Theme 4 a 3 - The growth of a consumer society, 1951-79

Question 1

What was the ‘Affluent Society’?

Answer 1

A period when more people achieved living standards their forebears could not have imagined, as their spending power rose.

Question 2

What happened to inflation numbers during the 1970s?

Answer 2

Double figures were reached as the overall standard of living improved.

Question 3

Give a few key factors for why there was a rapid growth in living standards

Answer 3

• A global economic boom
• Britains welfare state, which ensured a basic standard of living for most of the population
• Relatively low energy prices.
• Commitment by Labour and Conservatives to full employment.
• Strong trade unions, able to negotiate high wages for their members.
• The increasing availability of consumer credit
• The rise in average wages since 1945

Question 4

What did Harold Macmillian declare in 1957?

Answer 4

‘most of our people have never had it so good’

Question 5

How did consumer spending vary between 1957-60?

Answer 5

Spent over £1 billion in 1957 £1.5 billion by 1960

Question 6

What were wages like in 1959?

Answer 6

Average wages doubled what they were like in 1950.

Question 7

What was a lot more money spent on in the 1950s?

Answer 7

Vacuum cleaners, washing machines and fridges

Question 8

How did washing machine ownership vary between 1955 and 1966?

Answer 8

1955 - 17% of homes. 1966 - 60% of homes

Question 9

How did the rise in luxury domestic products affect women?

Answer 9

Helping them at home as chores normally taking a week would now take a matter of hours. Adverts now focused on women as ‘housewives’ and taking control of new modern products.

Question 10

Year - Revue of consumer credit rules

Answer 10

1954

Question 11

What did the revue of the consumer credit rules change in 1954?

Answer 11

There was a relaxation in the rules.

Question 12

What happened to the demand for television sets rise do to the revue of the consumer credit rules in 1954?

Answer 12

10% rise in demand

Question 13

Consumer choice

What did the economic shocks of the 1970s seem to do little to?

What rapidly grew?

Answer 13

• Very little to slow down consumer spending or the exapansion of consumer choice.
• British tastes for foreign food & drink rapidly grew, partly as result of cheaper travel & access to overseas holidays - and due to rapid growth of supermarket chains providing low-cost foods & choice.

Question 14

New Towns

New towns created in the 1960s showed the success of what?

Between 1961-1964, what are some examples of new towns created?

In 1967- what else was created?

Answer 14

1946 New Towns Act.

Runcorn, Skelmersdale, Redditch, Washington & Livingston.

1967- Milton Keynes.

Question 15

New Towns

Why were inner-city families who moved to the new towns able to do so?

Answer 15

An increase in affluence.

Prices remained stable & real wages rose by 130% between 1955-1969.

Question 16

New Towns

Why were some people critical of the new towns?

What made new towns attractive?

Answer 16

• They were artifical & lifeless.
• Availability of central heating, hot water, gardens & green spaces and access to shops and amenities.

Question 17

‘Admass’

In the 1950s & 60s, the new prosperity was enjoyed by many but what were there anxieties about?

What did the term ‘Admass’ by J.B. Priestley describe?

Answer 17

• Anxieties about the growth of the new consumer society.
• Describe new society of mass consumption & advertising - which in his view encouraged superficiality.
• As American brands like Ford & Hoover dominated market-were fears about the ‘Americanisation’ of British culture.

Question 18

Poverty

In 1966- what was the housing charity Shelter founded in order to help?

Answer 18

The 12,000 people who were homeless nationwide & tens of thousands of people who were living in temporary accomodation.

Question 19

Poverty

What were people living in poverty unable to enjoy?

In 1967, it was revealed that how many people were still living beneath the poverty line?

Answer 19

• The new consumerism- and instead were forced to struggle in order to survive.
• 7.5 million people, often in cold, damp and dirty homes.

Question 20

Poverty

In 1963, what was Manchester like?

Answer 20

• Still had 80,000 slum houses without running water, heating or inside toilets.
• Most of the homes were overcrowded, depriving their residents of any chance of privacy.

Question 21

Poverty

Who were the most vulnerable residents in the run- down neighborhoods?

In 1965- how many of them lived alone?

What was their quality of life like?

Answer 21

The elderly!

1.5 million- many on small pensions.

Poor- due to dirty, insanitary living conditions, poor diet and loneliness.

Question 22

During the 1960s- what flats were built and what did they replace?

Answer 22

High-rise flats, replace terraced housing in inner-city areas.

Question 23

High-rise flats

What were the flaws with the system-built flats ?

Answer 23

1. Cold & damp affected thousands of homes.
2. 1968- explosion at Ronan Point flats- London- killing 3 people brought scandal to national attention.
3. When examined the cause for the gas leak- used old newspapers instead of concrete in certain parts & flats were unstructurally unsound.
4. Scores of other high-rise housing projects across the country left families stranded in cold & draughty concrete flats on estates that suffered from rising levels of crime.

Question 24

What were the conclusions of the improvements in living standards in the post-war era?

Answer 24

• Were improvements which would have been almost unimaginable in the pre-war period.
• Still lots of poverty- particularly in inner cities.
• Many in Britain enjoyed a consumer culture, in which goods were readily available-often on credit & living standards improved dramatically- fuelled by low unemployment & rising wages.