Wilson - society

Question 1

Why was there a growth in leisure time?

Answer 1

Increased affordability of ‘mod cons’ helped to break down class divides and create more time for leisure activities i.e. Televisions

Question 2

How did media change throughout the sixties?

Answer 2

Watching television accounted for 23% of all leisure time by 1969
Television therefore became a vehicle for social change and politicians needed to be media friendly

Question 3

What was the impact of reductions in Censorship?

Answer 3

Following the obscene Publication Act (1959), which allowed serious works of art to use ‘obscene’ words and images, ‘kitchen sink’ dramas helped to highlight the social issues.

Question 4

How was scientific developments influential in the zeitgeist?

Answer 4

The Cold War-fuelled Space Race and abundance of sci-fi television reflected a society that yearned for modernisation on every level i.e. Technological and social

Question 5

What acts developed female equality?

Answer 5

1967 - Abortion Act
1969 - Divorce Reform Act
1970 - Equal Pay Act

Question 6

How did a peace movement develop under Wilson?

Answer 6

Anti-Vietnam protests and groups such as the CND and radical ‘Committee of 100’ reflected a growing anti-war/nuclear sentiment, but this wasn’t shared by all

Question 7

Who was the Home Secretary and what was his aim for British society?

Answer 7

Roy Jenkins, aimed to create a “civilised society” by encouraging and supporting progressive social thinking.

Question 8

When were the Race Relation Acts? Was it Government legislation or a Private Member’s Bill?

Answer 8

1965 and 1968 - Government legislation

Question 9

What did the Race Relation act do?

Answer 9

Prohibition of racial discrimination in public places and in areas such as employment and housing
Made incitement to racial hatred a criminal offence.

Question 10

When was the Murder Act? Was it Government legislation or a Private Member’s Bill?

Answer 10

1963 - private member’s bill

Question 11

What did the Murder Act do?

Answer 11

Temporarily replaced the death penalty with a mandatory life sentence

Question 12

When was the Abortion Act? Was it Government legislation or a Private Member’s Bill?

Answer 12

1967 - Private Members Bill - introduced by a Liberal MP - David steel

Question 13

What did the Abortion Act do?

Answer 13

Legalised abortion where the serious mental/physical risk to mother/child

Question 14

When was the Commonwealth Immigration Act?

Answer 14

1968

Question 15

What was the Commonwealth Immigration Act?

Answer 15

Restricted the future rights of entry previously enjoyed by Citizens of the UK and Colonies to those born there or who had at least one parent or grandparent born there.

Question 16

When was the Theatre Act? Was it Government legislation or a Private Member’s Bill?

Answer 16

1968 - government legislation

Question 17

What was the Theatre Act?

Answer 17

Ended theatre censorship

Question 18

When was the Abolition of the Death Penalty? Was it Government legislation or a Private Member’s Bill?

Answer 18

1969 - government legislation

Question 19

What did the Abolition of the Death Penalty do?

Answer 19

Made the Murder Act of 1963 permanent

Question 20

When was the Divorce Reform Act? Was it Government legislation or a Private Member’s Bill?

Answer 20

1969 - Government legislation

Question 21

What was the Divorce Reform Act?

Answer 21

Permitted divorce on the grounds of the ‘breakdown’ of a marriage.

Question 22

When and what was the Open University?

Answer 22

1969 - allowing people to receive education in a way that would allow people to undertake a degree while also working or raising a family

Question 23

How did Wilson aim to create a more equal and fair education system?

Answer 23

Wilson scrapped the previous system of secondary moderns and grammar schools and replaced it with comprehensive schools in an attempt to create a more equal and fair education

Question 24

What was the consequence of Wilson’s new secondary system?

Answer 24

Due to variation in performance in comprehensive schools, meant that housing near successful schools increased, leading to poorer families being priced out, still maintaining some level of an elitist educational system

Question 25

How did Wilson capitalise on the zeitgeist?

Answer 25

Campaigned under the slogan of the “White heat of technological revolution”.