Social Developments Flashcards
Info that is on the specification
What does infrastructure mean?
physical environment
What was Britain’s infrastructure like in 1951?
- run-down
- badly needed modernising
How did housing need to be improved?
- replace war damage
- pre-war slums
- ownership of homes still less common than renting/ council homes
How were housing issues improved?
- pre-war slums were removed
- new towns were built e.g., Harlow - Essex
- home ownership increased
Why did home ownership increase?
easy access to cheap mortgages
How is the economy improved?
- men’s wages increased
- massive increase in private savings
What finally came to an end in 1954?
food rationing
What happened to the ownership of consumer goods?
huge surge, especially in: televisions, washing machines, and refrigerators
What service became popular during this time?
hire purchasing
What is hire purchasing?
a system where a buyer pays a deposit on an expensive item and then pays monthly instalments (including interest) to hire the item over the length of the contract
What was a visible symbol of affluence in Britain during this time?
advertising industry
What did people start doing with their spare time?
new leisure activities
How many T.Vs were in use by 1960?
10 million & an estimated 50% of the population watched T.V. in the evening
What about the car industry changed?
car ownership increased
- raised by 25% between 1957-1959
What happened as a result of this increase in car ownership?
- demand for more roads
- 1,200 new roads built/ completed
How did leisure and holidays develop?
- Holiday camps (Butlins) reached their peak
- However only 2% of people experienced a luxury holiday
How did social attitudes change?
- increased tension
- left-wing criticism on focusing on material affluence
What ideas had been ingrained into the class system before the 1950s?
- respect for authority
- strong class loyalties
- conformist values
How were class loyalties demonstrated?
the voting results e.g., in 1951 65% of the working class voted for the labour party
When did this social breakdown of previous norms begin?
late 1950s
What was the trigger event for social change within the classes?
the Suez crisis - exposed the manipulative nature of the government
What group began to exhibit the new idea of challenging authority?
CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament)
How did social values change?
became more individualist
What is the ‘Establishment’?
a term for a network of informal connections between social and political elites (overwhelmingly male)
How did the perception of the Establishment change in the 1950s?
people were less willing to follow the Establishment as they were deemed liars and manipulative
Why would negative opinions of the Establishment cause negative opinions for the Conservative party?
The conservative government was dominated by the Establishment
How were women in the 1950s viewed?
- housewives
- ideal woman = wife & mother
What was the average age of marriage during the 1950s?
21 = 75% of the population
What was the ratio of women working in 1951?
1 in 5
What government benefit was allocated to women?
Family Allowance - paid women weekly a benefit for each child
What were women’s financial restraints?
financially dependent on their husbands
How did women in the work place change by 1964?
the number of women working increased
What allowed this increase in employment for women?
labour saving devices e.g., washing machines, and refrigerators
What movement was also making its way over to Britain in the early 1960s?
second wave feminism
How did second wave feminism effect women in society?
it argued that women were unfulfilled and trapped in their domesticated lives
What was the attitude towards immigration at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II?
enthusiastic
How were the New Commonwealth immigrants received by society?
New Commonwealth immigrants caused both social tension and change
How many commonwealth immigrants had settled in Britain by 1958?
210,000 - 75% were male working to support families back home
How many immigrants sought permanent residence in the 1950s?
676,000
What event caused such a large influx of immigrants into Britain?
Empire Windrush of 1948
What did the Empire Windrush symbolise?
a new period of African-Caribbean immigration into Britain
How did the authorities view immigration into Britain?
economically desirable - immigrants filled many important low-wage jobs
What act was passed in regards to immigration in 1962?
Commonwealth Immigrants Act
What was one of the main trigger events for this act?
Notting Hill Riots
What is an overview of what happened at the Notting Hill Riots in 1958?
Large mobs of white youths attacked African-Caribbean’s in Notting Hill
How did youth culture differ for young people of this time compared to their parents?
- abolition of National Service (conscription) after 1960
- labour saving devices - girls no longer had to help their mothers
Why was youth population larger at this time?
post-war baby boom - 10% of the population were teens
In the 1950s what was the most obvious youth subculture?
Teddy boys
What were the symbols of being a Teddy Boy?
- Edwardian fashion
- challenging older people and their views on social order
What were Teddy Boys later replaced by in the later 1950s?
Mods & Rockers
What was public reaction like towards new youth culture?
in a state of moral panic and hysterical about the supposed danger that the youth held
