Society in the 1970s - Youth Culture, Social tensions and terrorism Flashcards
1
Q
What was the music scene like in the mid-70s?
A
- Many major bands British: Pink Floyd; Genesis; Rolling Stones etc + Rock Bands e.g Queen
- Trends emerged such as lengthy ‘concepts’ albums + classical accompaniment
- Many music critics saw these trends as pretentious and one result was emergence of punk, most famously in the sex pistols
2
Q
What did punks wear? Why
A
- unisex style incorporating leather, torn clothing, safety pins, swastikas, zips etc
- brightly died spiked hair
- designed to shock and attract extreme reactions
3
Q
What was the punk philosophy?
A
- much of it was nihilistic and reflected social attitudes and the social alienation that many young people felt
4
Q
How did the punks create a moral panic?
A
- anti social behaviour guaranteed notoriety and local authorities banned performances to protect local people
- Sex Pistols released controversial single - God Save the Queen - during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year- BBC refused to play but still reached N.2 in charts
- they swore on live TV
- With death of Sid Vicious never performed again but influence enduring
5
Q
During 1967 what bands were there?
A
- The Damned, the Clash, the Jam, the Stranglers played with speed and raw energetic sound
- mostly male but some female
- Soon record labels made punk more commercially viable
- By 1980s many of the new wave of bands lost their originality and punk tamed into mainstream
6
Q
What were Skinheads?
A
- Image adopted by many fascist NF thugs
- Skinhead fashion Dr Marten boots + check shirts, + ironically ska and reggae music
- tended to be working class and linked to football hooliganism
- Later became Rudies + changed appearance
- shocking appearance reflected sense of disgust with a society which seemed to have abandoned its youth and future
7
Q
What was football hooliganism ?
A
- already a growing problem at the beginning of the 1970s but gradually worsened over decade
- hooligan groups set up and linked to particular football clubs
- scenes of violence became known as football hooliganism
8
Q
What were positive reactions to these youth subcultures?
A
- 1976 Rock Against Racism organised with the Socialist Workers party to fight racism - many well known artists appeared without payment
- 1979 - 1982 mixed race bands eg the Specials expressed a defiant anti-Thatcher manifesto
- different subcultures helped different forms of black music become established in popular British culture
9
Q
Social Tensions and Terrorism
What were social tensions and terrorism like in Britain overview?
A
- As unemployment rose so did the number of strikes and by the mid seventies inflation reached 25%
- numerous social groups were demanding rights denied to them as society became increasingly confrontational
- racial tensions increased in cities where the NF begun to openly provoke black communities
10
Q
What did Bloody Sunday lead to ? *
A
- 1972
- Bloody Sunday was a massacre in 1972 when British soldiers shot 26 unarmed civilians during a protest march in the Bogside area of Derry, Northern Ireland
- led to an alarming deterioration in relations between Dublin and London
- Much resentment was caused by government anti-terrorist policies particularly internment and the “Diplock courts”
11
Q
What did little progress in civil rights issues in Northern Ireland result in?
A
- Provisional IRA extended its terror campaign
- In 1974 a bomb in the Tower of London killed one woman and injured 41 children
- Pub bombings near army barracks in Guildford and Woolwich killed seven and in a horrific bombing in Birmingham 21 were killed and 162 were injured
12
Q
What was crime like in 1970s britain (negative)?
A
- Violent crime and vandalism increased
- Corruption and conspiracy in public life increased
- by the end of the decade Britain’s prisons were seriously overcrowded and increasing risk of prison riots
- police faced with increasing hostility from youth
- 1980s riots broke out in St Paul’s, Bristol, London etc
13
Q
Positives in relation to crime?
A
- Rape received increasing publicity in feminist protest
14
Q
How did the use of drugs change?
A
- Use of cannabis reached peak in mid seventies
- The use of cannabis became more private
- Harsh penalties in early seventies often involving prison sentences became more relaxed
- By 1980 the market for heroin had grown significantly and was to impact upon crime figures particularly in the 1980s
15
Q
What question was debated due to problems in the 1970s?
A
- By 1974 press, television and political debate were dominated by this question
- was Britain becoming ungovernable