Social Developments in the UK 1964- 1970
Summary
TLDRThis video explores the social developments in the UK during the Wilson years (1964-1970), highlighting the growth of leisure activities, the impact of increased car ownership, and the rise of television as a cultural unifier. It discusses the shift from live events to home-based entertainment, the liberalization of media content, and the debate over the 'permissive society.' The script also touches on the changing attitudes towards censorship in theater and films, the role of advertising, and the government's conservative response to the growing drug culture.
Takeaways
- 📺 The 1960s saw a significant growth in leisure activities, with more people having free time, especially on weekends, and television becoming a central part of home entertainment.
- 🚗 The affordability of cars increased greatly, leading to a decrease in public transport use and a rise in activities such as caravanning and golf, as well as the development of out-of-town shopping centers.
- 🏠 DIY, gardening, cooking, knitting, and needlework became popular leisure activities that people could enjoy at home while watching the increasingly accessible television.
- 🎭 Live events like theater and sports matches saw a decline in attendance as leisure activities became more home-based.
- 🌐 The growth of the advertising industry transformed shopping into a leisure activity, with brands becoming household names through television advertisements.
- ✈️ More people were going on holidays in the 1960s, both domestically and abroad, with the emergence of budget airlines like Britannia Airways catering to this demand.
- 🍷 The decade witnessed the rise of trendy bars and restaurants serving foreign cuisines, reflecting the influence of middle-class tastes and international travel.
- 📽️ TV replaced cinema as the primary source of entertainment, with Hugh Green's modernization efforts at the BBC leading to more informal and entertaining content.
- 🔍 The creation of BBC Two in 1964 allowed for more educational programming, while BBC One focused on entertainment, and color broadcasting began.
- 🚫 The 1960s experienced a shift in censorship, with the theater censorship abolished in 1968, reflecting a more liberal society and leading to bolder content in plays and films.
- 🌾 Despite the perception of a 'permissive society', surveys showed that many young people still held traditional attitudes, marrying their first sexual partner or not having sex before marriage.
Q & A
What was a significant social change in the 1960s regarding leisure activities in the UK?
-The growth of leisure activities became more prominent, with an increasing number of people having most or the entire weekend free, leading to a rise in home-based leisure activities such as watching television, DIY, and gardening.
How did the accessibility of leisure activities change in the 1960s due to technological advancements?
-The accessibility of leisure activities increased as television became a common household item, with about 23% of leisure time being spent watching TV, and other activities like DIY and gardening became more popular as people had more time to engage in them.
What impact did the increased leisure time have on live events and traditional activities?
-Increased leisure time led to a decrease in the popularity of live events such as theater attendance and football matches, especially outside big cities, as more leisure activities took place within the home.
How did the affordability of cars in the 1960s influence society in the UK?
-The affordability of cars had a significant social impact, with more people owning cars by 1970, leading to a decrease in the use of public transportation like buses and trains, and enabling the opening of new out-of-town shopping centers and the rise of activities like caravanning and golf.
What was the role of Hugh Green as the Director General of the BBC in the 1960s?
-Hugh Green modernized television by diverting funds from radio to TV, relaxing guidelines on nudity and swearing, introducing a more informal style to news presentation, and making BBC more entertainment-focused while maintaining its educational and informative purpose.
How did the creation of BBC Two in 1964 affect the programming of BBC One?
-The creation of BBC Two, which focused on information and education, allowed BBC One to become more entertainment-focused and populist, aligning with Hugh Green's vision for the BBC.
What significant change in the UK's theater industry occurred in 1968?
-In 1968, the censorship of theater was abolished after a bill introduced by George Strauss, supported by Roy Jenkins and Lawrence Olivier, was passed by parliament, ending the need for a license from the Lord Chamberlain's Office to put on a new play.
How did the British Board of Film Censors respond to societal changes in the 1960s?
-The British Board of Film Censors became more liberal in their definition of what was acceptable and appropriate in films, allowing for more daring films like 'Alfie' and 'Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush' to be released, reflecting the changing societal attitudes.
What was the term used by critics to describe the UK society of the 1960s, and what did it imply?
-The term 'permissive society' was used by critics to describe the UK society of the 1960s, implying a society that allows anything to happen with no real controls on morality and behavior.
How did the government respond to the rise in drug use during the 1960s?
-The government, under Jim Callaghan as Home Secretary, took a conservative approach, making it unlawful to possess drugs like cocaine and cannabis with the Dangerous Drugs Act in 1967, and increasing the maximum sentence for supplying drugs to 14 years in prison by the end of the decade.
What was the role of Mary Whitehouse and her organization in the context of the 'permissive society'?
-Mary Whitehouse, presenting herself as an average British housewife, set up the National Viewers and Listeners Association (NVLA) in 1965 to represent the views of those who were critical of the liberal attitudes in the media. Despite her significant media profile, the actual impact of her organization on the media was limited.
Outlines
📺 Growth of Leisure Activities in the 1960s
The script discusses the significant growth of leisure activities during the Wilson years (1964-1970) in the UK. It highlights the shift from a work-centric culture to one where leisure became more accessible due to reduced working hours, especially on weekends. The script notes the novelty of television and its impact on leisure time, with surveys indicating that about 23% of leisure time was spent watching TV. DIY, gardening, cooking, knitting, and needlework were popular home-based activities. The script also mentions a decline in live events like theater and sports attendance, attributing this to the increased leisure options available at home. The affordability of cars had a profound social impact, leading to a decrease in public transport use and the rise of out-of-town shopping centers and activities like caravanning and golf.
🍷 Emergence of Trendy Bars and the Influence of Travel
This paragraph delves into the impact of travel and the middle-class inclination towards trendy bars and foreign cuisines in Britain during the 1960s. It points out that while package holidays increased, not everyone was going abroad, and many working-class individuals still preferred holidays within Britain. The paragraph notes the emergence of wine bars and restaurants serving European food, reflecting the influence of foreign cultures on British tastes. The growth of the mass media and television, particularly under Hugh Green's leadership at the BBC, is also discussed, highlighting the shift from formal to more informal programming and the introduction of BBC Two, which led to color broadcasting.
🚫 The Changing Landscape of Censorship in the 1960s
The script addresses the evolution of censorship in the 1960s, focusing on the theater and film industries. It explains the historical role of the Lord Chamberlain's office in censoring plays and the eventual abolition of theater censorship in 1968, spurred by the controversial play 'Early Morning' and the efforts of MP George Strauss. The British Board of Film Censors is also discussed, noting its shift towards more liberal standards, allowing films with themes of sex and violence that would have been unacceptable in the 1950s. The paragraph highlights the debate around the 'permissive society' and the concerns of critics like Mary Whitehouse and the Catholic Church about moral decline.
🗣️ Media Liberalization and the Backlash Against Permissive Society
This section examines the liberalization of media content and the ensuing backlash from conservative groups. It discusses the increased openness in discussing political and religious issues on television and the rise of the term 'permissive society' to describe the perceived lack of moral controls. The script mentions the Catholic Church's criticism of contraception and the establishment of the National Viewers and Listeners Association by Mary Whitehouse, which, despite its popularity, had limited impact on media practices. The paragraph emphasizes that despite the perception of a permissive society, traditional attitudes remained strong among the general population.
🌿 The Rise of Drug Culture and Government Response in the 1960s
The script explores the rise of drug use in the 1960s, particularly cannabis and LSD, associated with the hippie and flower power movements. It also notes the increased use of harder drugs like cocaine and heroin, with addiction rates increasing tenfold. The government's response, under Prime Minister Harold Wilson, is contrasted with the liberal attitudes of the time, showing a conservative approach to drug possession and supply. The Dangerous Drugs Act of 1967 and the Whatton Report of 1968 are highlighted, along with the stricter penalties for drug supply introduced in 1970, reflecting a crackdown on drug-related activities.
📚 Conclusion on Social Change and the Illusion of Permissiveness
The final paragraph summarizes the social changes of the 1960s in the UK, emphasizing that while there were significant shifts in attitudes and behaviors, traditional values did not disappear. It challenges the notion of a 'social revolution' and a uniformly permissive society, pointing out that surveys showed many young people still held conservative views on sex and marriage. The script concludes by acknowledging the substantial social changes of the era while recognizing the enduring presence of traditional attitudes.
📝 Call to Action for Further Exploration of UK Societal Change
In the closing paragraph, the script transitions to a call to action, inviting viewers to engage with more content on the channel, which includes A-Level politics and history units on various topics such as American, Russian, and Tudor history. The script encourages viewers to subscribe, like the video, and leave comments, highlighting the ongoing effort to produce informative and engaging content.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Leisure Activities
💡Mass Media
💡Censorship
💡Hugh Green
💡Advertising Industry
💡BBC Two
💡Permissive Society
💡Drug Culture
💡Jim Callaghan
💡Social Change
Highlights
Growth of leisure activities in the 1960s with more free time on weekends and increased accessibility of leisure activities at home.
Television becomes a primary source of entertainment, with 23% of leisure time spent watching TV.
Increase in DIY, gardening, cooking, and knitting as popular leisure activities while watching TV.
Decrease in attendance at live events like theaters and football matches due to the convenience of home-based leisure activities.
The affordability of cars leading to a significant social impact, with more people owning cars by 1970.
Shift from public transportation to personal car usage, with over 75% of journeys done by car by 1974.
Emergence of new shopping centers and leisure activities like caravanning and golf due to increased car ownership.
The leisure industry becomes increasingly profitable with the growth of advertising in the 1960s.
Shopping becomes a leisure activity itself, influenced by the growth of car ownership and advertising.
Increase in holiday travel in the 1960s, both domestically and internationally, due to affluence and new airlines.
Growth of trendy bars and restaurants serving foreign food as a result of middle-class exposure to international cultures.
TV replaces cinema as the main source of entertainment, with over 90% of British households owning a TV by the end of the 1960s.
Introduction of BBC Two in 1964, focusing on information and education, allowing BBC One to become more entertainment-focused.
The beginning of color broadcasting on BBC Two, marking the transition from black and white TV.
Abolition of theater censorship in 1968, allowing for more freedom in artistic expression.
The British Board of Film Censors becomes more liberal in defining what is acceptable in films, reflecting societal changes.
Criticism of the 'permissive society' by figures like Mary Whitehouse and the Catholic Church, opposing liberal changes in society.
Despite the perception of a permissive society, surveys show that many young people still hold traditional attitudes, even regarding marriage and sex.
Rise in drug use in the 1960s, including both soft and hard drugs, becoming part of the counterculture movement.
Government response to drug use with the Dangerous Drugs Act 1967 and increased penalties for drug supply in 1970.
Transcripts
hi everybody and welcome to
the latest video in our series looking
at aqa
unit 2s the making of modern britain
we're continuing to look in this video
at the
wilson years from 1964 to 1970 years of
labor government
and our focus this time is looking at
some
social developments this will be the
first of two videos
on society during the 1960s
one of the key aspects that you need to
be aware of and this is
picking up really from what we said
about society and social change in the
50s
is the growth of leisure activities this
was something that
we'd already seen to an extent in the
1950s
but it expands uh even further
into the 1960s by the 60s there's
less of an expectation on a lot of
people that they should be working
on a saturday morning increasingly
people
have most of the weekend or the entire
weekend free these were the days before
sunday shopping
for example so a lot of workplaces were
closed in the sunday a lot of people had
a free weekend
and inevitably that means that leisure
activities
become increasingly accessible it's
always the case that people have to
travel
far for those activities a lot of it's
taking place at home
don't forget that for many people tv is
is still a novelty
but it may only be a year or two since
they first bought their tv set
and survey showed that about 23 of
leisure time
was made up simply by watching
television
things like diy and gardening the sort
of things that we take for granted today
people increasingly have time to do
those things uh cooking
knitting and so on um needlework some of
those things which people of course
could do while they were
watching tv were popular activities as
well
quite interesting though because as uh
leisure activities
uh increasingly take place within the
home some
live events become less popular so for
example there are fewer people
going regularly to the theater and
that's particularly the case once you
move outside
the big cities it's also the case even
that
things like attending a football match
or the live events concerts and so on
uh it becomes a little bit less common
not to say that nobody does it but it's
slightly less common
than it had been in previous decades
once again as we said in the 50s and
this is even more true
in the 60s and the affordability of cars
has a really significant
social impact and cars are increasingly
affordable inevitably then
far more people own a car as you get
towards 1970
and the inevitable result of that is
that fewer people are using the bus
or the train and that statistic is
slightly outside our period but only
just it
it tells its own story you've got over
three quarters of journeys
done by car by 1974 compare that 39
in 1954 we can see the pace of change
over those 20 years and of course
the knock-on impact of that is really
quite significant too
so for example new shopping centers out
of town are opening up because people
can get there in the car
and also some of those leisure
activities that do take place outside
the home
things like caravanning for example and
golf become increasingly
easy to access
a couple of other points to make about
leisure before we move on
obviously leisure is something that
people do in their
private lives but of course there's a
massive industry around it and a growing
industry
and an increasingly profitable industry
as well
we talked when we looked at 1950 society
about the growth of advertising
and once again advertising really booms
in the 60s um and what we end up with
is shopping something which people had
seen as a necessity
that would be the daily shop usually
undertaken by women all of a sudden
shopping in itself and going for an
afternoon out shopping and it
somehow being fun and it becomes a
leisure activity
in its own right and that link between
the growth of car ownership
the growth of the advertising industry
mass production of some of these goods
the growth of leisure all of that is
very closely tied
together something else to be aware of
is
that far more people are going on
holiday in the 60s
than in previous decades and it's partly
the result of some of that affluence
that we talked about in the 1950s and
it's true
in terms of both foreign holidays and
holidays in britain as well
people are undertaking more of both
where you get this new airline britannia
airways in 1964
and that's very much for holidaymakers
particularly people going
for a relatively low budget holiday to
bulgaria the canaries to spain and so on
having said all of that don't be fooled
into thinking that
pretty much everybody's going abroad
then not it's still
mainly the preserve of the middle
classes and even by 1971 although
package holidays have grown
quite substantially still accounts for
only eight
holidays a lot of working-class people
may well be having more holidays than
they used to but they're still
more likely to be holidaying in britain
one interesting thing that we do get is
the beginning of
the growth of what you might call trendy
bars back in britain
uh people particularly middle class
people going abroad and
then quite enjoying going to wine bars
as opposed to more traditional pubs
and enjoying some of the food they're
eating in france or spain or wherever
and they quite want to taste it when
they get back home as well which is why
we see a growth
not only in wine bars but increasingly
in restaurants um which are serving
uh foreign food european food as opposed
to more traditional food so as we've
said before when we're looking at
leisure
a lot of factors tied together a lot of
these things like
car ownership affluence the ability to
go on holiday and so on
very closely linked together
something else which we began to talk
about in the 1950s and again is a
an even bigger social change in the 60s
is the growth of the mass media and tv
is at the heart of that it's absolutely
the case in the 60s
that tv has really replaced cinema as
the primary way
that people access their entertainment
back in the 30s and the 40s cinema was
huge
cinema is still big but tv has very much
taken over
by the 60s interesting statistic there
by 61 you've got three quarters of
british people have a tv
in their home by the end of the decade
it's grown to over 90
so you can see that tv is no longer
something that only a few people have is
the the norm
for the vast majority of people and what
you
get because of that is a sense of
cultural cohesion
and we're experiencing a little bit of
the moment with things like um
line of duty for example everybody seems
to be talking about it
apologies if you're watching this video
a couple of years old and you did what
i'm talking about here
but this idea that we're all watching
the same stuff
and it's particularly true back in the
60s where there are very few channels
and so there's a sense that tv is is
bringing people together
and if you live in a remote bit of the
uk um
and you've got a tv it somehow links you
to the rest of the country in a way that
perhaps
you wouldn't have been linked before
quite an important figure here
a man called hugh green now hugh green
becomes director general
basically the boss of the bbc in 1960
and he is determined to modernize
television and he does various things
first of all he realizes tv
is the future um and increasingly a lot
of money that had been pumped into radio
uh hugh green diverts into television in
instead
and hugh green believes that the the
existing guidelines
are nudity on swearing are far too
conservative
and he begins to relax those he also
is a populist which is to say he
absolutely believes that the bbc
should be educating and informing people
but he doesn't see anything wrong
with there being a bit more
entertainment in what the bbz is
producing
as well if you were to go back and
watch the news from 1950 for example you
would find it was
extremely formal the way that it was
done
and hugh green introduces a slightly
more informal style
this is not presenters sitting on tables
but it is
um just a bit less formal than it was
before
a really important development we talked
about before was itv
which of course had adverts in a way
that the bbc didn't
now that being created back in 1955 and
clearly
that gave a massive boost to the
advertising industry
and and that continues throughout the
60s and
increasingly some of these big brand
names
become so familiar and that's partly
thanks to itv
the really big brand names heinz for
example everybody knows it cadbury's and
so on
because itv is beaming those names
into people's homes one of the other
key developments in tv is the creation
of bbc
two the the third channel would you
believe in 1964.
and bbc two is at the time very much
about
information about education and that
just frees bbc one up to become a bit
more about entertainment to become
increasingly populist
as hugh green wants interestingly though
it's bbc
two rather than bbc one which takes um
what's a big step forward at the time
which is uh broadcasting
in color so the move away from black and
white begins
another aspect of social change in the
1960s
is to do with the issue of censorship
now this is an issue that we've explored
in previous videos looking at society
you might remember for example the lady
chatley trial
which was very much around the shoes of
censorship and freedom
of expression and that issue is raised
as the 1960s goes on and particularly
when it comes to
the theater now this might be quite hard
to believe but up until 1968
if you were a playwright if you were a
theater owner
and you wanted to put on a new play at a
british theater
then you had to get a license you had to
get permission
from what's called the lord
chamberlain's office the lord
chamberlain
um is an ancient figure i don't mean he
himself is 500 years old but the
position
um is centuries old as somebody who has
worked for the monarch
across the centuries so the idea that
you have to get permission
from this particular figure in order to
put on a new play
just seemed absolutely crazy by the time
you get to the 1960s but that was how it
was and the lord chambers office was
still
absolutely able to censor prospective
plays
they could demand of playwrights and
theater owners that anything they
believed
was immoral or inappropriate was removed
before the play could be
put on if you're a theater owner who
decides this is absolutely madness and
we're going to put a show on anyway
without a license you could potentially
be
prosecuted and we know that increasingly
during the 60s
authors playwrights filmmakers are
addressing some of those social issues
that previously they wouldn't have done
that sex and violence and swearing and
nudity
are increasingly acceptable in society
and so playwrights are putting those
things into their plays
but the lord chambers office is still
telling them on occasion
to take them out now this comes to a
head this issue
in 1967 where there's a controversial
new play by edward bond it's called
early morning and the lord chambers
office bans it
and you've got an mp called george
strauss who says look you know this is
the late 1960s it's absolutely crazy
that this is still going on we need to
abolish
censorship of the theater so george
strauss introduces a bill to parliament
he gets the support of roy jenkins we
know of course
jenkins is a very liberal home secretary
lends his support to all sorts of
different
social reforms and this is yet another
one and
george strauss also gets support from
lawrence olivier who you may have heard
of a hugely
respected actor at the time as well
and parliament passes that bill it
becomes law
in 1968 and quite an interesting little
event happens not long after
uh the bill becomes law you get a
performance
of the musical hair at the shattersby
theatre in the west end
and the cast celebrate
the fact that censorship has been
removed by
standing up turning to face the audience
entirely naked
for at least a good 30 seconds
so not only has censorship been removed
but here is a particular play very much
taking advantage of it so a really
clear example here of some quite
significant social change within the
19th century
another aspect of censorship that it's
worth reflecting on
is censorship in films and television
now the british board of film census
which still exists today
was responsible for categorizing films
which it did very strictly
but as the 60s went on even the film
census themselves began to recognize
that society was changing
and their definition of what was
acceptable and appropriate definitely
became
more liberal and that's why we see for
example films like alfie with michael
kane in 1966
here we go around the mulberry bush in
1967 those are
much more daring than the kind of films
that would have got past the senses
in the 1950s and so we're not seeing the
sort of battle
that we saw when it came to theater
censorship it's very clear that the film
senses are
moving with the times in a way that the
lord chamberlain's office
hadn't been doing and that's why by 1970
it's it's a lot more common to see by
sex and
violence in films now it's an
interesting one
because we'll see in a minute there were
certain people like mary whitehouse who
were poor by this
and they said if you reduce censorship
it opens the floodgates
and you're going to see sex violence
swearing nudity
everywhere is a slippery slope but what
we're really seeing
is that that doesn't happen it's not the
case
that all of a sudden every play or every
film
suddenly contains loads of violence or
loads of swearing
some do some don't what's really
happening
is the film senses uh kind of
legitimizing
changes that have already happened
they're accepting that society has
already changed
they're not leading the change they're
responding to the change
and it's certainly not the case that the
floodgates open and it's impossible to
see a film
with no sex in it it's just not the case
worth reflecting briefly about tv as
well
again we do see increased
um use of violent scenes for example on
television or sex scenes
again it's certainly not the case that
every program suddenly has them
but yes there is a change there but what
we also see on tv is that
certain political and religious issues
which weren't discussed or debated
on television because they were seen as
too controversial
in the past are now openly being
discussed
and of course politics has been reported
for a long time on tv
but there have been a reluctance really
to dig a bit deeper
and to expose and discuss some of the
more divisive political issues
and that's certainly true when it came
to religion and we can see on television
as we go through the 1960s
that is certainly changing as well
so i mentioned a moment ago that not
everybody was
happy with these changes and we
increasingly
hear this phrase the permissive society
being used by people who are outraged by
the extent of change that's happened and
the permissive society in other words
a society which allows anything to
happen which has
no real controls on morality and on
people's behavior
and these critics um will often
be very combinatory of politicians
particularly roy jenkins
but also of a lot of the media as well
so first of all the catholic church the
catholic churches
is quite prominent in some of its
criticism
of the so-called permissive society in
particular
in the 1960s the catholic church takes
aim
at contraception and particularly
and of course traditional catholic
teaching says that sex
is for procreation for the creation of
children only and then clearly the pill
stands in opposition to that so the
official catholic line
is very much against contraception that
doesn't mean that every catholic in the
pews takes that line
and it's quite interesting you get a
conservative mp who's a roman catholic
called norman sinjan stevas and he
writes an article
called the pope the pill and the people
nice bit of alliteration
in 1968 and that argues against the
official line
so don't think that every single
catholic or christian or
person of religious belief is against
these more liberal changes
but it's certainly true that the
official position of the church
remains quite conservative with a small
c
now we mentioned mary whitehouse a
moment ago mary whitehouse
is uh and certainly likes to present
herself as your
average british woman your average
british
housewife she certainly although she's
very critical of the media
very media savvy she's very good at
using the media
and she becomes a really prominent
figure on all sorts of
talk shows for example during the 60s
and beyond as well she
she goes on well into the 70s and 80s
and 90s
as well mary whitehouse and believes
that
there's far too much sexual freedom she
points in particular to the
the rising rates or sexually transmitted
infections
she's not made that's all but it was
certainly the case it was true but
that's something that she
takes aim at but mary whitehouse's focus
above all
is the media the way the media behaves
and the increasingly liberal attitudes
of part of the media and mary whitehouse
sets up her
own organization her argument is that i
am an ordinary british housewife but i
represent the views of so many of the
british people
and you can see that from the name of
her organization
it's called the nvla the national
viewers and listeners association set up
in 1965
and it's absolutely the case that plenty
of people do agree
with mary lighthouse very quickly gets a
hundred thousand members
does it have an impact on what the bbc
and itv
decide to do well no it doesn't so it's
quite interesting mary whitehouse's
profile
and arguably her popularity are
very significant but the actual impact
that she and her organization have
is extremely limited and as we move into
the 70s we see a continuation
of this much more liberal approach
whether it's television whether it's
radio whether it's films
or whether it's theater and this final
point here is quite an interesting one
because if you
were to believe everything that mary
whitehouse said then you'd imagine
that pretty much every young person in
britain was
having sex all the time that they were
out there taking
drugs uh swearing all the time and that
the media had made them
do that but if we look at these surveys
by scofield and gore
in 65 and 69 and actually it's appeared
that most young people
married their first sexual partner many
haven't had sex at all
by the time they got married so actually
far from
more liberal attitudes in the media
meaning that everybody suddenly behaved
in
a so-called permissive way actually even
among young people
relatively traditional attitudes remain
strong
and it's a theme we keep on coming back
to that the 50s and the 60s are a time
of significant social change
but more traditional attitudes
absolutely haven't
disappeared despite what critics of the
permissive society
might argue i referred a moment ago
to the increased use of drugs during the
1960s
and this is something we need to talk
about briefly as well as considering how
wilson's government responded
to that it's certainly the case that
uh the stereotype of the 60s where drugs
become more common particularly softer
drugs like cannabis
and that stereotype has some basis in
truth certainly cannabis and to an
extent lsd
are increasingly accessible their use
does become more common
in the 1960s and they are very much part
of that hippie flower power culture
it's also true that the beetles of
course dabble in lsd
even though they deny that they're lucy
in the sky with diamonds song is a
homage to that drug
it's also the case that although they're
less widespread
more people are using so-called hard
drugs like cocaine and heroin
than they had done in previous uh
decades and the statistics told their
own story
um in the early part of the 60s
addiction to heroin and cocaine
increases tenfold so clearly there is
a rise in what we might want to call
drug
culture and wilson's government responds
to this
now we've often talked about wilson's
government
being pretty liberal-minded when we
looked at roy jenkins as period as home
secretary
that was especially the case but we've
also commented before that that
that's not true of wilson himself and
it's particularly not true
of jim callahan and when we look at what
the government does
we can see actually a relatively
conservative
approach to the possession and
particularly the supplying of drugs
as well first of all there's a dangerous
drugs act in 1967
and that makes it unlawful to possess
either cocaine
or cannabis we then get a report called
the whatton report in 1968 and that says
actually
only a year after this act there is a
case for
legalizing cannabis now hadroid jenkins
been home secretary
maybe that would have been given more
consideration but jim callahan
is a traditionalist he's a small c
conservative when it comes to issues
like drugs
and callaghan whose home secretary at
the time is
absolutely against that proposal so
cannabis the possession of cannabis
remains unlawful and right at the end of
the decade in 1970
and there's a real crackdown on the
supplying of drugs and the maximum
sentence for that
goes up to 14 years in prison
and that brings an end to this video
it's clear as we said in the 1950s that
the 60s is a time of really very
significant social change if we look for
example at car ownership
tv ownership um increasingly liberal
attitudes
in the media the rising drug taking
all of those are undoubtedly aspects of
change
but is it the case that there's been
some kind of social revolution
is it the case that society has become
exceptionally permissive
is it the case that everybody's attitude
is suddenly very liberal
absolutely not
huge thank you to tom there for a really
interesting uh video on
uk societal change
there'll be more on this uh channel to
come so more i'm
more on seal this particular playlist
someone's gonna be working hard uh
putting together some more videos on
this uh there's also lots of other stuff
going on in the channel in terms of a
level politics content and content
are another history units on things such
as american history and russian history
and
tudor history so hopefully those stuff
there that you'll find helpful please
remember to subscribe
um like the video and leave tom some
comments on this one would be absolutely
great
thank you very much
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