The Making of Modern Britain 3- Social Developments

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What was Britain like in 1951?
Still shaped by the Second World war. Widespread visual signs of war damage.
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How old was the NHS?
3 years old. But precription charges on specticles and false teeth were introduced.
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What did the school leaving age increase to?
15. The 1944 Education Act (Grammar, Sec Modern, Technology) was now ensuring increasing numbers of young people were going to university.
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How did war shape British society?
Showed it wasnt static. Caused significant social change, along with the introduction of a welfare state.
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Those who attended the Festival of Britain felt what?
They were on the edge of a new modern world, a wolrd of techological and social progress.
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Many chidlren were born in a short space of time, what is this called?
Baby boom.
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What needed to happen to Britain's infrastructure?
Was badly run down and in need of modernisation.
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What did the huses of Britain need?
More housing development to replace the war damage and to deal with the decay of the housing stock that had been neglected the prevous decade.
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What happned to the pre-war slums?
They were cleared.
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What were built in place of these?
New towns were built, such as Harlow in essex and Kirkby on Merseyside.
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How popular were they?
The grew rapily. towns like Stevenage, Crawley and Corby planned by Labour in the 1940's also grew quickly.
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What did this mean for the traditonal communities?
The shifts in population meant that they had broken up.
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How were the economic indicators looking in 1952?
Pointing up.
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What did men's weekly wage go up to?
From £8.31 in 1951 to £15.35 in 1961.
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When did food rationing completly end?
July 1954.
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How big was the increase in birth rate?
By 1961, there were 5% more people than in 1951.
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How did homeownership increase?
By the easy access to cheap mortgages.
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But how were people in council houses letting it down?
The were increasing and it outnumbered the private homeowners in the 1950's.
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How was affluence shown in Britain?
The surge in ownership of consumer goods.
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How much did the ownership of TV's go up by? `
32% from 1957-59.
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How many people wacthed the Queen's coronation?
56% of the population.
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How much did car ownership go up by?
25%.
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When did the motorway system begin building?
1958.
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How many miles were built from 1959 to 63?
1200 miles.
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How maany people holidayed to Butlins each week?
60,000
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But how many went abroad?
Only 2%.
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How did class loyality remain important to people?
In general elections. 1951 election, 65% working class voted Labour and 80% middle class voted Tory.
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How was there a shift in attitudes in the late 50's?
The Suez Crisis exposed government's lying and the rise of CND in 1958 encouraged challenge to the authority.
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What did this mean for the class society?
The gradual breakdown of old social restrictions and a loss of deference.
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What were the public less likely to follow now these new attitudes had emerged?
The Establishment
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What was the Establishment?
An informal network that connected the social and political elites.
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Who were the people involved in the Establishment?
Priveledged people, mostly male who had influence and who 'knew the people who mattered'.
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What was the Establishment also known as?
The Old Boys Network.
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What positions were the Establishment from?
aristocracy, politicians, civil servants, judges etc.
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What schools did the Establishment come from?
Most executive public schools, and then progressed to Oxford and Cambridge.
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How did the Profumo Affair show decline in deference?
It provided the press to investigate the sexual behaviour of those involved.
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What was the Profumo Affair?
John Profumo, the Defence Secutary had an affair with Christine Keeler. She was also sleeping with a Soviet Spy.
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By 1960, what was there in Britain?
A satire boom.
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What was Private Eye?
1961. Rapidly established a loyal following fro it's witty disrespect for the famous.
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1962, Tv show 'That was the week that was' on BBC. How did it become famous?
It satirised and lampooned public figures.
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What did the critics of the Establishment believe?
Thought Britain was being held back by the ruling elites.
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How was the Conservatives linked to the Establishment?
Governments between 1951 to 1964 were dominanted by the Establishment.
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What did Macmillan's government include that made it part of the Establishment?
A duke, an heir to a barony, a marquess and 3 earls.
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By the late 1950's, what group led the way in using the arts to attack the behaviour of the establishment?
'Angry young men'.
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How did they rebel against traditional theatre and literature?
Produced books and plays that reflected contemporary society.
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Name the first play that was very controversial?
Look back in anger, by John Osbourne in 1956. Peopel called it 'the best young play of it's decade'.
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What else was portrayed in the new contemporary society?
More gritty portrayals of sex and violence.
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Name one book that showed this.
Lady Chatterley’s Lover, a sexually explicit novel (1962)
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What happened to this book?
Went to court under the Obscenity Act.
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What were women seen as?
Housewives. Ideal women was a wife and mother.
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What was the average age of marriage?
21, 75% of women were married.
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How many women went to work in 1951?
Only 1 in 5.
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What was the family allowance?
A weekly benefit paid for each child in each family. Renamed child benefit in 1977.
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What was the aim of the family allowance?
to make sure that women didn't need to go to work.
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How were mortgages and bank accounts in the husband's name mean for women?
Meant women were finacially dependant upon their husbands.
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How was it seen if women worked?
Damaging for the children.
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What did the trade unions believe about women working?
Believed ir would lower wages, so didnt support them.
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For those women who did work, what improvements were there?
Equal pay for teachers in 1952 and civil servants in 1954.
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How were women's lives improved at home?
Saved by new labour saving devices.
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Between 1957-59, how much did the number of households owning a washing machine raise by?
54%
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How much did households owning a refrigerator raise by?
58%.
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What was starting in America that was soon coming to Britain?
Second Wave Feminism.
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What was seen at the coronation in 1953?
Evident enthuasium for the commonwealth ideal.
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What did the New Commonwealth and the rush of West Indian migrants cause?
Social change and social tension.
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What did these West Indian people arrive on?
The Empire Windrush in 1948. Carried out 492 migrant workers seeking a new life in Britain.
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How many commonwealth immigrants were there in 1958?
210,000.
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Why did Enoch Powell encourage people to come to England?
Due to a nursing shortage.
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How many Black and Asian were there by 1961?
337,000.
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What rights ddid these newcomers have in Britain?
Had full rights to British citizenship as they were part of the Commonwealth.
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What were public attitudes towards immigration?
Mixed. General feeling of tolerance, yet others were extremely racist.
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What did popular papers begin to worry about?
worries about the cleanliness, sexual habits and criminal behaviour of migrants from Jamaica and the West Indies.
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Who were partly to blame for the rising tensions?
Teddy Boys.
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How much outward migration was there in 1950's?
1.32 million Brits left for a new life. Received a total 676,000 immigrants seeking permanant residence.
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How much migration in the early 1960's?
Inward migration was 1.25 million and outward was at 1.92 million.
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How did the authorities regard immigration?
Economically desirable. Hoped social tensions were decrease over time.
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What happened in August 1958 in Nottingham?
Nottingham gangs of white youths went on '****** hunts'.
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What happened in the Notting Hill Riots in 1958?
Area of large Carribean popn. White youths attacked West Indians. Later, there was concerted violence in the other direction. Polcie were unprepared to deal with this.
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What happened to the Black Notting Hill community?
Many were left hospitalised.
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Who was the leader of British fascism?
Oswald Mosley.
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How did he use the issue to his advantage?
Stood as the Union Movement Candidate in the 1959 election for Kensington North, On the platform for repatriation.
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What is repatriation?
Returning someone to their place of origin.
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What was passed in 1962?
the Commonwealth Immigrants Act. Relecutance to do such a thing.
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What was becoming of youth in the 50's?
A discernable youth culture.
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How was their time changing?
Girls did not need to help their mother's at home as much, Boys no loger had to take part in National service.
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What was National Service?
Conscripted young men for two years in military uniform. Introduced in 1947.
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How were youths different from their parents?
Dressed diferently, listened to different music, went to coffee houses instead of tea houses.
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What had the post-war baby boom done for the popn?
Swelled in the number of teenagers.
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How many teenagers were there in Britain by 1959?
5 million, almost 10% of the popn.
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What did young people have the money for?
Buy records and fashion, helped to create their own culture.
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What had now appeared in the media which sugested a change in young people?
Televison shows and magazines that reflected the culture.
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In the early 1950's, who were the most obvious case of youth culture?
Teddy Boys. Dressed in long coats, narrow trousers and winklepicker shoes. Trying to challenge the older generation.
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What were Teddy Boys linked to?
Increasing crime rates and juvenile delinquency.
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What were the Teddy Boys replaced with in the late 1950's?
Mods and the Rockers,
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What typ eof music was around in the mid 50's?
Rock and Roll, Bill Hadley's Rock Around the Clock, with Elvis Presley follwoing close behind.
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What were the characteristics of a Rocker?
Rode a motorcycle, wore leather and listened tor rock and roll
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What were the charcacteristics of a Mod?
Rode scooters, wore smart suits and preferred 'sophisticated' pop music.
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Did the Mods and Rockers get on?
No. Frequent clashes in the early 60's.
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Which events cuased the most wide-scale panic?
Large scale organised rioting in Clacton, Margate and brighton in May 1964.
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What happened specifically in Brighton?
Fighting went on for two days, with police struggling to restore order. People believed that it was undermining the foundations of society.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

How old was the NHS?

Back

3 years old. But precription charges on specticles and false teeth were introduced.

Card 3

Front

What did the school leaving age increase to?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

How did war shape British society?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Those who attended the Festival of Britain felt what?

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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