Social and Cultural Change

Question 1

Growth of mass media in the 60s

Answer 1

TV became available everywhere, around 90% of homes had one.
Increase in what to watch - BBC 2 launched in 1964, Month Pythons flying circus from 1969 pioneered sketch comedy.
Newspapers were beginning to be replaced by TV broadcasts.

Question 2

BBC and ITV

Answer 2

With Hugh Greece as Director-General of the BBC from 1960, money was diverted from radio to TV, guidelines over nudity and swearing were revised.
Advertising expanded after the launch of ITV in 1955.
After BBC 2 launched in 1964, BBC 1 grew more populist and by 1967 BBC 2 was broadcasting in colour.

Question 3

Continuation of radio

Answer 3

Helped by the development of cheap, portable radios.
Listened to by the youth as they were portable and avoid of parents.
Young people started listening to the ‘pirate stations’ and Radio Luxembourg.
After pirate statins were banned, a new pop station, BBC Radio One was started, appealing to the youth with former pirate DJs like Tony Blackburn.

Question 4

Continuation of print media

Answer 4

Whilst advertising revenue and readership fell, some newspapers and magazines remained and grew stronger.
The Sun launched in 1964, setting out to be ‘the only newspaper born of the age we live in’
When the Sun was brought by Rupert Murdoch, it began to be associated with more permissive attitudes of the age and grew in popularity.

Question 5

Home leisure activities

Answer 5

By 1969 Watching TV accounted for 23% of leisure time.
DIY and gardening became popular.
TV programmes reflected these interests
Knitting could be done at the same time as TV watching.

Question 6

Outside the home leisure activities

Answer 6

Attendance to live events like theatre and football matches fell due to TV watching
Greater access to cars allowed greater travel and do activities like golf or shopping.

Question 7

Holidaying in the 1960s

Answer 7

Britannia areaways founded in 1964 flying holidaymakers to places like Spain and Malta.
Package holidays grew from under 4% of holidays in 1966 to 8.4% in 1971.
The cost of air travel, however, limited holidays abroad largely to the middle class.
Holidaying brought back culture from abroad, especially in food.

Question 8

Scientific developments

Answer 8

The Anglo-French partnership developed the supersonic Concorde aircraft.
Space travel and the moon landings were huge project advances
The post office tower opened in 1965 to improve telecommunications
Cars, appliances, radios were more affordable

Question 9

Theatrical censorship

Answer 9

Theatrical censorship abolished in 1968
George Strauss PMB supported by Jenkins
Needed the jurisdiction of the Lord Chamberlain’s office for the censorship of theatre
Followed after a number of disputes, especially at the Royal Court theatre with their staging of Earlt Morning in 1967.

Question 10

Film censorship

Answer 10

Films remained subject to categorisation by the British Board of Film Censors.
Films like
Darling 1965
Alfie 1966
Here we go round the mulberry bush 1967
Covered themes like adultery, abortion, illegitimacy.

Question 11

Factors restricting women

Answer 11

Working mothers still seen as unnatural.
By 1970, 28% students were women, only 5% of women reached managerial posts.
Girls education was dominated by domestic skills.
Women were generally paid less than men.

Question 12

Key feminist texts published at the time

Answer 12

The Feminine Mystique (1963) argued women lived restricted and unfulfilled lives.
Women: The Longest Revolution (1966)
The Female Eunuch (1970) - Both explored the position of women.

Question 13

Women Liberation Conference

Answer 13

Held in 1970.
Demanded:
Equal Pay
Free contraception
Abortion in request
Equal education and employment 
Free 24-hour childcare.

Question 14

Government intervention in the progression of woman’s lives

Answer 14

1967 NHS Act - local authorities provided contraceptives and advice
1967 Divorce Act - Easier for marriages to end
1970 Matrimonial Property Act - ensured a woman’s role in the home was taken into account in divorce settlements
1970 - equal pay act established a principle,e of equal pay - didn’t come into effect until 5 years later.

Question 15

Contradictions over the lives of women

Answer 15

Increased availability of jobs gave women greater independence
BUT
Still responsible for home and children

Easier divorce created greater freedoms
BUT
Still a lack of economic independence

Increased education and access to higher education
BUT
Slow and difficult progress made for frustrating career paths.

Question 16

The spread of permissive ideas

Answer 16

Permissive ideas spread through the media, ‘teen’ magazines and the growing number of uncensored novels.
Taboo subjects were discussed in books, TV and on the radio.

Question 17

Opposition to permissive ideas

Answer 17

The Catholic Church opposed the contraceptive pill
Mary Whitehouse - National Viewers and Listeners Association 1965 - campaigned against declining moral standards in the media.
Callaghan rejected the Wooton report suggesting legalising soft drugs like cannabis.

Question 18

Drug culture in the permissive society

Answer 18

The ‘hippy lifestyle’ emphasised ‘free love’ and ‘flower power,’ promoting drug culture.
The Dangerous Drugs Act made it unlawful to posses drugs like cannabis and cocaine.
The use of cosine and heroin rose by 10 times.
The beetles used LSD

Question 19

Exaggeration of permissive attitudes

Answer 19

Young people used tobacco and alcohol more than illegal drugs.
Most young people were virgins on marriage or married their first and only sexual partner.
A mixture of ignorance and social constraints remained.

Question 20

Fashion in youth culture

Answer 20

Youth culture defined by fashion.
London seen as the fashion capital of the world.
Youth fashion clashed with the older generation.
Women wore trousers and miniskirts, men wore bright patterns and tradition was abandoned.

Question 21

Music in youth culture

Answer 21

Young people listened to pirate stations or BBC Radio One from 1967.
TV responded with programmed like ‘Ready Steady Go!’ and ‘Top of the Pops.’
New technology made record players cheaply available.

Question 22

Youth subcultures

Answer 22

Skinheads evolved from mods - shaven heads, braces, Dr Martens.
Hippies rejected social convention and embraced ‘flower power’ rejected social conventions and the establishment.

Question 23

Racial tensions and immigration concerns

Answer 23

1965 North London Survey-
1 in 5 didn’t want to work with black or Asian people.
50% said they didn’t want to live next to a black person.
9/10 disapproved of mixed marriages.

Feb. 1968 Commonwealth Immigration Act - restricted the rights for non-white commonwealth citizens after an influx of persecuted Asians from Kenya.

April 1968 Enoch Powell ‘rivers of blood’ speech.

Question 24

Integration and attempts to stop racial discrimination

Answer 24

1964 Notting Hill carnival became an annual event

1965 Race Relations Act - forbade discrimination on the basis of race in public places, set up a race relations board.
HOWEVER
Excluded housing and employment, out of 982 cases, 734 were dismissed due to a lack of evidence.

1968 Race Relations Act banned discrimination in housing and employment, race relations board strengthened.

Late 1960s - Youth culture drew on fashion and culture of immigrants.

Question 25

Protest and violence against the Vietnam War

Answer 25

17 March 1968 violent scenes at an anti-war demonstration near the American Embassy.
28 March more violent protest at the Battle of Grosvenor Square. 200 people arrested
October 1968 30,000people took part in a peaceful protest.

Question 26

Campaigns and rejections to the Vietnam war

Answer 26

The Vietnam Solidarity Campaign was set up in 1966

Teach- ins held on the Vietnam war at Oxford university and the London school of economics.