there are references throughout the play which suggest that the action is happening some time during the 1960s and 1970s
russell was also influenced by what was happening in the early 1980s when he was writing
issues such as rising unemployment and recession are reflected in the play
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emergence of youth culture
teenagers became a properly recognised age group in the 1960's
for the first time it was widely accepted that young people had their own culture and ways of behaving which made them different from both children and adults
the term youth culture referred to the behaviour and interests of teenagers
fashion, music and hobbies
youth culture was associated with freedom and potential
bands like The Beatles had huge teenage fan bases
their music represented feelings of being young and carefree
young people became an important force in protest movements against things like nuclear weapons
they believed in their power to shape the future, and started to break away from their parents' views
the rise of mass advertising and colour television meant that even children were exposed to films, television programmes and celebrities in a way they hadn't been before
young people often imitated characters from films and television
in the play, the children pretend to be cowboys and indians
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traditional family structure
a time of great social change
big developments in social laws- homosexuality was legalised and divorce became easier
social attitudes in Britain were quite slow to change
families were still expected to have a nuclear structure
single parent families like Mrs Johnston's were less common than they are today and were frowned upon by many
most families were patriarchal- the man went to work, whilst the woman stayed at home to care for the children and household
this is the situation in the lyons household
in contrast, mrs johnston has to fill both roles after her husband walks out on her
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Margaret Thatcher and the decline of traditional i
during the 1970s britain's traditional industries were in decline because they were inefficient and struggling to keep up with foreign competition
britain was suffering from a recession and unemployment was rising
Margaret Thatcher became prime minister in 1979
she believed that britain's traditional industires weren't economically viable anymore, and decided to close them down
the decline of traditional industries had a huge impact on working class communities
widespread unemployment among the working class
most men relied on a single industry for work
if that industry couldn't provide jobs, the whole community was left unemployed
many people had to sign up for benefits
mickey represents the many working class men who became unemployed in this period
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strong class divide
there was a sharp divide in britain between the working class and the middle class
the decline made it worse
working class parents struggled financially even if they were in work or on the dole
many people found it difficult to afford basic things
middle class were largely unaffected
many didn't work in industry- they worked in teaching or accountancy instead
those who did work in declining industries were running them
they had transferable skills and could get new jobs
many middle class parents could afford to send their children to private school
private school led to university and a well-paid job
for most working class children, uni wasn't an option
they needed to work when they left school to support their families
they became stuck in the same low paid jobs for life with little opportunity to progress
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liverpool and the industrial decline
liverpool was a major port
provided lots of jobs at the docks and the shipbuilding industry
made liverpool very vulnerable
liverpool had one the highest unemployment rates in the country
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rehousing from liverpool to the suburbs
after ww2 ended, liverpool began rebuilding to replace the housing lost during bombing raids
huge new estates of council houses were built
constructed so quickly and cheaply that they were poor quality
most had no heating, indoor toilets or gardens
overcrowding was a problem
this is the kind of housing the johnstons have until they are moved
in the 1960s the government began building New Towns
small, existing towns were extended and redeveloped to provide more housing for nearby cities
some residents were upset to be moved from the area they'd always known
others saw it as an opportunity for a better life
hit by the same problems as liverpool when traditional industries went into decline
many big employers left the town
many factory workers lost their jobs
liverpool also had wealthy areas, like where edward lived
Thank you alot I am currently studying blood brothers and have found these revision notes amazingly helpful. And an special thanks to louisepardoe - the one who created these cards for her time and amazing effort to make student's revision stratergies alot easier
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