Teenagers Flashcards
What was teen culture in the 1950s like?
Limited,
Not separate from adults,
Same clothes, pastimes and work
What impact did the improving economy have on young people?
Easier to get a job after leaving school,
Wages increased faster than cost of living,
Extra disposable income
What were some of the cultural influences in the 1960s?
Rock and roll: Elvis,
Movies: James Dean and Marlon Brando,
Dressed and acted like these idols
Why did teenagers lives change?
Science (the pill), Economics (teenagers incomes rose), Politics, Individuals
How did the consumer boom affect teenagers?
Allowed teenagers to develop their own styles in music, clothes, haircuts and travel
How much did Teenagers spend each year?
They had over £830 million to spend each year
How did the increase in teenager spending change and affect markets?
It was enormous compared to previous generations, increasingly consumer goods were aimed at this market (scooters and fashion)
How did bands of the time change young peoples behaviours?
The message of their music was that young people should not accept what authority taught them, but find things out for themselves
What bands were influential in the 1960s?
The Beatles and The Rolling Stones
How did young people express themselves?
They were freer and more open, they experimented with fashion with the miniskirt becoming very popular in the 1960s
What different sub cultures emerged in the 1960s?
The Mods (sophisticated w/ scooters), Rockers (macho, w/ motorcycles) Hippies and Punks emerged later on
What was the relationship between mods and rockers like?
There was much tension and they often clashed at places like Brighton and sparked moral panic in the country
How politically active were young people?
Teenagers increasingly challenged political decisions, in 1958 they formed campaigns for Nuclear Disarmament, in the 1960s they were mainly focused on the Vietnam War
How was education organised from 1944 on?
The Tripartite System: grammar schools, technical schools and secondary moderns. Secondary moderns weren’t very good and competitions to pass the 11 plus exam for grammar schools were high
How did the Labour Government attempt to introduce a fairer system?
Comprehensive schools were set up to allow teenagers to have higher education, it prevented those who failed the 11 plus from feeling like failures
