Society (+ domestic policies) Flashcards
Coronation of Elizabeth II
2nd June 1953
How many commonwealth immigrants are in the uk in 1951?
5000
How many roads are there in 1953?
3.3 million
Wolfenden Commission
1957 - recommend that homosexuality should be decriminalised however the suggestion was rejected in 1960
Notting Hill Riots
1958 - over 600 white males tried to break their way into black owned properties
Big Freeze
1962
When and between which groups was there conflict on a bank holiday?
Between the Mods and Rockers on the easter weekend 1964
When was the rise of the Private Eye
1961
How many immigrants were there by 1958?
210 000
What hit Britain in the summer of 1963?
Beatlemania
When did National Service end?
1560
What were the three main youth groups?
Teddy Boys, Mods and Rockers
How much of the population were teenagers?
10%
What was the White Defence League modelled after?
Oswald Mosley’s Union of Fascists
How many New Commonwealth citizens entered between 1960 and 1962?
Over 230 000
Name a reason for the growth in anti-social behaviour among youths.
- growth of affluent society enabled young people with good wages increased independence
- pockets of poverty where people felt bitter towards those with increased affluence
- increase in anti establishment due to scandals
- those in the 60s were the first not to have lived through the depression or the war
How much of the workforce was made up by women by 1960?
1/3
What was the impact of the war on married couples?
increase in divorces
Salmon Report
Blamed racial tensions on:
- willingness of black people to work for lower wages angering white people
- rise in rents as black people willing to live in more cramped conditions forcing up overall rents which white people could not afford.
- sexual jealousy. White males resented black males going out with white females.
- ‘Teddy boys’ involvement to become local heroes
Commonwealth Immigrants Act
1962 - restricted immigration by only allowing people in on a working basis
Who was murdered in 1959 and where?
Kelso Cochrane in Notting Hill
Family Allowance
Paid to women for each child in the family - the welfare state was based on the nuclear family and on full eployment for men
Why did trade unions not support women working?
Because they believed it would lower wages
When did teachers receive equal pay?
1952
When did civil servants receive equal pay?
1954
Increase in wages 1951 - 1964?
£8.30 to £18.35 - real wages kept ahead of inflation
Increase in ownership of private cars 1960 - 64?
Quadrupled from 1.5 million to 5.5 million.
Who was housing minister under Churchill and what did he achieve?
Macmillan - built 300 000 annually by 1954, achieving Churchill’s promise.
Percentage of women in the workforce by 1961?
35% - increased from 26% in 1951
Hire Purchase
Enabled customers to buy items and then pay later aiding the increase in consumerism.
When was itv launched?
1955
Rise in television ownership?
32%
How many people holidayed at Butlins per week?
60 000
How many people enjoyed foreign holidays?
2% of the population
Profumo Affair
1961 - secretary of state for war, John Profumo caught having an affair with model Christine Keeler who was also sleeping with a Soviet Naval Captain. He denied the accusations and Macmillan was quick to jump to his defence, making him appear unreliable when Profumo later admitted he had lied. Also highlighted an issue with state security. Emphasised that after 12 years in office, the Conservative party were losing their hold on society.
Explain the rise in satire.
Stage show Beyond the Fringe in 1960 and satirical magazine, the Private Eye were known to ridicule the establishment and Macmillan in particular was a victim of their ridicule.
Look Back In Anger
A play by John Osborne, first staged in 1956 - part of a group of writers dubbed the ‘angry young men’ who rebelled against traditional literature and produced art they felt reflected contemporary society
Lady Chatterley’s Lover
Caused an outrage and led to a high profile court case in 1960 due to the Obscenity Act.
Mary Whitehouse
Began a moral crusade in 1963
How much of the population belonged to the middle class?
28%
How many new homes were built by 1964?
1.7 million
Rent Act
1957 - abolished rent control, putting 6 million properties on the market
When did rationing end?
1954
Clean Air Act
1956
Kim Philby
1963 - discovered that Kim Philby, a senior in foreign office, ran a spy network for the Soviets for decades. The government took the brunt of the blame
Argyll Divorce Case
1963 - Duke of Argyll divorced his wife and showed the court a list of men with whom she had supposedly slept with, on which there was the names of two government ministers. Cast doubt on the moral compass of society.
The Vassall Inquiry
1963 - civil servant John Vassall was caught spying for the Soviet Union in 1962. There were rumours that senior admiralty officers had protected him and the talk of cover ups highlighted Macmillan’s inability to control govt services
When and where was the first comprehensive school opened?
1954 - Anglesey, North Wales
Name an argument for comprehensive schools.
- selective education undervalued those who couldn’t meet the requirements
- selection process was psychologically dubious and unreliable
- selection was socially divisive
- greater share of investment went to top tier schools
- records showed children performed equally well in comprehensive schools and grammar schools
Name an argument against comprehensive school.
- in practise, comprehensive schools denied people from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to benefit from a specialised education that met their needs
- quality depended on the area in which they resided
- separation of children into sets perpetuated preserving the differentiation of children into different types
Robbins Report
1963
- expansion of existing universities
- emphasis on scientific education
- existing CATs to be upgraded to uni status
- larger grants so no potential students were deterred by lack of income
Homicide Act
1957 - limited the imposition of the death penalty
Night of the long knives
1962 - Macmillan reshuffled his cabinet, 2/3s sacked
When was the Clockwork Orange published?
1962 - a satirical exploration of the extreme violence in society
David Bailey and Jean Shrimpton Vogue shoot? What did this signify?
1962 - encapsulated the swinging sixties
