Society and economy 1950-59

Question 1

Why did working class men and women have less leisure time than later generations?

Answer 1

Time: Men were working on average 40 minutes longer per day and had 2 weeks less holiday per year in the 1950’s compared to 1979. Women spent 30 minutes long on household chores in the 1950’s compared to 1979.
Income: In 1953, a mans average wage would cover a weekly food bill after 15 hours of work. In 1981, this was 9 hours.

Question 2

How many TV ownerships were there after queen Elizabeth’s coronation?

Answer 2

In 1947, 15,000 were issued but by 1960, this had risen to 10.5 million.

Question 3

How many football admissions were around in the 1950’s?

Answer 3

Just under 40 million in 1950 and today it is around 25 million.

Question 4

How many cinema admissions were there around 1950’s?

Answer 4

1.4 billion in 1950. This dropped to 515 million in 1959 due to TV ownership increase.

Question 5

What were the most popular summer holiday destinations?

Answer 5

Seaside/summer holiday camps. Only 2% went overseas.

Question 6

What were the houses like in the 1950’s?

Answer 6

After the ‘slum-clearance’ programme, many more people lived in adequate houses with: heating, indoor toilet, hot & cold running water, etc.

Question 7

How many women worked between 1951 and 1981?

Answer 7

1951 = 31%
1961 = 33%
1971 = 37%
1981 = 40%

Question 8

What were the roles in families in the 1950’s?

Answer 8

Men = bread winners and worked in heavy industry.
Women = stop working when gotten married and they stay at home to look after children.
Children = obey their parents.

Question 9

How many doctors and law professions were women?

Answer 9

15% = doctors
5% = law professions

Question 10

How many women were teenagers when they got married?

Answer 10

Nearly one third. The average age of getting married was 22.

Question 11

How many immigrants moved into Britain in the late 1950’s?

Answer 11

200,000 people from commonwealth (blacks) and 900,000 Irish.

Question 12

When did the ‘SS Empire Windrush’ arrive in Britain?

Answer 12

June 22nd 1948

Question 13

What some pull and push factors for the people from the commonwealth to come to Britain?

Answer 13

• There were not enough British workers to fill all the available positions
• In 1948, the British Nationality act made all commonwealth people citizens.
• The 1948 National Health Service advertised jobs. 140 men in Barbados were recruited in 1956.
• Many saw Britain as the ‘mother country’ and as an opportunity to earn good wages.
• Some immigrants were given an interest-free loan from their own government for travel to London. London transport provided hostels for many of the immigrants it recruited.

Question 14

What education system was about from 1944 onwards?

Answer 14

The 1944 education act mean children could go to school for free and sit the ‘eleven plus’ exam. This decided whether you’‘d go to:

• Secondary Modern school (fail), which is where 70% of the students went and was seen as the lower class of education.
• Grammar schools (pass), which is where 20% of the students went and gave them the chance to go to university (for free).
• Secondary technical /public (actually private) schools, which was where the remainder went. Very few went there as it was very expensive.

Question 15

What happened to the commonwealth people after the ‘SS Empire Windrush’ docked at Tilbury on June 22nd of 1948?

Answer 15

Many spent their first days in a camp, set up especially for them in Clapham, South London. They received free food and shelter before finding work.

Question 16

Why was there a lot of racial prejudice in Britain after 1948?

Answer 16

The commonwealth people had a more exotic voice and had a different skin colour.

Question 17

Why did black people feel intimidated by the end of the 1950’s?

Answer 17

• Teddy Boy gangs thought they were ‘taking their women’ so they naturally disliked them.
• ‘No coloured’ and ‘no blacks’ could often be seen on signs for accommodations.
• Complaints were made from Trade Unions, saying that immigrants were accepting jobs at lower wages.

Question 18

What happened during the Notting Hill Race Riots?

Answer 18

On the night of 23 August 1958, almost 1,000 young white and blacks fought each other, resulting in more than 100 whites being arrested. Furthermore, over a period of almost 2 weeks in August and September, it escalated with hundreds of white men armed with chains, knives, iron bars, petrol bombs to attack blacks.

Question 19

What were some consequences of the Notting Hill Race Riot?

Answer 19

• The black community felt threatened and was angry
• More than 4,000 immigrants (3% of the total population) left Britain.
• An official complaint was made by the Caribbean governments.
• Political and public opinions became divided.
• The Organisation for the Protection of Coloured People was set up.
• The British government had to tackle two issues: The number of immigrants entering Britain and the method of tackling racial discrimination.