5 - Growing light industry in parts of Britain

History

What mass production techniques were first used by Ford Motor Company?

Assembly line techniques, first used by Ford in the USA, were used to manufacture goods such as cars, aircraft, electrical goods, and food.

What new materials emerged due to chemical processes in the early 20th century?

New chemical processes led to textiles like rayon (synthetic silk) and plastics like Bakelite.

What mass production techniques were first used by Ford Motor Company?

Assembly line techniques, first used by Ford in the USA, were used to manufacture goods such as cars, aircraft, electrical goods, and food.

What new materials emerged due to chemical processes in the early 20th century?

New chemical processes led to textiles like rayon (synthetic silk) and plastics like Bakelite.

What energy source powered the new light industries?

Unlike traditional industries that relied on coal, the new light industries were powered mainly by electricity.

What was the impact of the National Grid in 1933?

The National Grid linked all generating stations, supplying electrical power to all regions, making it easier to establish new industries.

How did electricity change the location of new factories?

Factories no longer needed to be near coalfields and could be built in towns with a skilled labor force, mainly in the Midlands and southeast England.

Name three car manufacturers and their locations in the UK.

Austin (Birmingham), Morris (Oxford), and Ford (Dagenham).

Which companies produced vacuum cleaners and chocolate?

Hoover (West London) produced vacuum cleaners, and Cadbury (Birmingham) produced chocolate for the mass market.

How did the economic growth of light industries impact the Great Depression?

Areas with light industry suffered less; in 1932, the car industry had 20% unemployment, while shipbuilding had 62% unemployment.

How did unemployment rates vary between regions?

Towns such as Jarrow and Merthyr had over 60% unemployment, while St. Albans near London had only 4% unemployment.

How did wages and unemployment benefits compare in the 1930s?

In areas with light industry, real wages were rising, but in depressed areas, unemployment benefit in 1937 was 36s. a week, while a family of five needed 43s. to stay above the poverty line.

How did people in depressed areas cope with poverty?

Many relied on soup kitchens, as highlighted in the Pilgrim Trust’s ‘Men Without Work,’ which described the psychological effects of unemployment as ‘gloomy acceptance.’

What was the impact of poor living conditions on health?

In some industrial cities, the death rate was 50% higher than the national average, with higher infant and maternal mortality, especially in South Wales and northern England.

What diseases increased due to poverty and poor nutrition?

There was an increase in diseases such as rickets and anemia, particularly in areas with high unemployment.

How did Infant Welfare Clinics improve health in 1938?

They provided milk, cod liver oil, and vitamins cheaply or for free to mothers and children, improving child health in poorer areas.

How did access to food differ between social classes?

Wealthier people had access to new food brands like Kellogg’s and Heinz and could afford meat, fresh fruit, and vegetables, leading to better diets.

What food did poor families rely on due to financial struggles?

Poor families ate cheap fillers like bread, potatoes, sugar, tea, and corned beef, leading to an unhealthy diet.

What did John Boyd Orr’s 1936 survey reveal about nutrition?

A tenth of the population was undernourished, including a fifth of all children.

What did the NUWM’s 1937 report ‘The Housewives’ Minimum’ reveal?

It highlighted extreme poverty, with some families lacking stoves, having only two spoons and one knife, and eating with their fingers.

How did housing conditions improve for some working-class families?

Some could buy semi-detached houses with a £25 deposit and weekly payments; these homes had a lounge, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, three bedrooms, and a garden.

What were housing conditions like in poorer areas?

Many working-class families still lived in cold, damp terraced houses with flagstone floors covered in sand, one kitchen tap, and an outdoor toilet in the backyard.

How did consumer goods improve housework for wealthier families?

Rising wages allowed people to buy vacuums, irons, and washing machines, making housework easier.

Why were consumer goods out of reach for many working-class families?

The unemployed and poorer working-class families in depressed areas could not afford these goods, keeping housework difficult and time-consuming.