Case Study of structural economic change Birmingham 5.4 Flashcards
(32 cards)
When did Birmingham first become a place of trade?
12 century when the De Birmingham family put in a petition to set up a market at their manor house.
How did Birmingham develop before the 1700s?
Provided raw materials for metal industry e.g. “black country”. small scale metal works meant population increase to 15,000 in 1700s
How did Birmingham develop in the industrial revolution? 1700s and 1800s
Matthew Boulton was a key player, he established the first factory in 1761; the “Soho Manufactory” with 700 employees under one roof and established an “assembly line”.
Canals were built - Birmingham was at the heart of nation canals
Metalwork grew through the 19th century and Birmingham became famous for jewellery, brass, buttons etc
Bank firms began to appear e.g. Lloyds as industrial sector needed financial services to support it
Cadbury family in 1870s in Bournville built a “model village” for employees on the rural-urban fringe
How did population increase in the Industrial revolution?
1801 pop at 73,000
1901 pop at 500,000
Due to “City of a 1000 Trades”
How did Birmingham develop in the years 1900-1950?
New growth in cars e.g. 1906 Austin car plant opened, mini cooper was originally made there and it employed 22,000
Rural-urban fringe migration from British isles therefore increased terraced housing.
Transport improvements i.e. buses and trams.
Increased mobility meant that urban area expanded to suburbs.
Inner city area i.e. Aston “slum like” by 1950s.
Industrial activity left pollution of canals, rivers nad air with no control
What was population of Birmingham in 1951?
1.1 million
What was employment in Birmingham like in the early 1950s?
50% of the population worked in metal industry
5.7% worked in transport
1.5% worked in agriculture
Other sectors include 19.4% in miscellaneous
commerce, professions, textiles and public utilities
What was the demographic of Birmingham like by the 1950s?
Predominantly white.
Employment was dominate by males; 60% had skilled jobs
Inner city areas mainly comprised poor-quality housing at high density
In the industrial decline, how did unemployment change?
In the 50s and 60s unemployment was below 1%
By the 80s Birmingham had 19.4% unemployment and UK average was 12%
What was the shift in metal manufacturing like in the 1970s
1951- 21% of total jobs and 1981 12% of total jobs
Car manufacturing was 11% of jobs in 1951 and 3% by 2013
What players were involved in the economic change in the 1970s?
1973 Arab-Israeli war- many Western states supported Israel
OPEC (Arab states) started to embargo oil to Western countries.
What happened in 1973?
Oil Crisis, barrels of oil went from $3 to 12$. Petrol and energy prices increased
Why was the oil crisis bad for Birmingham?
Birmingham’s manufacturing base had relied on cheap energy, they had to make cutbacks.
Trade unions began to strike in the 1970s, they became key players and meant that investors were unattracted and made further decline
What players meant that the effects of the oil crisis were exacerbated?
Foreign TNCs competed in more fuel efficient cars e.g. Nissan and Toyota exported cars from China in the 1970s. They were better value, more reliable and fuel efficient.
Also VW from Germany and Renault from France became more popular
What was the role of the government in the 1970s industrial decline?
Government gave tax breaks to Honda and Nissan to set up TNCs in England, however none of them chose Birmingham so further economic decline
What was the role of the local authorities in the 1970s industrial decline?
Birmingham council decided to clear slums as part of a comprehensive redevelopment programme- lots of Small and medium enterprises were demolished and people couldn’t afford the new homes
What was housing like in the 1950s?
Birmingham lost over 5000 houses after WW2. Slums existed and 110,000 houses were considered sub-standard
What did the council do for housing after the 1950s?
The council cleared slums for 400 Tower Blocs. 81,000 homes were built from 1945-1970. Better conditions than slums and it is beginning to redistribute population away from city centres i.e. Castle Vale
What were national and local government involved in in 1970s-1980s regarding housing?
Economy became service based in 80s and 90s, flow of commuters so local and national government created the Green Belt to stop urban sprawl. Areas on the edge became highly valued e.g. Solihull
What was the demography of Birmingham like after the 1950s?
After WW2 there was a flow of international migration from Caribbean, South Asia and Far East. Birmingham became a place of opportunity for migrants.
The growing service sector required a range of low-skilled jobs e.g. by 1978 there was 22.3% of the workforce employed in services.
Now the city has a relatively youthful population e.g. 38% are 24 years or younger
How did the demography in the 1950s shape the built environment?
Mosques and temples were built. A great diversity of ethnic food shops and restaurants appeared.
What was unemployment like from 1980s to 2020?
1982- 19.4% unemployed
8% in 2020 UK average was 5%
How has structural employment changed from 1980s?
From 1981-2005 manufacturing decreased by 71.5% and services increased by 46.1%
What has the local government done for recent regeneration?
The local government is Birmingham City Council
NEC- National Exhibition Centre
Petitioned for the expansion of Birmingham International Airport
“development corporations”- Birmingham Heartlands Development Corporation
“New deal for communities scheme” government led. Increased broadband and set up work-experience
