Blood Brothers (abridged) social and historical context
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- Created by: loupardoe
- Created on: 05-11-16 12:15
time of writing
- 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
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