Living standards

• Wages

  8.30 in 1951 to 18.35 in 1964

  • real wages increase
  • wages rise above inflation
• Financial credit 


  Access purchase increase

  • 1950 - 1965 sales quadruple from 1.5 million to 5.5 million private cars
  • Foreign holidays and mod cons came within reach
• Prewar slums are cleared and towns such as harlow are built
• advertising industry highlighted surge of hire purchase
• Never had it so good
• 300,000 new homes a year
• 1.7 million homes built during whole conservatev reign
• 1957 - rent act

  • abolished rent controls
  • 6 million properties on market
  • rents rose for poorer but sacrifice to stimulate rent economy
  • made this possible was credit
• property owning democracy
• Unemployment rises to 500k
• robbins report

  • recommended huge expansion of higher education
• Did not actively oppose comprehensive spread
• Emphasises need for technical courses to assist populace - white report affirms
• Conservative approach saw no radical reform to education
• Class :

  • becoming less of an issue after ww2
  • blitz and rationing made realisation of artificial class divide
  • Evacuation showed bad conditions living
  • Conscription of Bevin boys to mines
  • Education opening up
  • Immigration rising
  • Welfare system = national concer
  • Availabilty fo mortgage and properties
• Class was an attitude of mind as much as possessions and wealth
• The establishment :

  • old boy network - conservatives didn’t challenge this image
• new conservatism aimed for a socially mobile society

  • consumerism as a result of credit blurs class distinctions
  • lower middle class earned less tan working class but attitude was derogatory