HISTORICAL CONTEXT TO

A TASTE OF HONEY
Angela, George, Caitlin
 Entertainment
◦ The 1950s saw the beginning of modern entertainment, as television sets started
to appear in family homes.
◦ This was heavily due to the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953, prompting
whole streets to squeeze into one household to watch.
"It was announced earlier in the year that the crowning of the Queen would be
televised, and the sales of TV sets rocketed." (Historic Uk)
◦ Rejection of adult values for a lifestyle unique to their generation resulted in
several phenomena. Some have survived, others not, such as Rock ‘n’ Roll,
coffee bars and distinct dress.
◦ Teenagers in the 50s did not have same spending power as Teenagers now do.
They were often overlooked before the music industry began to take notice and
teens themselves were singing their own stories. E.g. parties, love and first cars.
◦ Music was a huge part of teenage culture back in the 50s, as many social
activities involved it. You often had to follow strict rules at Social school dances,
such as taking off your shoes to avoid damaging the gym floor or banned the
dances all together due to the “dangers” of Rock ‘n’ Roll music.
 Entertainment
◦ Press dominated the media in 1950s Britain - Autocratic press barons and
restrictive print unions.
◦ The Daily Mirror had four times the circulation than The Daily Telegraph, however
the largest sales were achieved by the popular Sunday papers such as The News
of the World, which trawled the divorce courts for scandalous stories (sound
familiar!?). Newspapers held a higher power than they do today.
◦ News reports by the BBC had various restrictions. For most people, the BBC mixed
its pre-war Reithian concept of appropriate public service broadcasting with
new, more subversive forms of Entertainment; including new dramas, adventure
thrillers and comedy. Popular music featured on The Light Programme and
Classical Music on the Third Programme. New records could only be heard on the
foreign stations such as Radio Luxembourg. The BBC began to resume Televsion
broadcasting after the war but receivers were still small and expensive and
therefore audience figures were low.
◦ Programmes were made in studios and could not be copied.
 Entertainment
◦ What is the Reithan concept? Sir John Reith was the first director general of the BBC and he
believed that broadcasting should be free of commercial considerations and should be
committed to producing high-quality, informative media products, not less ‘worthy’
products with popular appeal.
◦ Film principally provided the visual entertainment to the masses. In 1950, there were nearly
5,000 cinemas in Britain which attracted an audience four times than that in the 1970s. The
1950s being a golden age for British film that included directors like David Lean, Carol Reed
and producers like Michael Balcon, whose Ealing (Studio) comedies reflected the physical
environment and the social character of post-war Britain.
◦ Also a golden era for children’s comics, both British and American these included Beano
and Dandy (British) and Superman, Batman and Captain Marvel (American). Two new
distinguished comics were Eagle, which catered towards middle-class boys and Science
Fiction; and its sister publication, Girl which provided more ‘traditional’ (sexist) themes on
boarding schools and ballet dancing.
◦ Children’s book literature also followed traditional ‘norms’. Winnie the Pooh, and Billy Bunter
retaining their popularity. Enid Blyton being the most popular writer and her character of
Noddy first appearing in 1949.
 Entertainment
◦ The Labour Government sponsored the 1951 Festival of Britain as a symbol of
Britain’s post-war revival. This festival was an example of the national mood
and character of Britain and celebrated national achievements from
Science, Manufacturing and housing to the arts and recreation. The
◦ Welsh poet and writer, Dylan Thomas quoted that people did liked the
Festival because it was ‘magical and parochial’ with whimsical touches like
Emmett’s nonsense machine.
◦ The Dome of Discovery inspired fifty years later, the Millennium Dome, which
was supported by a Labour government that included Peter Mandelson,
whose grandfather, Herbert Morrison, had championed the 1951 Festival.
 Entertainment
◦ Annual family holiday was generally taken by rail – and in the case of camping coaches, on
the rail. Holidays with pay were now supported by legislation and about half of the
population had a seaside holiday. The early 1950s were the mass-market heyday of the
British seaside resort – before the development of the cheap package holiday to the
continent. Most people stayed in guesthouses, holiday camps or caravan parks. Traditional
Pier Attractions like the peep shows and live shows remained popular, as did seaside food
such as shellfish, rock and candyfloss.
◦ Beaches were the great attraction and those of popular resorts like Brighton would be
covered, on summer bank holidays with the general public. Sea swimming was also popular,
with this there was believed to be less of a risk of infection than in the public pools. The well
off middle classes preferred to holiday abroad and over a million Britons did so in 1950. This
was despite currency restrictions and a recent devaluation of the pound.
◦ Today, 1950s post-war Britain is still renowned as The Golden Age of the Welfare State.
Opinion poll evidence does suggest that in 1950s Britons were generally happier because
they had less stress in their personal and professional life and more security. On average,
society was much less well off than today; many living in mean and straightened
circumstances. Those better off were already beginning to adopt the trappings and social
trends that still encapsulate Britain today. In the 1950s, the British public generally accepted
their lot, but just like us, wanted a better future for themselves.
Fashion of the
50s
◦ Silhouettes such as the pleated A-Line skirt
were popular among women of all ages in
any end of society; With the ending of
clothes rationing, people in the 1950s had
more freedom over what clothes they wore.
◦ This saw an influx of full-skirted dresses, with a
stiffened petticoat underneath. These were
very difficult to hang in the wardrobe, as the
doors wouldn’t shut properly due to the bulk
of the skirt.
◦ Teenage girls started dressing differently than
their mothers, preferring to wear brightly
patterned dresses with tight waists and wide
skirts.
◦ This style suited the quickly-popular rock 'n'
roll style of dancing as the skirt would swirl up
reflecting the energy of the dance.
◦ This style also demonstrated the rebellious
nature of the 50s youth as American
influence grew.
Fashion of the
50s
◦ Woman wore ‘Pancake Make-up’, this was
applied with a damp sponge, and scarlet
lipstick was the norm.
◦ Trousers or ‘slacks’ as they were called, were
only worn occasionally by women, as the
feminine look was the thing.
◦ Ladies teetered along on very high-heeled
shoes, as the flat-heeled ones were too
reminiscent of the Auxiliary Territorial
Service and the Women's Auxiliary Air Force
Politics
◦ The start of the 1950s saw the removal of the Labour
government and current PM Clement Attlee in 1951,
making way for the Conservative party, with a narrow
victory by Winston Churchill.
◦ Churchill's Conservatives policies included the pledge
to ease the housing shortage by building up to
300,000 new homes a year in wake of post-war
society.
◦ The Conservative party then dominated the political
scene throughout the fifties; 1955 saw the election
of Sir Anthony Eden and 1959 saw the election of
Harold Macmillan.
◦ The 1960s saw the re-emergence of a Labour
government.
The Economic Boom
◦ The 1950s saw a surprising economic boom, with the UK economy benefitting from the
period of rapid global economic growth, despite previously lagging in the Western
world.
◦ This boom was due in part to rapid growth in trade, the recovery of Japan and
Germany post-war aiding trade deals.
◦ Furthermore, inflation was cut globally and the world saw an increase of free trade, with
reduction of tariff barriers.
◦ The improvement of technology also boosted the economy, and created an
economically stable society for the majority of the era.
◦ However, not all saw the benefits of this boom, poverty still existed and grew in the
1960s.
Poverty in 1950s Britain
◦ Throughout the 1950s, unemployment seemingly remained
comparatively low, welfare
◦ Spending steadily grew, modest economic growth
was sustained, and many believed that poverty had all but
been abolished.
◦ However, over the course of the 50s and 60s, various surveys
and studies demonstrated a steady rise in poverty, with 2-5
million Britons were trapped in poverty by 1969.
Social Norms
◦ The life of the average married woman in the 1950s and 60s was very different from that of
today’s woman.
◦ Very few women worked after getting married, instead raising children and becoming
housewives.
◦ The man was considered the head of the household in all things; mortgages, legal
documents, bank accounts, etcetera. As such, should a woman find herself in a loveless or
violent marriage, she was trapped; she had no money of her own and no career.
◦ It was still unusual for women to go to university, especially working class women.
◦ Most left school and went straight into work until they married. Secondary schools – even
grammar schools – prepared girls for this life: lessons were given in cookery, household
management, darning, sewing and even how to iron an shirt properly.
◦ Girls were trained to look after their husband, their children and the house.
◦ There was emphasis on Nuclear families also; single mothers and divorcees were looked
down upon by the middle class despite its growing popularity.
LGBT Rights and Attitudes to Homosexuality
◦ In the 1950s homosexuality remained a criminal offence, though this was constrained primarily to
gay men.
◦ The early 1950s, saw the police actively enforcing the laws prohibiting sexual behaviour between
men.
◦ By the end of 1954, there were 1,069 gay men in prison in England and Wales, all averaging 37
years of age.
◦ There were several high-profile arrests made in this era, including that of Alan Turing, scientist,
mathematician, and war-time code-breaker. He was arrested in 1952 and submitted to chemical
castration- treatment with female hormones- as an alternative to prison. (He committed suicide in
1954.)
◦ The Wolfenden report of 1957 challenged that homosexual behaviour between consenting adults
should no longer be a criminal offence.
◦ Despite this, the decriminalisation of homosexuality wasn't in effect until the late 60's, with
conversion therapies and homophobia still rampant in the public scope of the 1950s
 Mother-Baby-Homes
◦ Mother-baby-homes first appeared under the guidance of the Salvation army in 1891, but by 1968
there were over 172 known mother-baby homes for unmarried mothers, the majority run by religious
bodies.
◦ Mother-baby-homes were started for unmarried mothers as there was a strong stigma towards single
mothers, provoking feelings of shame, resulted in fractured relationships with parents and friends,
caused the women to leave school and give up their jobs.
◦ There was little support in place to help unmarried women to keep and raise their children as single
mothers, and any support that was available was rarely shared with these women.
◦ Women that raised their children alone were often heavily ridiculed and stygmatised by society, and
the mother-baby-homes provided an alternative for families who feared being subject to this
treatment.
◦ Many ended up in the homes because they felt they had no choice, and no other options,
especially with abortions being a criminal offence.
◦ Pregnant women were sent away to work at the homes until giving birth; after the child was born, it
would be adopted and the mother's would be sent home. However they were not on any birth
certificate, so there would be no record of the adoption taking place.
◦ Of the homes surveyed by motherandbabyhomes.com, it is revealed that at least 16,164 adoption
papers had been signed for between 1891-1968.
Abortions in the 1950s
◦ Abortions were a criminal offence in the 50s, except on psychological grounds or to save the life
of the mother.
◦ The consultations and medical care required in those two cases, however, were expensive and
beyond the means of many women
◦ Whilst some doctors were sympathetic and carried out abortions, most pregnant women seeking
to abort tried various other methods, including drinking bleach.
One doctor’s medical advice after confirming a woman’s pregnancy was, ‘have some gin and a
hot bath, perhaps try falling down the stairs a few times.’
◦ Back-alley abortions also took place, with huge risks to the mother's health.
◦ One form of abortion was solutions of carbolic acid, which could prove to be fatal in the unsafe
conditions back-alley abortions were carried out in.
◦ There was little consideration for hygiene in these procedures so, even if the mother survived the
abortion, there was a high risk of infection.
◦ Another method of abortion was the invasive method of inserting a catheter into the cervix then
using a wire (commonly a coat hanger) to scratch the uterine wall and prompt a miscarriage.
However, many women bled out and died from this method, and others that survived the initial
miscarriage then suffered with a fatal infection as the lack of sanitation caused infections in the
uterus and cervix.
 FIN.
Please pick your mouths up off the floor ;)