Social Policy 1950s - 1970s
- Created by: yazmintaylorx
- Created on: 05-02-18 14:51
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- Social policy 1950s - 1970s
- Social Class 1950s & 1960s
- class divisions were weakened by the war
- class was becoming less important and classes were began to shift and mingle together
- the creation of the welfare state was an acknowledgement that the well-being of everyone was a matter of national concern
- rising living standards
- classes still existed and leaders were all from upper classes
- welfare state created; spread of wealth and rise in living standards
- spread of wealth across the population lead to increased affluence
- financial credit and its increasing availability meant that more people could buy possessions; therefore ceased to show wealth
- satire boom in 1950s
- Private Eye
- satire increased through 1960s and support for CND grew
- TW3
- 'Never had it so good'
- Agree
- wages rose ahead of prices; wages rose 6.5% 1948-1958. Adult male wage £8.65 - £18.75 1969
- exported 29% more goods in late 1950s than in 1951
- 10 million TV sets owned in 1960
- unemployment never more than 2%
- 1952-59 consumer expenditure rose by over 50%
- Clean Air Act 1956; London & other cities - better health following the Great Smog 1952 that killed 12,000
- greater availability of credit; consumer boom began; foreign holidays, cars, clothing, mod con
- housing improved; 1951-54 300,000 per year; mortgages available - increased home ownership; 600,000+ built by 1951 and 1.7 million by 1964
- Disagree
- lack of genuine economic policy; stop-go economics and stagflation
- education divides between grammar, comprehensive & technical
- low GDP growth rate due to heavy defence expenditure (2.4% per annum)
- high unemployment
- inflation. tax cuts + increased consumer spending
- Agree
- 1960s Overall
- increases in rates of STDs and five times more **** cases
- Enoch Powell 'Rivers of Blood' Speech
- London dockers went on strike to show support
- Powell now outside political mainstream despite 74% population agreeing with his speech
- caused a political storm - heath sacked him from shadow cabinet
- his political career was over - tipped as future Cons. leader
- mentor to young Thatcher - his economic ideas went on to influence her
- as death penalty abolished, majority verdicts in criminal trials introduced making it easier to get convictions
- surveys in 1965, 1969 & 1971 showed most young people not promiscuous- virgins or married to first & only sex partner
- Mary Whitehouse
- set up National Viewers' and Listeners' Association in 1965
- quickly had over 100,000 members but had no impact on TV programmes shown
- set up 'Clean Up TV' campaign in 1964
- had lots of support and made 300 speeches a year
- set up National Viewers' and Listeners' Association in 1965
- Social Reforms
- Theatres Act 1968
- Abortion Act 1967
- Divorce Reform 1969
- Sexual Offences Act 1967
- Abolition of the Death Penalty 1969
- Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968
- Race Relations Acts 1965 & 1968
- Drugs
- Drugs (Prevention of Misuse) Act 1964 - amphetamines
- Dangerous Drugs Act 1967 - heroin, cocaine & cannabis
- Rates of drug addiction in the UK rising faster than anywhere worldwide
- Ending National Service
- young men no longer so regimented
- hair length grew - socially rebellious statement
- older forms of authority eg church or school were no longer influential in society
- young men no longer so regimented
- Censorship
- 1959 Obscene Publications Act
- 1960 Trail of Lady Chattery's Lover
- Conservationism
- the post-war optimistic belief that technology & modernisation was the answer to everything was now seriously questioned
- economic growth for its own sake now being questioned
- a growing conservation movement wanted to preserve old buildings, towns, museums, monuments, beautiful countryside & even traditional beer
- after the 1960s there was a backlash against modern architecture, tower blocks & motorways
- the post-war optimistic belief that technology & modernisation was the answer to everything was now seriously questioned
- Environment
- environmental movement was created to stop pollution, nuclear power, whaling & other harmful industries
- also a rejection of western values of consumer society
- consumerism as a way of life seen as unsustainable for the planet & morally wrong when there was still so much global poverty
- also a rejection of western values of consumer society
- Also a realisation that the Earth's resources (esp. oil) were finite & being used too quickly
- Greenpeace began in the early 1970s to stop nuclear testing in the Pacific. it grew into a major ecological pressure group of the 1970s & 1980s
- prices of basic goods eg food & fuel fell leaving people with excess income for luxury spending on cars, holidays, homes & consumer items
- prosperity, wages & living standards all improved dramatically across Western world inc. UK
- pollution & waste were becoming major concerns
- by the 1970s there was growing awareness of how industry was harming the environment
- mass consumerism spread to all levels of society as wages out-stripped prices
- 1950-1973 often described as the 'long boom'
- environmental movement was created to stop pollution, nuclear power, whaling & other harmful industries
- Technology
- fibre-optic cable
- hovercraft
- E-Type Jaguar
- V-Style Harrier junk-jet
- ATMs introduced
- Mini created 1959
- Social Class 1950s & 1960s
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