British Life During the 1970s

British Life During the 1970s

I love to think about how some of my favorite cities were in the past. The thought of wandering the same streets as so many that came before me wandered themselves…it’s something that I can’t help but think when I’m in older cities like London or Paris.

I think England would have been amazing to see is so many different time periods! Minus of course the era of the Black Death and the Great Fire of London, I dream of being able to go back to the early 20th century, the 1960s, and the 1970s.

Today, I’m going to be focusing on British life during the 1970s! Keep reading to learn all about this exciting, and sometimes devastating, period in England’s history.

Setting the historical scene

Memories of 1973 by Paul Townsend – Flickr

In the years that followed World War II, there was a general economic boom around the world. England enjoyed the boom as well, but that began to change in the 1970s. After experiencing a major increase in British manufacturing, things began to take a turn for the worse in 1973.

The UK went through a major oil crisis after conflicts during the Yom Kippur War, resulting in the major oil company Opec putting a halt on exporting oil to the West. Because of this crisis, workers began to be fired, and unemployment was on the rise. This resulted in strikes and high inflation. People weren’t working and prices of almost everything were rising. This was not a great time to live in the UK.

Famously, when the city’s garbage collectors also went on strike, massive piles of trash accumulated on the streets. Nurses and gravediggers also participated in the strike Because the coal miners also went on strike, a 3 day work week was implemented in London to save on fuel.

Piles of trash accumulating in the streets in the UK in the 1970s by Paul Townsend – Flickr

With all of these strikes and protest going on, you can imagine that the police had a lot of work on their hands. At this time in history, racism within the police force seemed to be at an all time high. Civil unrest always brings about change, but in London in the ‘70s, protests weren’t always peaceful. At the end of the 1970s, civil rights riots were happening all over the country, and caused a large divide to occur.

The 1970s also saw many terrorists attacks, most of which were put on by the IRA (the Irish Republican Army). The group was linked to more than 40 bombings during the decade, as well as for the death of Lord Mountbatten in 1979.

So, economically, things weren’t going too great in England. But, all of this unrest brought about some major changes in British society, like women’s rights and an emerging Punk culture!

England in the 1970s: a decade of change

1970s fashion by Ross Dunn – flickr

So, all that talk about protests, unemployment and strikes makes England in the 1970s sounds pretty grim. It wasn’t all so depressing, I promise!

Feminism was in the spotlight for most of the decade. In 1970, the Equal Pay Act was passed, but it wasn’t really put in place until 1975. This also caused some civil unrest, as women went on protests urging for the act to be implemented. Women made strides, however, with contraception becoming free of charge 1974. Additionally, the Sex Discrimination Act was passed in 1975, making it illegal for employers to discriminate based on perspective employees’ gender.

Punk culture also emerged in the 1970s. There was so much unrest and resentment against the government (otherwise known as the “Establishment” and the “Man”), and Punks weren’t afraid to speak their minds. This resulted in even more protesting and strikes. Punks were also known for their crazy hair styles (spiked mohawks, anyone?) and piercings!

New political parties began popping up too. The “People Party” focused on environmental issues and sustainability, and still exists today under the name of the Green Party. There were others who decided to reject the political scene completely, and left big cities like London to live separately from society in communes.

BAE Sud Aviation Concorde G-BOAB of British Airways parked on the ramp behind Technical Block A, Heathrow Airport, in the late 1970s by Barry Lewis – WikiCommons

Other exciting events went on in London during the 1970s. The first Gay March occurred in 1970 with just 150 men marching, and the first official UK Gay Pride Rally took place in 1972 with 2,000 participants!

The first concorde flight from Heathrow airport to JKF in New York in 1977. The Queen celebrated her Silver Jubilee (a celebration marking the 25th year anniversary of the Queen’s accession to the throne) and the entire country celebrated with her. There was also the Notting Hill Carnival, which actually began in 1966, that is run by the British West Indian community.

British pop culture in the 1970s

David Bowie in 1974 by ABC Television – WikiCommons

The music and fashion scenes in the 1970s are my favorite parts of this decade!

The 1970s are the years of Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Cat Stevens, Elton John, Kate Bush, Led Zeppelin, Queen, David Bowie, Deep Purple…I could honestly go on and on! These are the musicians who still inspire the music scene today.

In 1970, the fashion magazine Vogue claimed that “there are no rules in the fashion game now.” This is likely due to the fact that mass production became the norm, and people had endless clothing choices. This is really different from previous decades, when most people made their clothes by hand, and very few styles were available. Mini-skirts, “vintage” clothing from the 1950s, bell-bottoms, platform shoes and disco styles were the order of the day!

Conclusion

I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief article on British life in the 1970s! It may have a been a pretty harsh decades from most standpoints, but it also welcomed a world of change, and amazing music and fashion.

If you want to learn even more about British culture, why not join one of our walking tours in London? Click here to learn more about our tours and to make your booking!