1964-70

• The Profumo Affair 1963


  Scandal. John Profumo - secretary state for War - had an affair with Christine Keeler. Impact: Shook Tory confidence. Wilson used affair to attack government. Labour became 20% higher in opinion polls. Affair = catalyst for 64 election
• Why did people feel more affluent in the late 1950s/ 60s?

  - Improved welfare services e.g education / housing - Deduction in income / purchase tax - Working hours reduced (most employers able to take 2 weeks holiday a year)- Rise in real wages
• Optimist / Pessimist view of increasing consumerism

  Optimist = argued Britain was entering a new era of prosperity that would destroy old class divisions + bring harmony Pessimist = believed more materialistic outlook would encourage individualism / destroy community relationships + widen gap between affluent majority + less socially privileged
• Overview of Wilson's government 64 - 70

  -By 1970, it was felt Wilson had not lived up to expectations -Felt as if Labour had promised a lot but delivered little -Made a lot of important social reform (even though not everybody supported it at the time) -Gov was responsible for : rising unemployment / inflation / restricting TUs / immigration control / support of USA in Vietnam
• Why did the Conservatives win the 1959 election?

  Con strengths = Benefitted from 50s economic boom + rise in living standards / able to make tax cuts of around £350 million before election / Real wages increased / Employment was high / more people considered themselves middle class Lab weaknesses = Gaitskell said he would increase pensions but didn't say how / viewed as representing working class / splits had weakened them
• Failures / Successes of Macmillan (57 -63)

  Successes: kept party united / economically - limited inflation and kept unemployment low / real wages rose and boom in late 50s. Andrew Boxer 'there was real progress under the conservatives'Failures: 1962 'Night of the long knives' 1963 Profumo affair. /Despite economic successes, economy was also flagging + not focused on long term / establishment becoming discredited
• Why did Labour win the 1964 election?


  Labour strengths = Wilson's grammar school background was fresh change from Tory establishment figures / Labour more in touch with idea of 'social revolution' / Wilson good on TV and put emphasis on 'White Heat' and boost of technology. Conservative weaknesses= Payments crisis 62 lead to 'night of long knives' - rejection of 63 petition to enter EEC was major blow to Mac- Alec Douglas Home seemed backward / out of touch - mocked because strong establishment figure
• Rise in consumer goods

  - 69% of homes had a refrigerator by 71 - By 1961, 75% of the population had a TV in their home, by 1971, it was 91%
• Explain why advertising spread

  - economic boom / affluence = increase in consumerism - technology changes - colour TV, brighter colours for press and print = growth of mass media - more leisure time
• Why was there a growth in leisure?

  - shorter working hours. Before WW2, average working week = 48 hours, In 1950s, this fell to 40 hours - Rising incomes / living standards - Mass ownership of cars - Growth of tourist companies + 'package holidays
• Increased car ownership (figures)

  - Made up 77% of journeys by 74 -Almost half of all households had a car by 1969 Reasons why? - Easy means of travelling around - Became affordable - techno improvements e.g mini
• Impact of car ownership on railways?

  -By 1960, British rail was faced with £104 million loss - 1961 chairman of British transport commission made a series of drastic proposals e.g. The closure of all branch lines
• Mass tourism


  - British + Foreign holidays increased over the 60s - majority opted for British seaside resorts - Coach companies blossomed - development of air travel overseas + arrival of cheap 'package' holidays had large impact on number of holidays - General Franco - Spanish leader - eager to encourage overseas tourists. Encouraged development of many areas e.g. Benidorm (where 30% of all package holidays were taken)
• Impact of mass tourism

  - travelling abroad did not cause drastic change in Britain's tastes - however, wine became more popular / other continental foods e.g. Pasta / certain veg / herbs - Elizabeth David's 'French provincial cooking' popular
• Changes in music

  - 1967 - radio / programmes such as top of the pops helped spread latest trends in music - lots of music emerged from art collages - Elvis Presley first important figure for youth in 50s - Technological changes also contributed to popularity / change of music - cheap record players / louder electric guitars / more sophisticated microphones
• What caused the emergence of youth culture ?

  - baby boom - young people accounted for a larger amount of the population than ever before - economic boom - young people brought up in fairly stanly country unlike their parents - availability of jobs - young could earn own money + spend it on consumer goods - provided 40% of the marker for records and record players
• In 1959, how many manual workers considered themselves to be 'middle class'?


  40%
• Consumer spending figures

  £16 million at end of 1959 to £16.75 million at the end of 1969
• Radicalism of youth

  -'Teddy boys' 1950's. 'Rockers' and 'mods' 1960's. There were a number of clashes between mods and rockers but this was extremely exaggerated by the media. - Protests - Rise of CND (organisation against testing nuclear weapons) - mainly attracted middle class youth. 90% of marchers at the CND march were under 25 - Anti - Wat protest: VSC (Vietnam solidarity campaign) coincided with student protests (influenced by France and Italy ) - problems over teaching methods / organisation / room
• Liberal society 1965 -67


  - Roy Jenkins became Labour secretary under Wilson in 65. Introduced many liberal laws: - censorship relaxed = - literature - lady chatterley's lover published in 1960 - cinema - pop - group movies grew more daring e.g. darling 1965 and a clockwork orange 1971 -theatre -TV - issues of sex, violence, politics and religion now tackled. However, many against this - Mary Whitehouse urged government to clean up TV - Abolition of death penalty 1969- Divorce law 1969: couples could divorce if they had lived apart for 2 years and both wanted it or they had lived apart for 5 years and one wanted it. By mid 70s, 1/2 marriages ended in divorce - Abortion act 1967 permitted legal termination of a pregnancy within the first 28 weeks, under medical supervision and with the written consent of 2 doctors - sexual offences act 1967 - allowed homosexual relations between consenting makes over she of 21
• Permissive society?

  Contraceptive pill -introduced 1961, only really affluent married women could get it at first. Impact not that big on other groups of people Media - permissive ideas spread through media - lots of people against e.g Mary WhitehouseDrug culture - cocaine + heroin addiction rose by 10 in the first half of the 60s. Encouraged by hippy movement and music culture e.g. Beatles. Dangerous drug act 67 clamped down on drug possession.
• Changes that impacted women

  - Technology - labour saving devices e.g. Washing machine - Increased education and availability of jobs - changes in fashion - seemed more liberating but also reinforced female stereotype as sex objects - changes in attitudes to marriage e.g. Easier to divorce
• Fashion

  By 1967, 50% of women's clothes manufactured were sold to 15 - 19 year olds -2000 boutiques in London alone during mid - 60s - Mary Quant / Barbara Hulanicki / Laura Ashley designers- Fashion was almost rebellious - boys grew hair long + girls wore mini skirts
• Wilson's successes and failures 64 - 70


  Successes - Harold Wilson had a 'man of the people persona' / identified with the changes in youth culture - contrast to Alec Douglas Home - Created new department of economic affairs + ministry of technology - won 110 seat majority in 1966Weaknesses - Budget deficit double what predicted / uncertainty about finance caused splits / strike action became normal e.g. Seamen / 1967 - devaluation of the pound - blamed strike action.
• Edward Heath's Conservative government 1970 - 74


  - Aim to re-vitalise British business / reduce rises in prices + reduce. Accused of making U-Turn = unemployment - 1973 oil crisis on world economy made holding down prices impossible. -1972 1 million people unemployment - highest since depression in 30s - 1970 Industrial Relations Act restricted rights of workers to strike