question 24

What did the Parliament Act of 1911 change about the House of Lords?

Answer 24

It meant the Lords could only delay rather than block legislation.

Question 25

What was the trend regarding Lord Lieutenants from 1910 to 1970?

Answer 25

The number of aristocrats serving as Lord Lieutenants decreased from 39 out of 43 in 1910 to 15 out of 46 by 1970.

Question 26

What was the impact of the rise of the new upper classes on elite dominance of politics before 1951?

Answer 26

There was no real decline in elite dominance of politics before 1951.

Question 27

What social changes occurred after the Second World War that undermined deference?

Answer 27

The rise of satire and greater social mobility in the 1960s and 1970s.

Question 28

What legislation improved educational opportunities in 1944?

Answer 28

The 1944 Education Act.

Question 29

What was the trend in real wages for all workers in the 1950s?

Answer 29

Real wages improved for all workers.

Question 30

What does 'Establishment' refer to?

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

What is the National Trust?

Answer 31

An organisation established in 1895 to preserve and protect historic houses and landscapes for the benefit of the nation.

Question 32

How did the 1937 Country Houses Scheme benefit stately home owners?

Answer 32

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.

Question 33

What was a significant cultural influence on the preservation of the landed elite?

Answer 33

Television series such as Brideshead Revisited (1981) and Upstairs Downstairs (1971) reinforced popular admiration of country estate style and refinement.

Question 34

How did the middle class define itself?

Answer 34

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.

Question 35

What was the perception of the middle class after the First World War?

Answer 35

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.

Question 36

What impact did wartime inflation have on the middle class?

Answer 36

Wartime inflation contributed to fears regarding middle-class savings and incomes, as costs rose significantly from 1914 to 1920.

Question 37

What was a defining characteristic of middle-class status in the interwar period?

Answer 37

Home ownership became a defining characteristic, with 60 percent of the middle class being homeowners by 1939.

Question 38

What role did the middle class play in the domestication of leisure time?

Answer 38

The middle classes led the way in the domestication of leisure time, retaining privilege through exclusive memberships of certain clubs and societies.

Question 39

What differing views exist regarding the impact of the world wars on the working class?

Answer 39

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.

Question 40

What was largely responsible for the transformation of the working class from 1918 to 1997?

Answer 40

Sustained and effective government intervention after 1945. ## Footnote Compared to the 'broken promises' of a land fit for heroes' after 1918.

Question 41

How was the working class structured?

Answer 41

It consisted of skilled workers (working-class aristocracy), unskilled labourers in the middle, and a destitute or criminal underclass (the 'residuum').

Question 42

What effect did full employment during both wars have on the working class?

Answer 42

It helped absorb the 'residuum' into the respectable working class, with trade union membership increasing by 90 percent between 1914 and 1918.

Question 43

What was the major division in the working class experience after the First World War?

Answer 43

The division was between those with and without work, rather than between various grades of manual labour.

Question 44

What did George Orwell attribute the passivity of the working class to?

Answer 44

The growth of consumerism between the wars.

Question 45

What changes did some of the poorest in society experience post-war?

Answer 45

They began to prosper, gaining access to better varieties of food and experiencing a rise in social status.

Question 46

What was the impact of the 1920-22 recession on trade union membership?

Answer 46

Trade union membership fell by 40 percent and failed to recover in the aftermath of the General Strike.

Question 47

What role did welfare reforms play for the working class?

Answer 47

They helped reduce the social stigma of state assistance for those at the bottom.

Question 48

Why did a smaller percentage of the working class fight in the First World War?

Answer 48

Due to the number of reserved occupations and a significant percentage being rejected for service due to health issues.

Question 49

What was the effect of rationing on working-class health?

Answer 49

Life expectancy rose significantly, from 49 to 56 years for men and 53 to 60 years for women.

Question 50

What were the living conditions for many working-class families post-war?

Answer 50

Many continued to live in squalid houses with poor diets, and slum clearances did not start until the 1950s.

Question 51

What was the perception of new housing schemes among working-class families?

Answer 51

Some families appreciated the modern conveniences, while others felt isolated due to lack of local amenities.

Question 52

What was the wealth distribution in Britain during this period?

Answer 52

The top 0.1 percent owned 33 percent of the wealth, while the bottom 75 percent had less than £100 each.

Question 53

What significant change did the Second World War bring to the working class?

Answer 53

It renewed the traditional working class by restoring staple industries to full employment.