The Modern Period 1939-1989

World War II 1939-1989 (recent history?) This period has been shaped by World War II. The post war and its literature have been shaped by the effects of war.

World War II Throughout most of WWII, until the Americans joined the fighting, Britain was the front runner in the war efforts. Great Britain suffered from air raids, food shortages, destroyed homes, exhaustive work, and constant death. Exhausted and worn down, the English population survived WWII.

World War II One newspaper described the people of England after WWII as weary with “forever making do, and mending in a way of life that is drab, grubby, undersoaped, and starved of color.”

Aftermath of the War The prospects for Britain after the war were very bleak. They were burdened with the debt of financing years of war. Food rations and high taxes continued into the mid-1950s.

Aftermath of the War The early 1950s marked a turning point in the grim postwar decade. In 1953, Queen Elizabeth II was crowned in an elaborate ceremony that revived English tradition and symbolized new hope.

International Scene Because WWII was truly fought on an international front, the post war world demonstrated an increasingly international focus. The British government was forced to give up control of most of their international colonies.

International Scene Relationships among the major countries of the world also were changing. The United States and the Soviet Union vied for world dominance, in a battle known as the Cold War.

International Scene Not only was world dominance at stake, but it was also a battle between democracy and socialism/ communism. Animal Farm, by George Orwell, uses satire to describe socialism as it developed in the Soviet Union.

Radicalism Similar to the movements that took place in the United States, after WWII, the youth in Britain became disillusioned with traditional power structures. By the late 1950s a new movement of working-class leftist and young student radicals began to take shape.

Radicalism Beatle mania! The Radical movement increased in influence during the 1960s and 1970s. Writers, sculptors, musicians, and other artist began to break away from traditional forms of expression. Beatle mania!

Literary Trends Writers responded in various ways to the alienation and cynicism of the postwar period. As was true after WWI, the dark mysteries of life and death no longer were the prime concerns of serious writers.

Literary Trends Instead post WWII writers focused on personal experiences and on political and social issues. William Golding wrote novels projecting the dire consequences of postwar trends.