UK History - Section 2 social and cultural change

What were the forms of the expansion of mass media in the 1960’s ?

• Television : Hugh Green (director of BBC from 1960 to 1969) encouraged the development new programming, more populism, satire and realist drama (e.g. the Wednesday play), ITV started in 1955, the percentage of televisions owned at home went from 75 % (1961) to 91 % (1971)

• Radio : Teenagers listened to popular musical broadcasts firstly by Pirate Stations then Radio Luxembourg and BBC Radio 1

• Print Media : Newspapers and magazines (‘The Sun’ as launched in 1964 and maintained a high readership by reflecting popular culture)

How did leisure change in the 1960’s at home ?

• Traditional activities (gardening and cooking) remained popular and tv programmes reflected these interests

• Hobbies like knitting could’ve been done at the same time as watching TV

How did leisure change out of home using the 1960’s ?

• TV meant attendance at live entertainments (theatre and football matches) fell

• Greater access to cars - enabled people to travel more easily to activities like golf or shopping

How did leisure on holidays change during the 1960’s ?

• Britannia airways was founded in 1964 (flew to destination like Spain and Malta)

• Package holidays grew from under 4 % (1966) to 8.4. % (1971) - though this was still only a minority and limited to the middle classes

What was the impact of the scientific development in the 1960’s ?

• Great scientific advances - human space travel (1961), moon landings (1969) and Concorde

  • New technologies that changed everyday life - cars, household appliances and transistor radios - more affordable and introduced new fabrics in fashion and made contraceptive pill available

Why was theatrical censorship abolished in 1968 ?

• Private members’ bill but also had the support of Roy Jenkins

• Ended the jurisdiction of Lord Chamberlains Office for censorship of theatre productions

• Followed a number of disputes - Royal Court Theatre wanted to stage controversial productions like Edward Bonds ‘Saved In’ (1965) and ‘Early Morning’ (1967)

• Film censorship remained under BBFC but films like ‘Darling’ (1965). And ‘Here we go round the Mulberry Bush’ (1967) covered more daring themes like adultery, abortions etc and BBC’s ‘Wednesday Play’ also covered those themes

How were women restricted ?

• Working mothers were still portrayed as unnatural

• By 1970, 28 % of students were women but by 1970, only 5 % of women reached managerial posts

• Girls education still tended to be dominated by domestic skills

• Women were paid less than men

What did the first women’s liberation conference (1970) demand

• Equal pay

• Free contraception

• Abortion on request

• Equal education

What were positives yet negatives of women’s lives in 1964 - 1970 (5) ?

• Labour saving devices in the home freed women from the kitchen, advertisement of the products reinforced the role of the housewife as the women

• Increased education and access to high education encouraged women to develop higher expectations, slow and difficult progress along career paths was all the more frustrating

• Increased availability of jobs gave women independence, still responsible for home and children

• Greater control over family planning liberated women from unwanted pregnancy, men could avoid responsibility for family planning

• Easier divorce created greater freedoms, lack of economic independence

What does ‘permissive society’ stand for ?

• liberal changes in society which included attitudes and impact of the liberating legislation

How was the permissive society permissive ?

• availability of contraception

• Easier access to divorce

• Decriminalisation of homosexuality

• Number of illegitimate births rose from 5.8 % to 8.2 % between 1960 and 1970

• Change attitudes to sex - ‘free love’

• Rates of STI’s were rising

• Decline in censorship

• Greater visibility of drugs in pop culture stars - Cannabis and LSD by the ‘Beatles’

• Use of Cocaine and Heroin rose by 10 x

• Wotton Report 1968 recommende the decriminalisation of soft drugs

How was the permissive society limited ?

• Catholic Church opposed the use of the contraceptive pill

• Mary Whitehouse’s establishment of the National viewers and Listeners Association (1965) to campaign against declining moral standards in the media

• Rejection of Wotton Report by James Callaghan (Home Sec)

• Sentence for supplying drugs increased to 14 years in 1970

• Surveys found that most people were either virgins on or married ot their first and only sexual partner

• Surveys found that young people used alcohol and tobacco more than illegal drugs

What was youth culture largely defined by in the 1960’s ?

• Fashion and the mid 1960’s London was seen as the fashion capital of the world - it often caused clashes with the older generation

• Women wore trousers and miniskirts and men wore bright pattterns as traditional rules were abandoned

What was youth culture also seen in besides fashion ?

• Music - Pirate Radio stations broadcasted pop music - In 1967, the BBC started Radio One to respond to the demand, likewise, the TV also broadcasted youth music shows like ‘ready steady go’ (1963) and ‘top of the pops’ (1964)

What new youth subcultures emerged at the end of the 1960’s ?

• Skinheads evolved from Mod Culture

• Hippies rejected social conventions and promoted ‘free love’, environment and peace