Social Changes Flashcards
What did the 1911 Parliament act do?
Reduce the power of the Lords - no longer allowed to block legislation
What percentage of MP landowners were there by 1945?
Fall from 40% to 5%
When did tax rise for the upper class?
1925
What did taxes rise from and to?
57% from 2%
What did the gentry begin to do?
Selling off land - only the largest land owners could afford to keep land
How much were estates worth £2 million taxed?
40%
What events became more accessible to the lower classes?
Henley Regatta and Ascot
When were death duties increased?
1929, 1946 and 1949
When and why was the Debutantes Ball cancelled?
1958 - Margaret didn’t like that middle class women were being presented.
How much land did 0.6% of the population own?
98.5%
How many members of the gentry were landless in 1937?
1/3 of the 4,000 gentry
How many families owned over 10,000 acres in 1910?
124
How many had over 1,000 acres in 1979?
65%
How much land was owned by just 1,200 landowners in 1979?
1/4 of all farmland - six million acres
What happened to the definition of upper class?
Changed to be less about ancestry and more on wealth
What meant that not all lords were hereditary?
1958 Life Peers Act
How many of the Lord Lieutenants were aristocrats by 1970?
15/46
How many Etonians were in MacMillans government 1957-63?
40
What undermined deference?
Rise of satire and greater social mobility after WWII
What made social mobility possible?
Rise in the number of middle-class jobs and educational opportunities - Education Act 1944
Who bought the country houses which became too expensive?
National Trust from 1918
What scheme allowed families to live in their statetly homes for two generations?
1937 Country Houses Scheme - required them to be transferred to the NT and open for 60 days a year
What did the 1937 Country Houses Scheme allow the owners to avoid?
Death Duties
What TV shows helped preserve the landed elite?
Brideshead Revisited 1981 and Upstairs Downstairs 1971
What influence do country estates allow the upper class to upkeep?
Cultural influence
What did the lower middle class do?
Worked hard to differentiate themselves from the working class
What was the fear?
Working class wages were rising while middle class incomes remained stagnated
What did the middle class residents of Bromley do?
Erected a 2m high wall to prevent working class residents of the Downham council estate passing through the wealthier area
How much did commercial and financial jobs grow in 1911 and 1921?
34%
How many people worked in management and administration in 1931?
700,000
How many people worked in management and administration in 1951?
1.25 million
What job expanded for women?
Clerking
How many workers in clerking in 1911?
170,000
How many clerk workers in 1951?
1.4 million
How many middle class people owned a home in 1939?
60%
How many working class people owned a home in 1939?
20%
Where were “spec built estates”?
Commuter belt around London
What also differentiated the middle and working class cultures?
Suburbs vs city living
What kind of workers are working class people?
Varied - skilled construction workers or engineers or working-class aristocracy - unskilled labours.
Also the underclass - criminal or destitute
What helped to absorb the residuum?
Full employment after the wars
How much did trade union membership rise between 1914 and 1918?
90%
When did trade union membership fall and why?
1920-22 by 40% - recession and the General strike
What areas tended to not be unionised?
Car production
What percentage of the working class voted for the Tories between the wars?
50%
What helped to reduce the social stigma of state assistance?
Welfare reforms introduced by the pre-1914 liberal government - built on by later governments
Why did a small proportion of the working class fight in WWI?
Took up reserved occupations - mining etc.
What % of urban working-class men were rejected from service in 1918?
10.3% - 31.3% were too sickly for combat
What helped to promote working class health?
Rationing
What did life expectancy rise to and from in 1911 and 1921?
49 to 56 for men, 53 to 60 for women
When did Slum clearances start properly?
1950s
Who took advantage of tenants?
Exploitative Landlords
What did the 1940s housing programme focus on?
Blocks of flats
What was the impact of blocks of flats?
Isolation - lack of local amenities and day to day interactions with neighbours
Examples of Housing Schemes?
Pollok Glasgow and Quarry Flats in Leeds
What percentage of wealth did the top 0.1% own?
33%
How much did the bottom 75% have?
Less than £100 each
Why did all men get the vote in 1918?
Lack of men due to conscription
Why were women over 30 given the vote in 1918?
More likely to be married, more likely to have a man influence the vote.
How many women gained the vote in 1918?
8 million
Who won the 1919 Plymouth by-election?
Nancy Astor
What party did Eleanor Rathbone represent?
Independent
How were women presented by the media?
Women MPs were portrayed as MPs for women - figureheads for female development in society
Who worked on equalising the franchise?
Ellen Wilkinson and Nnancy Astor
What was still in place?
Marriage bars
What made it easier for feminists to campaign?
Receiving the right to vote in 1928
What happened to feminism?
Became more diverse - no longer united on one issue
What saw great success in the interwar period?
Welfare feminism
What did welfare feminism focus on?
Divorce, guardianship and maternal welfare
What act was passed in 1919?
Sex Disqualification Removal Act
What did the Sex Disqualification Removal Act do?
More equality in employment for women - all public offices were opened to woemn
What % of councillors in London were women by the late 1930s?
16%
What was the highest employer of women?
Domestic services
What did the National Union of Women Suffrage Societies change its name to?
National Union of Societies for Equal Citizenship to reflect their new focus
What happened on 3rd July 1936?
3,500 women gathered for an equal rights procession in hyde Park
How many women stood as a parliamentary candidate in 1918?
17
How many women gained a seat in 1918?
One - Countess Constance Markievicz - didn’t take her seat
What did the NUSEC lack?
Expertise and local party machinery to help launch a “Women’s Party” - split on issues in 1928
What happened to the membership of organisations?
Fell in the 1930s
Who reflected that the HoC was like a boys school?
Edith Summerskill
What act did women make significant contributions to?
1922 Criminal Law Amendment Act - raise the age of consent to 16
What else did women help influence?
1923 Bastardy Act - allowed children born before marriage be legitimate after marriage
What did female politicians tend to focus on?
Local politics
What did Nancy Astor set up in 1940?
Women Power Committee to investigate and promote female specific issues
How did female MPs operate?
More cross party co-operation
What did Bevin set up?
Women’s Consultative Committee to manage female participation in war economy - March 1941
What did Maud Tate do?
Debate about compensation for wartime injuries led to introduction of equal compensation for men and women in 1943
How much less compensation were women receiving?
35p a week less
What happened by 1945?
Male MPs were growing used to considering female issues more seriously
How many female MPs were there in 1945 and 1955?
24
How many female MPs were there in 1974?
23
How many of Wilson’s 1964 government were women?
7/18
What were the post war female MPs seen as?
Well rounded politicians rather than just advocates for women’s issues
Who was minister of Transport?
Barbara Castle
What was passed in 1970?
Equal Pay Act
When was the Abortion Act passed?
1968
What did the Abortion act allow?
Abortion up to 24 weeks - more reproductive freedom
What act was passed in 1969?
Divorce Reform Act
What act was passed in 1969?
Divorce Reform Act
What did the Divorce Reform Act do?
Allowed women to get a divorce more easily, without having to prove adultery.
When was the Pill made available to “everyone”?
1961
When was the Pill actually available to everyone?
1967 - free for everyone in 1974
What book was published in 1963?
Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan
What was the oppositon to women’s rights?
Religious people no like abortion
What did the 1968 strike bring opposition from?
Male employers - women should be happy to have a job
Where did women begin to work?
Factories, intelligence work, military positions, farming, munitions
What act stopped women from working?
1919 Restoration of Pre-War Practices Act
Why were women expected to be housewives?
Decline in the domestic services meant women had to fill their places
What was invented to make household chores easier for women?
Hoovers, washing machines, fridges and freezers
What caused a growth in immigration in the 20th Century?
2 world wars - commonwealth immigrants came over
When was the Windrush scheme?
1948
What was the Windrush scheme?
Caribbean People came to the UK to help reconstruct the UK - need for more labour. They were encourage and invited over by the British Government.
What was the impact of the establishment of the NHS?
Needed workers
Why was there an influx of Jewish People?
Holocaust
Why was Britain an attractive place for workers?
Britain was significantly less damaged from the war
Who was Oswald Mosely?
Leader of the British Fascist Party - funded by Mussolini during the 1930s.
What happened in 1936?
Battle of Cable Street
What was the Battle of Cable Street?
Fascists rioted in a Jewish community. The police were on the side of the fascists.
Shops looted/ smashed. Police force used
What type of jobs did immigrants tend to do?
Low Skilled Labour
What was the primary response to immigration?
Restricting Immigration
What was the liberal approach to immigration?
Tackle discrimination
When was the Aliens Act passed?
1905
What was the Aliens Act?
Only those who could demonstrate an ability to make a living, who had £5 to tie them over and who were genuine religious or political refugees were allowed in to Britain.
What was the consequence of the Aliens Act?
Less immigrants qualified for the entrance to the UK and therefore prevented immigration rather than tackling the racist attitudes of the public.
When was the Aliens Act v2?
1919
What was the 1919 Aliens Act?
Immigrants had to gain a work permit before arrival, had to register with the police upon arrival and maintain lawful behaviour to avoid immediate deportation.
What was the consequence of the 1919 Aliens Act?
Meant that immigrants risked their living for doing something wrong, and entailed a lengthy process of application to live in the UK, meaning people weren’t able to move out of countries where they may be facing persecution quickly.
What Orders were implemented in 1920 and 1925?
Special Restriction Orders
What were the Special Restriction Orders?
Forced sea men of colour to register as aliens in Britain if they could not produce proof of their British citizenship. The police were to arrest people who failed to produce documents upon disembarkation. Ran the risk of deportation
What was the consequence of the SRO?
Was a way to try to discourage immigrants from coming to the UK, rather than making it a more welcoming environment. The restriction was the easier option for the government in the 1920s.
What does JCPU stand for?
Joint council to Promote Understanding
What was the aim of the JCPU?
educate white people on the history of people of colour and tackle racial discrimination and provide financial aid for struggling black and Asian families in Britain.
When was the JCPU founded?
1931
What was the impact of the JCPU?
This was not always warmly received as the growing radical pan-African movement judged that only black people could resolve ‘black problems”.
What does LCP stand for?
League of Coloured Peoples
When was the LCP founded?
1931
What does WASU stand for?
West African Students Union
When was the WASU set up?
1925
What did the WASU protest?
Italian Invasion of Ethopia
What was the impact of the WASU?
International African Service Bureau emerged from this and became a key influence on many post-colonial African leaders.
What Act enabled the Windrush programme?
1948 British Nationality Act
Why was the government unwilling to control immigration following WWII?
People needed for recovery, preventing immigration = anti-liberal, fear of nationalist unrest in the colonies
What increased after the war?
Racism and discrimination - no anti-discrimination legislation until the 1960s
Why doesn’t the government do anything to combat the racism?
It wasn’t seen as an issue, didn’t consider areas which are densely populated with immigrant families. Tend to be in cities, and in areas that are socially deprived, making it a breeding ground for racial discrimination.
What did the fascist movement incite?
Violence and racial hatred - racism isnt illegal
What is there in terms of segregation?
No official segregation but an unofficial colour bar
What caused riots?
Increasing immigration, social deprivation, racist movement and lack of government intervention
When was the Notting Hill Riot?
1958
What was significant about Notting Hill?
Area of high immigration and social deprivation.
Who started the riot?
Teddy Boys - gang of white young people
Who came to the aid of the people of colour in Notting Hill?
Men from Brixton
What was so significant about the riot?
Wake up call to the government showing that racial tension was a big issue.
What did Notting Hill spur?
Race Riots in Nottingham that summer
What was the communities response to the riot?
An annual Carnival on the anniversary of the riots to celebrate culture of the immigrants.
What did not exist before 1965?
The concept of discrimination
What is an example of institutional racism?
The colonialism of Africa and Asia
What was there a bar on?
African Justice of Peace - under the Criminal Procedure code of 1950
What were citizens from former colonies denied?
Housing
Who supported the colour bar?
Trade Unions
What did the Passenger Group of the TGWU do?
Passed a resolution against the employment of people of colour as workers in 1955
What happened to black citizens in Bristol?
1963 - barred from Bristol buses
What was Notting Hill an example of?
Personal racial violence - mobs of angry white men and women roaming the streets, attacking any black person they would meet
What was legal under common law?
People could legally discriminate against others on the grounds of colour, race, nationality or ethnicity.
What were the Brockway Bills?
Nine Colour bar Bills which would have made racial discrimination a criminal offence in public places
What would the fine be?
£35
Why were the Bills rejected?
The wrong way to tackle the problem, and the government were reluctant to introduce the concept of racial discrimination to English law.
When did racial violence become institutional?
When it penetrated mainstream politics.
Who won the 1964 election on a racist manifesto?
Peter Griffiths - won a previously Labour held seat
What was the response to Griffiths?
Home secretary - Frank Soskice - legislate against racial discrimination
What Act was passed?
1965 Race Relations Act
What did the Race Relations Act say?
Made behaviour unlawful which discriminated on the grounds of colour, race or ethnic or national origins against persons seeking access to facilities or services on a public resort.
What did the 1968 act do?
Include the area of employment.
When was the Commonwealth Immigrants Act passed?
1962
What did the Commonwealth Immigrants Act do?
Needed a work voucher but also sped up immigration as people thought they would not be able to emigrate.
When was the second CIA passed?
1968
What did the 1968 CI act do?
Employment voucher or British national grandparent/parent.
When was the National Front founded?
1968
Why was there a spike in Asian immigration in the 1960s?
Uganda and Kenya expel Asian citizen
Who was Enoch Powell?
Conservative Cabinet member during the 1960s
What speech did he make in 1968?
Rivers of Blood - deliberately cause controversy on the grounds of anti-immigration
What was the backlash to the Rivers of Blood speech?
Powell was sacked by Edward Heath and removed from the shadow cabinet.
Did he have an impact on policy?
No - government was already restricting immigration
What did Powell reveal?
Reveals some of the attitudes of society.
Powell claims that many people are anti Immigration.
What did the speech reveal about the government?
No appetite for anti-immigration or racist campaigning
What was something that was liberalised?
Sex - became more normalised of sex outside marriage, multiple sexual partners, LGBTQ+
When did this change towards sex happen?
1960s
What was the age of consent for gay men?
21
Who were the opponents to the liberal society?
Religious people - felt Christian values were being undermined
What did people think was happening to morality?
It was being damaged - with the patriarchy and family being undermined
Who promoted the liberal society?
Educated young people and richer people - middle class - urban workers
How did class impact the liberal society?
Blurred class lines lead to a more liberal society
What declined?
Deference - decline in accepting that people are just born better
When was the Profumo Affair?
1963
What was the Profumo Affair?
Minister of war sleeping with a woman who is sleeping with a Russian. Security issue - house of commons, and Profumo lied and was exposed. He was forced to resign. Exposed that the upper class weren’t perfect.
When was the Lady Chatterley’s Lover case?
1960
What was the Lady Chatterley’s Lover trial?
Trial at the Old Bailey - the book had been banned by the courts. Whether the book was a literary work or just trashy.
What act was passed in 1959?
Obscene Publications Act
What book did Marie Stope’s publish in 1918?
Married Love - challenged the general reluctance to discuss sex
When did the number of divorces peak?
1947
What act was passed in 1968?
Theatres Act
What did the 1968 theatres act allow?
Led the British Board of Film Directors to allow sex on screen
What book was written in 1972?
The Joy of Sex by Dr Alex Comfort
How many deaths and injuries occurred from back street abortions in 1966?
40 deaths and 100,000 injuries
What % of girls and boys out of 2000 had had sex with more than 3 people?
18% girls, 10% boys
What % of girls and boys had had sex before the age of 19?
17% girls, 33% boys
What % of men and women were married by 45?
96% women, 95% men
What was the average age of marriage for women in 1946?
25
What was the average age of marriage for women in 1970?
23
How much sex took place in marriage by 1990?
1%
What was the sentiment towards gay men in the 1950s?
Large amounts of popular fear and hatred towards homosexual men – they were thought to be predatory.
What didn’t help the idea of gay men being predatory?
Defection of Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean to Russia in 1950
What happened in 1954?
Case of Lord Montagu of Beulieu and Peter Wildeblood
What was significant about the 1964 case?
Lead to a growing perception that the state should not be able to regulate what adults do. Montagu was sentenced to a year in prison and Wildeblood 18 months, which was seen as excessively harsh.
What was appointed in 1957?
Wolfenden Committee
What was the suggestion from the committee?
Recommended that private, consenting homosexual acts should be decriminalized for men over 21
What act decriminalised homosexuality?
Sexual Offences Act 1967
What % of people thought that homosexuals were ill in 1963?
93%
How many men were in prison due to their sexuality?
Over 1000 men
What was still illegal after 1967?
Solicit homosexual relations, and the number of men arrested for public indecency trebled
When was the GLF set up in Britain?
October 1970
What became more acceptable?
“Camp” behaviour more acceptable, with television stars
Examples of television stars?
Larry Greyson (Shut that door and Generation Game) and John Inman as Mr. Humphries playing ”camp” men but they were not publicly declared gay.
Who gained popularity and were bisexual?
David Bowie and Elton John
When was the first gay pride march in London?
1971
What did Thatcher call the liberal society?
Permissive society
Who lead the opposition to the sex in the media?
Mary Whitehouse
What did Mary Whitehouse found?
National Viewers and Listeners Association
When was the Festival of Light?
1971
What was the Festival of Light?
Protest against liberalisation - Moral Pollution needs a Solution - Christian Event
How many people attended the Festival of Light?
30,000
How many members of her association were there?
12-13 thousand members - up to 2-3 million people
