Topic Three - Society in Transition 1918-1979 Flashcards
Changing Role of Women
How many women gained the right to vote in 1918?
8.5 million
Changing Role of Women
How many women stood as parliamentary candidates and were elected in 1918?
- 17 stood
- 1 was elected
- this number remained low in interwar years
Changing Role of Women
How did attitudes of the parties limit women in politics?
Labour was the most pro-women party
Changing Role of Women
How many women worked away from home on farms with the Women’s Land Army in 1944?
80,000
Changing Role of Women
How did women experience a glass ceiling?
In employment - they were unable to secure equal pay to male workers
Changing Role of Women
Why were women restricted to part time work?
A lack of nurseries made child care inaccessible
Changing Role of Women
What % of women were bored of being housewives by late 1950s?
50%
Changing Role of Women
Name some key legislation for women from 1918-1944.
- 1918 ROTPA gave 8.5 million women (over the age of 30 and with property) the right to vote
- 1921 Unemployment benefit now includes wives
- 1928 ROTPA gave women equal voting rights to men
- 1941 TUC pledges itself to equal pay
- 1944 Butler Education Act allows female teachers to marry
Changing Role of Women
Name some key legislation for women from 1944-1979.
- 1961 Contraceptive pill goes on sale in UK for the first time
- 1967 Abortion Act makes abortion legal under medical supervision, the Family Planning Act
- 1970 The Equal Pay Act cements the principal of equal pay into law
- 1974 Contraception becomes free for women in the UK
Changing Role of Women
How did local over national politics limit women 1918-1939?
- women were not in line with working class men’s ideologies
- very few women in power
- women in politics were a foreign idea
Changing Role of Women
How did conflicts of ideologies limit women in politics 1918-1939?
- women in politics was a modern idea
- people pushed against the progression of women in politics
Changing Role of Women
How did the structure of the parties limit women in politics 1918-1939?
- politics was male dominated
- didn’t allow for women to be in the system
- Labour = most pro-women party
Changing Role of Women
Which two committees were established during WW2?
- 1940 - Women Power Committee
- 1941 - Bevan establishes Women’s Consultative Committee
Changing Role of Women
How did pay progress during the war?
- female MPs unable to secure equal pay
- women fought ot earn equal pay compensation for wartime injuries
Changing Role of Women
Name three impacts of WW2 on politics for women.
- more experienced female politicians meaning men could no longer deny that women were able to work in politics
- women began working together despite differing political views
- male MPs started taking women’s issues more seriously
Changing Role of Women
Name four acts which changed women’s home lives in the 1960s and 1970s.
- 1967 Family Planning Act
- 1967 Abortion Act
- 1969 Divorce Reform Act
- 1970 Matrimonial Proceedings and Property Act
Changing Role of Women
What did the 1975 Employment Protection Act do?
- introduced statutory maternity provision
- made maternity pay available to all female workers
- made it illegal to fire a women because she is pregnant
Changing Role of Women
How many female MPs in 1945-1955 vs 1975?
- 1945-1955: 24/630
-1975: 23/635
Changing Role of Women
When was the Equal Pay Act introduced?
1975
Changing Role of Women
What % of lawyers and doctors were women by the 1960s?
Lawyers - 15%
Doctors - 5%
Changing Role of Women
Name some limitations of WW2 on women.
- only allowed non-combat roles
- manual roles over formal roles (ignored skill sets and intelligence)
- practical impacts of the war were limited (women returned to domestic roles)
- female attitudes changed but male attitudes had not
Changing Role of Women
Which two services offered shelter to bombing victims?
- The Women’s Voluntary Service
- Civil Defence Forces
Changing Role of Women
Why did women return to domestic roles after their work in WW1?
- pressure from the TUs to give returning men their jobs back
- 1919 Restoration of Pre-War Practises Act
Changing Role of Women
When did Women’s Lib meet in Oxford, and what did they fight for?
- met in Oxford in 1970 to set an agenda for ‘women’s Lib’
- fought for equal education and equal pay
- free contraception
- free abortions
- healthcare and provision
- promoted feminist literature
Changing Role of Women
How did Trade Unions impact women?
- women joined TU’s between 1914-1918: many TUs rejected women or only offered temporary membership
- TUs allowed discrimination in the workplace to continue for women
- the first female leader of the TUC was elected in 2012
- Trade Unions = male dominated until 1980s - made an effort to increase female representation
Changing Role of Women
Which areas had a mainly female workforce during WW2?
- munitions manufacture
- parachute manufacture
- uniform manufacture
- aircraft manufacture
Changing Role of Women
Name two factors which limited women in their marriages.
- 1946 National Insurance Act
- Women’s domestic work was not recognised in divorce proceedings
Changing Role of Women
How did women feel about returning to domestic roles after WW1?
most women accepted this
Changing Role of Women
What was quickly re-established after WW1?
the marriage-bar
Changing Role of Women
How did WW2 change work for women?
Women were cconscripted to do ‘male work’ during WW2 because of a loss of manpower
How did the attitudes of women towards work change post-WW2?
the money earned by women during the war led to a change in female aspirations
Changing Role of Women
What impact did WW2 have on the standing of women in society?
- women were not equal to men
- men now accepted women as workers
Changing Role of Women
What impact did the 1950s-60s have on women’s employment?
the period cemented women’s participation in the workplace
Changing Role of Women
What changes in the 1950s-60s increased women’s ability to work?
- Labour-saving devices such as the washing machine enabled women to devote less time to domestic chores
- Shifts in the Labour Market resulted in more part-time or semi-skilled job roles
- part-time work made up the majority of female employment
- Government legislation also prompted female employment
Changing Role of Women
What change to women’s roles occured in the 1960s-70s?
- Second-wave feminists challenged marriage as a main life goal for women
Changing Role of Women
How did the media limit progression of women’s family life in the 1960s-70s?
- the roles of dutiful wife, mother and homemaker were glamorized in women’s magazines
- the reality for many women was dull and isolating
Changing Role of Women
How did Women’s work progress overall from 1918-1979?
- women in the workplace saw great advancements
- Both world wars saw a rise in female employment
- ultimately were limited by the glass ceiling of unequal pay
- very few women in white collar sectors of work
Changing Role of Women
How was the ROTPA limiting to women in politics?
- no clear link between the right to vote and political advancement
Changing Role of Women
Who was the first woman elected to the General Council of the TUC, and when?
- Margaret Bondfield
- 1918
Challenging Class Structure
What is the Upper Class?
- a small percentag eof the population
- had great wealth, opportunity and access to elite social events
- owned large amounts of land
Challenging Class Structure
When did the Season end?
1958
Challenging Class Structure
What did the ending of the Season mean for the Upper Class?
- the clear identity and social glue of the Upper Classes was slipping away
Challenging Class Structure
What was the mortality rate like for the Upper Class during WW1?
- higher proportion compared to the other classes
- 20.7% of Old Etonians serving died
- 12.1% of serving soldiers died
- largely due to the Upper Class serving as Officers who were expected to lead from the front during the war
Challenging Class Structure
How did tax for the Upper Class change during WW1?
- faced huge rise in income tax over the course of WW1
- estates worth over £2 millon were dubject to 40% income tax
Challenging Class Structure
How was the political dominance of the Upper Class diminished?
through the rise of the Labour Party
Challenging Class Structure
Why did the Upper Class maintain cultural power?
- the country house lifestyle remained the goal for most Britons
- allowed the Upper Classes to continue to wield cultural power
Challenging Class Structure
What is the Middle Class?
- Neither the cultural elite or the manual labourers
- Split into the Upper Middle Class and the Lower Middle Class
- Lower Middle Class often worked very hard to seperate themselves from the less desirable working class
- Most were homeowners and maintained white collar jobs
Challenging Class Structure
What was the political standing of the Middle Class, and why?
- Lots of the Middle Class backed the Conservatives
- they were very concerned with the working class invading their lives
Challenging Class Structure
What factors drove Middle Class expansion?
- the growth of respectable jobs in STEM
- salaried jobs in management and administration
Challenging Class Structure
How did the Middle Class view themselves?
- modern
- progressive
- financially responsible
Challenging Class Structure
What % of the Middle Class were homeowners by 1939?
60%
Challenging Class Structure
What factor created worry for the Middle Class?
- rising wokring class incomes
Challenging Class Structure
What is the Working Class?
- a mixture of skilled + unskilled workers and criminals
- there was a great divide within the working class between the employed and the unemployed
Challenging Class Structure
How did Trade Union membership change in the 1910s and 1920s?
- between 1914-1918: TU membership rose by 90%
- During the 1920-22 recession: TU membership fell by 40%
Challenging Class Structure
How did the policies of Total War throughout WW2 impact the Working Class?
Rationing during the war promoted Working Class health and boosted life expectancy
Challenging Class Structure
How was housing limited for the Working Class?
landlord took advantage of tenants
Challenging Class Structure
How was the Working Class divided?
- the employed enjoyed rising wages
- the unemployed continued to live in squalor despite government intervention
Challenging Class Structure
What was the political standing of the Working Class in the inter-war years?
- around 1/2 of the working class voted Conservative
Challenging Class Structure
Why were the Working Class passive from the 50s?
growing consumerism
Challenging Class Structure
How did Class Structure change from 1918-1979?
- the rise of mass education and welfare promoted social mobility and blurred class boundaries pre-1979
- mass media further democraticised British society
- Cheaper consumer goods paired with a growth of disposable income (cycle of prosperity) evened out people’s access to material goods and leisure pursuits
- By 1979, more people identified as Middle Class owing to a growth in average wealth and income + the rise in white collar jobs
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was the Permissive/Liberal society?
a society in which social norms became increasingly Liberal, especially with regards to sexual freedom.
Challenges to traditional ideas
Why was the 1960s significant to the growth of The Liberal Society?
- a pivotal decade when legal, medical and social changes led to growth of liberal values
- several laws were passed regarding abortion, birth control, divorce and homosexuality
Challenges to traditional ideas
What impact did WW2 have on traditional values?
- they had been undermined when husbands and wives were seperated
- promoted sex outside of marriage
- encouraged divorce
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was ‘Married Love’?
- a book by Marie Stopes
- released in 1918
- challenged the reluctance to discuss sex in public
- suggested that women should enjoy sex in their marriage as well as men
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was the passing of Liberal Laws between 1959-1969 seen as?
a move towards a more ‘civilised’ society
Challenges to traditional ideas
Why were Liberal Laws limited?
just because legislation was changing doesn’t mean attitudes were
Challenges to traditional ideas
How were teenagers impacted by the Liberal Society?
- there was decline in the importance placed on marriage
- there was suggestions that the idea of sexual revolution was exaggerated
- suggestions that promiscuity amongst teenagers was not the norm
Challenges to traditional ideas
When was the Wolfenden Report released?
published in 1957
Challenges to traditional ideas
What did the Wolfenden Report state?
- that the criminalisation of homosexuality was an infringement on Civil Liberty
- that the law should protect the young and other vulnerable individuals by preventing abuse
- that the law should not intrude into matters of personal morality
Challenges to traditional ideas
Why were the recommendations of the Wolfenden Report not implemented until the mid-1960s?
The Cabinet opposed any proposal to implement Wolfenden’s recommendations
Challenges to traditional ideas
Why were Liberal Laws controversial?
they looked to change attitudes
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was the 1959 Obscene Publications Act?
made it a punishable offence to distribute, circulate, sell, hire, lend or give away any ‘obscene material’ (material likely to ‘deprave and corrupt’ an intended audience)
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was the 1961 Suicide Act?
- decriminalised the act of suicide
- any third party assisiting in or encouraging suicide was committing a criminal offence
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was the 1965 Murder Act?
abolished Capital punishment in Britain
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was the 1967 Sexual Offences Act?
- legalised sexual practises between all consenting adults
- across the country there was slow but growing toleration of homosexuality
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was the 1967 Abortion Act?
legalised abortion on certain grounds when carried out by registered practitioners
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was the 1967 Family Planning Act?
- removed restrictions of medical or marital status on women’s access to local authority birth control services
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was the 1969 Divorce Reform Act?
- made divorce much easier
- to supporters - helped to end years of private suffering and domestic suffering
- to critics - encouraged the break-up of families
Challenges to traditional ideas
Why was Mary Whitehouse significant?
- first became concerned about modern morality
- she joined a group called Moral Rearmament that aimed to ‘remake the world’
- she campaigned against pornography and her letters to the governemnt aided in bringing about numerous laws
Challenges to traditional ideas
What did Mary Whitehouse do in 1964?
secured 500,000 signatures on her Clean-Up TV petition, which she sent to the Queen
Challenges to traditional ideas
What did Mary Whitehouse do in 1977?
published a book entitled ‘Whatever Happened to Sex?’
Challenges to traditional ideas
Who opposed the Liberal Society?
- religious leaders
- public figures
- Conservative Politicians
Challenges to traditional ideas
Which politician actively opposed the Liberal Society?
- Thatcher
- became increasingly outspoken about her fears for public standards of decency
- complained that ‘basic Christian values are under attack’.
Challenges to traditional ideas
What was the Nationwide Festival of Light?
- staged in Hyde Park in 1971
- used to promote Christian Morality
- attracted crowds of over 100,000 people
- had little impact on permissive trends in the media
Challenges to traditional ideas
What types of divides were there in the Liberal Society?
regional divide as well as generational divide
Race and Immigration
What was 1914 British Nationality and Status Aliens Act?
introduced passports to stop wartime espionage
Race and Immigration
What was the 1919 Alien Orders Act?
- immigrants had to gain work permits to work in Britain
- immigrants had to register with the police and maintain lawful behaviour or face deportation
- all black and Asian people placed under threat of deportation
Race and Immigration
How many Jews were there in Britain by the start of WW2?
300,000
Race and Immigration
When and where was ‘The Battle of Cable Street’?
- 1936
- East End London which had a large amount of Jewish immigrants
Race and Immigration
Who led the ‘Battle of Cable Street’?
- Oswald Mosely and the BUF
Race and Immigration
What was the 1925 Special Restrictions Act?
- ‘Coloured Alien Seaman Act’
- forced all non-white seamen to prove their British citizenship to immigration authorities or face deportation
- assumed that all ‘coloured’ seamen were non-British unless citizenship proved
Race and Immigration
Which groups fought for the rights of ethnic minorities in Britain?
- Communist Party of Great Britain
- The International African Service Bureau
Race and Immigration
When was the 1919 Alien Order Act revoked?
1942
Race and Immigration
How many Poles were recruited work work in Britain post-WW2?
as many as 10,000
Race and Immigration
Which two government agencies advertised posts across the New Commonwealth?
- Transport for London
- the NHS
Race and Immigration
What is the evidence for a growth of immigration in post-war Britain?
1951 - 80,000 total population of ethnic minorities (0.2% of total Uk population)
1961 - 500,000 total population of ethnic minorities (0.8% of total Uk population)
1971 - 1,500,000 total population of ethnic minorities (3.3% of total Uk population)
Race and Immigration
What organisation was set up by the Government to investigate ways to promote racial integration in Britain?
the Inter-departmental Committee on Colonial People in the Uk
What did British Universities direct their sociological research to in the 1950s?
the ‘colour problem’
Race and Immigration
What did British Universities urge the Labour government to do?
adopt a policy against racial discrimination as racial tensions were growing in the 1950s
Race and Immigration
What were the biggest areas of black settlement in the Uk?
- Liverpool
- London
- Birmingham
Race and Immigration
What were Teddy Boy gangs?
- gangs formed to intimidate black men who were ‘taking their women’
When was the Notting Hill Race Riot?
1958
Race and Immigration
Why was the Notting Hill race Riot significant?
- the riot escalated across Britain and lasted around 2 months
- more than 100 whit emen were arrested
- The Notting Hill Carnival was founded the following year to promote racial harmony
Race and Immigration
What was the impact of Race Riots?
- exposed the failings of local councils
- led to a re-evaluation of race relations on both sides
Race and Immigration
What was the 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act?
- if a voucher proving a job had been secured then residence in Britain was allowed
- dependents were also allowed to come to Britain
Race and Immigration
What was the 1968 Commonwealth Immigrants Act?
- sought to limit immigration levels
- established a ‘grandfather clause’
- immigrants must have a British-born parent or grandparent in addition to an employment voucher
Race and Immigration
What was the 1965 and 1968 Race Relations Act?
- established race relations boards
- banned incitement of racial hatred in public places
- made it illegal for landlords to discriminate on racial lines
Race and Immigration
What was the 1971 Immigration Act?
- replaced employment vouchers with 12 month work permits
- more stability and security
- meant that immigrants could only stay in Britain for a limited amount of time
Race and Immigration
What was the 1976 Race Relations Act?
- 3rd Race Relations Act
- toughened laws against racial discrimination
- Set up Commission for Racial Equality
Race and Immigration
Who ran in the 1959 General Election?
- Oswald Mosely for the BUF
- Campaigned against immigration
- Only got 8% of the vote
Race and Immigration
What happened in the 1964 General Election?
- Conservative candidate used a campaign slogan that used derogatory terms against black people
- The candidate won his seat
Race and Immigration
When was The National Front formed?
1967
Race and Immigration
What was the stance of The National Front?
- firmly opposed immigration
Race and Immigration
How many members did The National Front have by the mid-1970s?
- 20,000
- this support collapsed by the end of the decade
Race and Immigration
Who was Enoch Powell?
- a Conservative MP
Race and Immigration
What speech did Enoch Powell deliver in 1968?
‘Rivers of Blood’
Race and Immigration
What did the ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech claim?
- warned of a violent future for Britain if the number of immigrants remained unchecked
Race and Immigration
What happened to Enoch Powell after the ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech?
- he was fired by Edward Heath the day after the speech
- A petition to stop his termination acrued over 30,000 signatures
Race and Immigration
How popular was Enoch Powell?
an opinion poll showed that over 75% agreed with him on issues raised in his ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech.
