Standards of living

what were the positive factors in standard of living?

• those in work had raised standards of living

• wages fell but so did prices (even more)

• period of deflation

• 1930s real wages rise 15%

• far more disposable income

• 1938 british families were smaller now so money went further (2x more income than 1914)

• boom in consumer goods and entertainment srvices

• 5,000 picture palaces by 1930 and 20 million weekly tickets

• 11 million were going on seaside holidays

• housing revolution in private ownership. 3 million houses built.

• National grid was providing all of urban britain electricity

what were the negatives?

• those on unemployment benefit were better off than C19th counterparts but still suffering acute poverty.

• 1931 means test and reduced dole was cruel and hated

• poor diets - 1936 4.5 million diets were inadequate, only 1/3 ate healthily

• health was bad in depressed areas

ww1 impact on economy (bad)

• enabled rivals to replace British exports in overseas markets

• forced gov to sell invisible assets

• hastened decline of London as world’s financial capital

• produced vast over investment in the staple industries

ww1 impact of the economy (good)

• stimulated increased mechanisation

• creation of several new industries

Britain compared to rivals

• 1939 > 4th place globally

• overtaken by USSR in interwar period

• structural unemp. still there

• growth rat lower than USA 2.9% but better than Germany and France

Dual vision of period

• 1930s higher standard of living - increased production, cheaper imports

• but a substantial amount of people could not share in this affluence.