Post-War Britain 1920s PDF

Module: ASCC Teacher: Dr. Zeyneb Yousfi Level: LMD 3 Groups: 1-2-3-4-5-6 Academic year: 2024-2025 Post-war Britain Introduction: In January 1919, the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) magazine,Our Own Gazette, stated: What a glorious time to be...

Module: ASCC Teacher: Dr. Zeyneb Yousfi Level: LMD 3 Groups: 1-2-3-4-5-6 Academic year: 2024-2025 Post-war Britain Introduction: In January 1919, the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) magazine,Our Own Gazette, stated: What a glorious time to be alive! For the sake of generations to come, and for the sake of the men who have done their bit in a way one cannot talk about, let us take up in the same spirit the great work which peace calls us, and let us rebuild the world on the best and surest foundations. This rallying cry to YWCA members is indicative of the optimism shared by many that the post-war world would not only recover from years of conflict, but be a better place for future generations. Britain experienced some transformative elements of post-war society that did enhance the everyday lives of men and women throughout the 1920s. This included political reform with the extension of the parliamentary franchise to millions of men and women in 1918, and again in 1928. The expansion of social welfare provision in areas including housing, health and education improved the lives of many, together with new opportunities for leisure and time away from work. In 1922 the Irish Free State was established, granting independence and dominion status to twenty-six counties of the island of Ireland. Alongside these seismic shifts other, less positive, aspects of post-war life persisted. Racism, gender inequality and poverty continued to blight the lives of families and communities. Within a decade, rising unemployment, race riots and the under-representation of women in paid employment and public life eroded the optimism of the immediate post-war years. The 1920s in Britain: What was it like to live in the 1920s? The 1920s, also known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, was a decade of contrasts. The First World War had ended in victory, peace had returned and with it, prosperity. For some the war had proved to be very profitable. Manufacturers and suppliers 1 of goods needed for the war effort had prospered throughout the war years and become very rich. Nightclubs, jazz clubs and cocktail bars flourished in the cities. The hedonistic lifestyle portrayed in books and films such as ‘The Great Gatsby’ was perhaps for some, an escape from reality. This generation had largely missed the war, being too young to fight, and perhaps there was a sense of guilt that they had escaped the horrors of war. Perhaps they felt a need to enjoy life to the full, because so many other young lives had been lost on the battlefields. P.G. Wodehouse and Nancy Mitford, portray the ‘Roaring Twenties’ in Britain in their novels.1 Both authors politely poke fun at the socialites and upper classes, but their novels give a good idea of the heady days of the 1920s. The experiences during the War influenced British society, particularly women. Women over the age of 30 had been given the right to vote in 1918, and by 1928 this had been extended to all women over the age of 21. Women felt more confident and empowered, and this new independence was reflected in the new fashion. Hair was shorter, dresses were shorter and women started to smoke, drink and drive motorcars. The attractive, reckless, independent ‘flapper’ appeared on the scene, shocking society with her wild behaviour. Flappers of the 1920s were young women known for their energetic freedom, embracing a lifestyle viewed by many at the time as outrageous, immoral or downright dangerous. Now considered the first generation of independent women, flappers pushed barriers in economic and political freedom for contemporary women. Families were on average smaller in the 1920s than during the Victorian era, with families of 3 or 4 children most common. In 1921 the Education Act raised the school leaving age to 14. State primary education was now free for all children and started at age 5; even the youngest children were expected to attend for the full day from 9am to 4.30pm. In the country, pupils at some schools were still practising writing with a tray of sand and a stick, progressing to a 1 PG Wodehouse is, without a doubt, England's preeminent genius of gentle comedy. There is not an author of any period in history whose writing better embodies his or her particular time and space. His famous novel that depicts the life of upper-class British society is The Inimitable Jeeves. Nancy Mitford is also among Britain's famous writers with works that portrays aristocratic lifestyle, having herself belonged to that class. Her well known work is The Pursuit of Love. 2 slate and chalk as they became more proficient. Classes were large, learning was by rote and books were shared between groups of pupils, as books and paper were expensive. Nature study, sewing, woodwork, country dancing and traditional folk songs were also taught. By the mid 1920s the post-war period of prosperity was well and truly over. The re-introduction of the Gold Standard by Winston Churchill in 1925 kept interest rates high and meant UK exports were expensive. Coal reserves had been depleted during the War and Britain was now importing more coal than it was mining. All this and the lack of investment in the new mass-production techniques in industry led to a period of depression, deflation and decline in the UK’s economy. Poverty amongst the unemployed contrasted strikingly with the affluence of the middle and upper classes. By the mid 1920s unemployment had risen to over 2 million. Particularly affected areas were the north of England and Wales, where unemployment reached 70% in some places. This led in turn to the Great Strike of 1926 and, following the US Wall Street crash of 1929, the beginning of the Great Depression of the 1930s. Hope characterised the immediate post-war years in Great Britain. Hope manifested itself in the prospect of a more equitable, democratic and peaceful world, a ”land fit for heroes”. The 1920s did deliver on this sense of optimism, at least in the short term. The expansion of social welfare and the provision of healthcare and education signified a state that recognised its growing responsibility for the welfare of its citizens. The social, economic and political changes in Great Britain and Ireland after the Great War were dramatic. Nonetheless, poverty, racism and gender inequality continued to limit life chances for a significant number of citizens. By the end of the 1920s these fault lines were becoming more apparent. Social divisions intensified during the 1930s, stimulated by a global economic crisis and record unemployment, and all changed once again with the outbreak of a second world war. 3