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Impact of Affluence in 60s Britain
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An insight into the impact of affluence on British Society in the 1950s, 60s and 70s and what this led to.
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CONTEXT – CULTURAL REVOLUTION 1950-1970The 1950s can be considered a watershed period for British culture. The
period began with Labour’s defeat by the Conservatives at the 1951
General Election. This change in government marked a shift from state
control to increased individual freedom – the Conservative election slogan
promised to ‘Set the People Free’. Rationing was coming to an end, and
commodities that had only been seen from a distance started to become
more widely available. Britain was entering a period of increased
affluence and freedom, and many of the old social and cultural structures
began to be challenged, particularly by the young.
Americanisation
By the end of the 1950s, the American way of life had become key to the
aspirations of the British public, in terms of both culture and material
goods. After the deregulation of broadcasting in 1954, the way was
cleared for the introduction of Commercial Television in 1955. This,
coupled with the increased availability of cheap colour magazines, such
as Life, Colliers and National Geographic, brought a proliferation of
advertising for luxury commodities, much of it originating in America. In
spite of the protestations of British intellectuals – see for example Richard
Hoggart’s The Uses of Literacy (1957) and Raymond Williams’ Culture
and Society (1958) – who viewed American culture as a symptom of
cultural degeneration, Hollywood movies, commercial television, glossy
magazines and consumer goods proved an instant hit with British
consumers. Films portrayed the colourful lifestyles that Britons had only
dreamed about and increased their appetite for a release from drab post-
war austerity. One of the most frequently cited films of the period, Rebel
Without a Cause (1955), starred James Dean as a bored teenager,
leading an affluent middle class lifestyle. Whilst he had access to his own
large car, and his family lived in a home filled with luxury consumer
goods, Dean’s character is full of angst and frustration. He quickly
became a role model, even for British teenagers viewing from their local
Odeon cinema.
To the British establishment the American capitalist system that
encouraged mass consumption and planned obsolescence was a threat
to the old cultural order of stability and permanence. To the average
Briton it offered a rich and desirable future.
Affluence
The deregulation and commercialisation of society coincided with a
steady increase in affluence. Due to post-war regeneration schemes,
many of them originating in America, a world wide economic boom came
about. Massive increases in the production and availability of consumer
goods stimulated mass consumption. People expected to have goods
such as televisions, refrigerators, music systems and cars as a basic
requirement. Before the war these had been luxury items available only to
the most privileged sections of society. Car ownership rose by 250%
between 1951 and 1961, and between 1955 and 1960 average weekly
earnings rose by 34%, while the cost of most technological consumer
items fell in real terms. In the 1950s consumers had more money to
spend on goods, and more goods from which to choose.
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