The Welfare State 1945-64

• Following the creation of the NHS in 1946, there was a backlog of cases and 'dandruff syndrome' as healthcare was more accessible to those who needed it
• The lack of funds coupled with the Korean War expenditure led to Gaitskell's prescription charges 1951 for dentures, glasses and dentist appointments
• The conservatives established a range of committees to tackle expenditure: The Cohen Commission 1956 to tackle GP inequalities; Guillebaud Commission 1956 to address cost issues but found spending had decreased from 3.75% of GDP to 3.25%; Clean Air Act 1956 to tackle pollution issues in London; Mental Health Plan 1961 closed asylums and established modern facilities; Hospital Plan 1962 funded £560 million and built 90 hospitals, refurbished 356 and modernised 134 as many hospitals were old fashioned or ex-workhouses
• The Upper class remained in decline due to tax rates being high and the price of land being lower than preWW1 rates
• The Middle Class grew due to increased 'class mobility' and a system based more on meritocracy
• House prices were low but taxes were high and at their highest 90% which was known as super tax and aimed at the redistribution of wealth
• The 1959 Obscene Publications Act allowed artistic intention to be considered, making the judgement more subjective and resulting in Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover winning the court case and being published because of its 'Literary Merit'
• Full employment encouraged women to work however the Marriage Bar in most workplaces meant that they had to stop once they were married
• Feminist views began to rise. Simone Beauvoir was a French Philosopher who published 'The Second Sex' in 1949 and Betty Freidan published 'The Feminine Mystique' in 1963
• Homosexuality remained illegal (for men) however there was a shift from the view of it as a moral crime to viewing it as a mental illness
• Home Secretary David Maxwell Fyfe ordered the persecution of homosexuals and many arrests were made by 'accident' when investigating other crimes eg Alan Turing (who was sentenced to chemical castration) or made through 'honey potting' which involved laying traps to catch men out
• The Homosexual Law Reform Society was established as well as the Wolfenden Commission. This was tasked with discussing prostitution and homosexuality
• Immigration increased from the 'New Commonwealth' including the SS Empire Windrush. Tensions began to rise with Teddy Boy Gangs who believed they were stealing women and jobs
• The 1962 Commonwealth Immigration Act required immigrants to have secured a job
• Capital Punishment is changed due to Sidney Silverman's attempts to draw attention to the miscarriages of justice such as Timothy Evans
• Corporal Punishment remained in schools until the 70s and for assaults on prison staff (until 1962) But was abolished in most cases from 1947
• Real disposable income rose 30% in the 1950s and 22% in the 1960s
• Almost every household had a TV by the 70s and ownership of other household appliances also increased
• Teenagers also had disposable income for clothes, makeup and cars
• The first supermarket was opened at this time and was cheap and convenient so there were 3500 by 1971
• The removal of Retail Price Maintenance allowed supermarkets to slash and undercut local shops
• Consumer credit also rose
• Typical films involved genteel drawing-room comedies or murder mysteries. Shelagh Delaney's Taste of Honey confronted issues of race and contained a gay character
• The Carry On films began in 1958 which were low budget comedies aimed at the working class
• War films died out but experienced a revival in 1955 with The Dambusters, Bridge on the River Kwai and Lawrence of Arabia
• There was also an increase in horror films, especially the franchises of Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein
• Ian Fleming's Bond novels depicted an idealised version of Britain as strong and powerful (which wasn't because of the Suez Crisis)
• The Suez crisis and consequent lack of petrol led to compact smaller cars being developed such as Minis
• Train travel decreased as it was expensive and this led to 2363 station closes under the Beeching Report
• Holiday camps like Butlins and Pontins became popular in this time period as working-class holidays
• The Middle class tended to go to seaside locations as car ownership was high. Middle-class families visited National Trust locations, museums and campsites
• In the 50s the cross channel car ferry allowed holidays abroad to become more popular including school trips
• Plane travel also increased and were part of 'package holidays' which were appealing as the Reps spoke English so language wasn't an issue
• The BBC included the Home Service (news and discussion), the Light Programme (popular music and comedy) and the Third Programme (classical music, poetry, theatre)
• Rock and Roll music spread to Britain from America and led to British figures such as Cliff Richard
• The Skiffle movement also grew in popularity resulting in a period of Beatlemania
• Football attendance was high and hooliganism gave it a bad name leading to a fall in ticket sales
• Cricket experienced a boom from 1945-60 due to radio broadcasts
• In 1948 London hosted the Austerity Olympics
• The BBC restarted in 1946 and the Queen's coronation boosted TV ownership