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social developments (1951-1964) PART 2 - Coggle Diagram
social developments
(1951-1964)
PART 2
attitudes to immigration and racial violence
authorities regarded immigration as economically desirable (filled many important low-paid jobs)
by late 1950s, perceptions altered by racial tension
1960s, inward migration 1.25 million, outward migration 1.29 million
August 1958, Nottingham white youth gangs went 'n-word hunting' after pub brawls
1.32 million Britons migrated
1958; Notting Hill riots, run-down areas + unscrupulous landlords exploited tenants w/ overcrowding + badly maintained housing, outbreaks of serious violence towards Caribbean and West Indies, unprepared + inexperienced police dealing with it
1950s, Britain received 676,000 immigrants
'No Irish, no Blacks, no dogs' - sign outside Birmingham pub, 1955
considerable outward migration; Australia keen to attract new citizens (offered jobs + housing), North America had a steady flow
mixed public attitudes; some tolerance and 'getting along', or outright racism, friction + resentment
1958, 210,000 commonwealth immigrants settled in Britain
the new commonwealth immigrants who followed in the wake of West Indian immigrants who arrived on the Empire Windrush (1948), were a cause to both social change and social tension
racial violence bright to national attention a problem many politicians wanted to ignore
1962, Commonwealth Immigration Act - had been reluctant to use legislation to control immigration from countries with close historic links to Britain
govt and local communities muddled along towards a multicultural society without any clear sense of direction
emergence of the 'teenager' and youth culture
late 1950s, magazines + TV aimed at teens
changes in tech (transistor radio) = spread youth culture
teens had money to buy records + fashion, helped create own culture
early 1950s, most obvious = teddy boys, worrying phenomenon, liked with juvenile delinquency + rising crime - replaced with rockers then mods (later 1950s)
numbers made teens more visible + economically important
numerous clashed between mods and rockers in early 60s
1959, survey estimated 5 million teens (10% of population)
large-scale, organised rioting in south-coast holiday resorts of Clacton, Margate + Brighton (May 1964)
post-war boom swelled numbers of teens
Brighton, fighting lasted 2 days, large contingents of police struggling to restore order
youths dressed differently, listened to different music, new coffee bars instead of old tea bars
public reaction = moral panic with hysterical descriptions of knife-wielding hooligans undermining society's foundations - violence levels exaggerated
youth had more time
new labour-saving devices meant girls didn't have to help mothers at home
during 1950s, first time there was discernible youth culture
boys didn't have to take part in National Service (1960)
changing social attitudes and tensions
e.g. A Taste of Honey (1958), play about young unmarried pregnant woman + black sailor
e.g. Victim (1961), first English-language film to mention 'homosexual'
drive to break down censorship + social taboos
Penguin Books caused a storm, published paperback of D.H. Lawrence's sexually explicit 'Lady Chatterley's Lover'
e.g. Cathy Come Home (Ken Loach, 1962) drama of homelessness
result = high-profile court case under Obscenity Act, Penguin won + 2 million copies sold
TV produced campaigning programmes designed to raise controversy about social issues
new culture was not universally popular, backlash against new 'immorality and depravity' led by Mary Whitehouse + national press
A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess (1962), portrayed gang violence
criticism from left wing, concentration on material affluence also had a negative effect - undermining decency in society
Sapphire (1959) reflected racial tensions; crime thriller with daring sex + violence portrayals
in general, majority of opinion remained socially conservative
reflected in popular film and TV shows
all these changes in society affected attitudes, sometimes led to increased tensions