How accurate is it to say that there was little change in the traditional class structure of society in the years 1918-1945? Flashcards

1
Q

P1
P2
P3

A

YES-Working class limited change

NO- MIDDLE CLASS- increased opportunities and affluence

NO-Upper class – significant decline in status

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2
Q

P1 evidence-

A
  1. improvement in their social and political status: the Representation of the People Act (1918)
  2. First and Second World Wars led to only limited changes for the working class:
  3. Economic factors also limited the extent of change enjoyed by the working classes.
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3
Q

How did the electorate change under the ROPA?

A

trebled the electorate from 7 to 21 million

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4
Q

what % of the electorate were working class

A

80% after ROPA

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5
Q

Inrease in wc electorate increased the what ?

A

political power and bolstered the support for the Labour Party,

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6
Q

by 1929 who were the largets party in parliament and what % of popualr vote

A

Labour

375

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7
Q

what did historian of working class Paul Addison argue ?

A

wars led ‘only to a very modest change in society’.

-First World War led to very little change as David Lloyd George’s post-war government singularly failed to deliver on the promise of a ‘land fit for heroes’.

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8
Q

what was revered in the inter war years?

A

increase in working conditions

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9
Q

who failed to win significant improvemtns?

A

Trade union

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10
Q

who particularly struggled in the 1920s and why?

A

Manual workers

post-war economic recession that hit Britain’s traditional industries very hard = rising unemployment, rising cost of living, falling wages

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11
Q

what did the post war economic recession lead to?

A

increasingly militant union action

serious strikes in 1921 miners stikr

1926 gernal strike

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12
Q

did the strikes achieve any improvements for the working class.

A

no

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13
Q

trade union membership declined by what % during the 1920’s

A

40% (lost faith)

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14
Q

he inter-war years served to undermine what

A

working class solidarity, rather than to reinforce it.

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15
Q

P2 evience

A
  1. changing economy after the First World War, helped the middle class enjoy a period of affluence and prosperity
  2. Increased access to good quality secondary education
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16
Q

after ww1 there was a rapid growth in what type of industries?

A

‘white collar’ industries,

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17
Q

growth in white collar inductries provided more what more middle classes

A

working opportunities

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18
Q

by what

% did the commercial and financial sectors in London grow by

A

34% in 1920’s

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19
Q

middle classes benefitted from growth of what type of industries

A

tech

engineriring

management

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20
Q

how did the growth of jobs in management and administration change?

A

700,000 in 1931, to 1.25 million by 1951)

21
Q

whoalso enjoyed new working opportunities in administration and clerking ?

A

women

22
Q

what served only to reinforce the affluence gap between the classes.?

A

increased wages these jobs provided

‘Eleven Plus’

23
Q

which act led to better access to higher education and widened working opportunities?

A

Butler Education Act (1944)

24
Q

who were the real beneficiaries of Butler’s ‘tripartite system’ and why?

A

Middle class families

middle class children filled grammar school

25
Q
what two things r entrenched the class divisions based on wealth and occupation.
?
A

increased educational opportunities

post-war growth of ‘white collar’ industries

26
Q

as the middle classes grew in affluence, they were able to express their…

A

wealth in a way that would become the new prerequisite for entry into the middle class: home owner ship

27
Q

by 1939 what % of mc were home owners comapred to wc

A

60%

20%

28
Q

why was a georphical divide establsuhed between wc and mc?

A

middle classes moved to the suburbs in great numbers

29
Q

which class suffered more caasuslties inww1?

A

Upper

30
Q

what % of men in army died ?

A

12.9%

31
Q

what % of peer and up sons died in ww1?

A

19%

32
Q

what % of old etononias died?

A

20%

33
Q

P3 evidence

A
  1. WW1

2. Decline in political dominance

34
Q

Upper class continued to face what after ww1 and why?

A

economic challenegs

Increased income tax, death duties
taxes payable on estates,,

35
Q

Estates worth over £2 million were now subject to a what % tax

A

40%

36
Q

tax incomes over £2500 rose from what in 1914 to 25% in what year

A

2%

1925

37
Q

what what years did death duties increase

A

1929,1946,1949

38
Q

Upper class were forced to sell what and why

A

their properties

unable to pay for the maintenance of their large estates

39
Q

how much land did the gentry sell off

A

1/4

1918-20

40
Q

in 1937 how what fraction of gentry were landless

A

1/3

1951 over half

41
Q

what two things set in motion the gradual decline of aristocratic dominance of the House of Commons ?

A

Labour Party (1900) and the Representation of the People Act (1918)

42
Q

how did the % of wealthy landowners who were MP’S chamge?

A

40% of MPs in 1910, this had fallen to just 5% by 1945.

43
Q

how did uc influence over house of lords change?

A

declined

removal of heredairy seats

44
Q

what was the parliament act 1910?

A

he House of Lords lost the power to veto any bill relating to taxation- power of the Lords was significantly curbed.

45
Q

what led to the gradual removal of hereditary seats in the House of Lords?

A

anti-elitist sentiment

46
Q

P1-

A

E1: Most agree that First and Second World Wars led to only limited changes for the working class:

Paul Addison (historian of working class)

-rejected the idea that the wars led to dramatic improvements + wars led ‘only to a very modest change in society’.

-First World War led to very little change as
= David Lloyd George’s post-war government singularly failed to deliver on the promise of a ‘land fit for heroes’.

Mass observation studies=  little social change + class distinction remained 
e.g. Wartime evacuation of working class inner city children to more affluent rurual homes = reinforced class prejudices instead of diminishng them 
E.g. Child psycologists Isaacs an Freud 
-Bed wetting widespread phenonmen by children- blamed by host families on poor standards of working class familes

E2: Economic factors

  • increase in working conditions - quickly reversed in interwar years + trade union failed to win significant improvement
    1. Manual workers( tight knit communities ) particularly struggled in the 1920s as a result of the post-war economic recession that hit Britain’s traditional industries very hard = rising unemployment, rising cost of living, falling wages.
  1. = increasingly militant union action
    Serious strikes in 1921 (The Miners’ Strike) and 1926 (The General Strike) = , failed to achieve any improvements for the working class

=Trade union membership declined by 40% during the 1920
- LOST FAITH

=inter-war years served to undermine working class solidarity, rather than to reinforce it.

47
Q

P3-

A

E1- CHANGING ECONOMY

  • helped the middle class enjoy a period of affluence and prosperity:
  1. rapid growth in ‘white collar’ industries
    - provided working opportunities
    - commercial and financial sectors in London grew by 34% in the 1920s.
  2. benefited from the growth of new industries (e.g. technology, and engineering) + growth of jobs in management and administration (from 700,000 in 1931, to 1.25 million by 1951).
  3. Women also enjoyed new working opportunities in administration and clerking (1.4 million in 1951).

= increased wages these jobs provided served only to reinforce the affluence gap between the classes

E2: Increased access to good quality secondary education,

  1. Butler Education Act (1944), = better access to higher education +widened working opportunities.
  2. Middle-class families were the real beneficiaries of Butler’s ‘tripartite system’ as middle class children
    -filled grammar school places
    - System based on wealth= wc parents could not afford to keep their bright children at school over 14 years old
    -. ‘Eleven Plus’ = reinforced class boundaries.
    -increased educational opportunities + post-war growth of ‘white collar’ industries
    =entrenched the class divisions based on wealth and occupation.
48
Q

P3

A

E1; First World War had a dramatic impact

  • suffered proportionally more casualties:
  • 12.9% of men in the army died
  • 19% of all peers and their sons,
  • 20% of Old Etonians died.

-WW1= new economic challenges
-successive
governments
1. increased income tax, 2. death duties,
3.increased the taxes payable on estates

-Estates worth over £2 million were now subject to a 40% tax
-tax on incomes over £2500 rose from
2% in 1914 to 25% in 1925.
-Death duties were increased in 1929, 1946, and 1949.

-unable to pay for the maintenance of their large estates and, for
the first time, were forced to sell their property e.g. to National trust , as schools or hotels

= contributed to the gentry selling off
almost a quarter of all land in England between 1918 and 1920
-1937 = one-third of the gentry were landless, 1951 = 50%+.

E2:DECLINE IN POLITICAL DOMINANCE

-Labour Party (1900) and the Representation of the People Act (1918) set in motion the
gradual decline of aristocratic dominance of the House of Commons
-wealthy landowners made up
40% of MPs in 1910, this had fallen to just 5% by 1945.
-Parliament Act (1910)= House of Lords lost the power to veto any bill
relating to taxation and, thus, the power of the Lords was significantly curbed.

-anti-elitist sentiment in society=gradual removal of hereditary seats in House of lords