post war boom Flashcards
how had Britain of 1951 been shaped?
-first episode= great depression of 1930s–> awful time of misery, mass unemployment and failure by gov to solve + alleviate problems
-second episode= Second World War all parts of nation had worked together to defeat the forces of evil by heroic national effort + shared sacrifice
what was the third episode shaping Britain?
rebuilding of post-war Britain under Attlee’s labour governments between 1945-1951, above all establishment of welfare state
victory in the war + sacrifice lead to?
better,fairer Britain in the future basis of post-war consensus
why was the conservative gov lucky in its timing?
came to power just at the beginning of the post-second World War economic recovery beginning to show through.
food rationing came to an end in
July 1954- austerity of wartime over and british people set to enjoy higher standard of living than ever before
population
-swift acceleration in birth rate at the end of ww2, fast-growing population
-by 1961, 51 million people in Great Britain= 5% more than in 1951
global economy booming as
countries rebuilt after the war
-led to a sustained increase in overseas trade–> brought high-level of earnings from exports and investments
increase in trade + demand at home ensured?
plentiful employment
by 1955 what happened?
it was estimated that full employment achieved with only 200,00 unemployed(less than 1% of workforce)
what job industries fell and what increased?
-numbers employed in traditional occupations e.g agriculture,fishing,coal mining fell but huge expansion in electrical + engineering work more jobs in industries related to cars,steel + other metals
by 1960
nearly 5 million people employed in service industries - 1 in 5 of the population
what did economic growth bring?
brought rising wages and most people enjoyed spectacular rise in income
run up to 1955 election Rab Butler(chancellor) did what?
able to boost conservative election prospects with a ‘give away’ budget
what did give away budget provide?
provided middle classes with £134 million in tax cuts
-people felt more affluent=rise in consumerism
example of improvement in world trade(Britain)
-Britain was able to import about 29% more goods than it had in 1951 for the same number of exports
