I) What Was Life Like in Britain Between 1918 and 1939?

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For many life improved and there were jobs available in many new industries, like car manufacturing, electric goods etc. These factories were much more modern then old Victorian factories and the conditions were improving too. The Wall Street Crash of 1929 triggered a deep and lasting decline in the world economy. The British economy was badly affected by the Great depression as there was already high unemployment and stagnation in traditional staple industries such as ship building and textiles. However, with there being such regional differences between the north and south in Britain, the social and economic impact of the Great Depression on Britain as a whole was extremely uneven. For many towns, particularly those in the north, the effect of the depression could not have been any worse as there was mass unemployment, extreme poverty and as an effect of this, long-term hopelessness. However, elsewhere, the 1930s became a time of affluence. During the 1920s and 30s there was a large social and cultural change. The 20s became known as the ‘jazz age’, the roaring 20s and the gay decade because of the relief throughout the country and its peoples after the horror of World War I. Middle class and skilled working class people had more leisure time and the cinema boomed with the arrival of silent films and comedies. People dressed smarter, suits were brighter colours, skirts were shorter, music became more available, the cinema boomed with the arrival of silent films and comedies, radio became a must, sport, especially football, packed them in, family moral standards remained, poor living standards in urban areas remained but compulsory education was introduced. This continued into the 1930s where optimistic films and musicals were popular. Stars like Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in films like ‘gay divorce’ bought many to the cinema. During this time there

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