Modern

• • Life expectancy rose from 50 years (1900) to 77 years (2000).
• • Electricity is now in almost all homes, internet and telephone communication is instant, and travel by car and air is normal.
• • Since WW1, government has taken responsibility for public housing, leading to cheap high rise council flats built with gas and electricity.
• • However, high rises have destroyed some of the community spirit of Industrial back-to-back housing.
• • Food supply has been improved by canned food, refrigeration and the fair prices offered by supermarkets.
• • In WW2, food imports dropped, leading to rationing, which was good for health.
• • Air pollution in cities has been a problem: smog can cause conditions such as pneumonia.
• • The Clean Air Act (1956) tackled this by forcing people to burn smokeless fuel in cities.
• • People have become more inactive (televisions and computers).
• • Between 1918 and 1919 Spanish Flu killed three times more people than WW1.
• • Government helped stop its spread by using cinema and posters to raise awareness.
• • AIDS is a medical condition caused by a virus (HIV), which is transmitted through blood and bodily fluids.
• • Government attempts to prevent AIDS in the 1970s sometimes unfairly targeted gay men.
• • More successful government responses included free HIV tests, TV adverts promoting condoms, and advice for drug users.
• • Government introduced Free School Meals in 1906, helping disadvantaged children get a better start in life.
• • Old Age Pensions were introduced in 1908, improving the living conditions of those too old to work.
• • In 1948, the NHS offered free 'cradle to grave' health care for all UK citizens.
• • The link between smoking and cancer was accepted in 1962, and by 2007 government had banned smoking in public places.
• • Some have criticised government for being too 'nanny state' (the opposite of laissez-faire) and stopping people from acting freely, e.g. choosing to smoke.