How much impact did youth culture have on British society in the years 1951–79? Warm Up Write down one new quote that you found whilst completing your homework and include the source of information that you used. Stick the post-it on the board.

How much impact did youth culture have on British society in the years 1951–79? Possible Paragraphs – The impact that youth culture had on: The generation gap The breaking down of class barriers The economy The entertainment and fashion industries Politics Britain’s place in the world and attitude towards other countries Gender equality Race equality Everything you write needs to be backed up by quotes. Key Youth Subcultures that you could refer to: Mods, skinheads, rockers, punks, glam rockers, rude boys and many more….. Every quote you use must be referenced in your bibliography.

Breaking down of Class Barriers Generation Gap It is possible that the onset of youth culture widened the differences between those that had experienced youth culture, and those that had grown up before youth culture grew. Social norms of the older generations, shaped by the experience of war, was possibly far different from the carefree, liberal attitudes of the youth. There is a possibility that the gap between the attitudes, social norms and actions of older people and those of younger people widened significantly due to youth culture. If you do a paragraph on this that you need to find out if this is the case and support your findings with evidence. Breaking down of Class Barriers It is possible that the onset of youth culture broke down class barriers. Working class people started to become celebrities and to set fashion for example. In the 1930s a child in a private school would probably have attended school and wore smart, tailored suits, whereas the working classes would have looked totally different. By the 1960s the upper-classes and the working-classes aspired to the same look, as set by celebritires who often came from working class backgrounds. There is also an argument that youth culture such as MOD inspired working class people to take interest in things that their fathers would never have, things like art, foreign cultures and literature. If you attempt a paragraph on this you need to find evidence that upper-class people were no longer aspiring to be different from those from middle or working class backgrounds and/or that the working classes sought to improve their station as a result of youth culture.

Entertainment and Fashion The Economy It is possible that the onset of youth culture helped to bolster the economy. This was because young people wanted to buy (consume) the latest available products and often saved up for them – this was known as consumerism e.g. Mods, suits, scooters + Rockers, leathers, motorbikes. There is also the possibility that manufacturers responded to this by creating a market for the young and more products were aimed at them because of the rise of youth consumerism which perhaps went hand in hand with youth culture. It’s up to you to decide and support with evidence. Entertainment and Fashion It is very clear that youth culture had some sort of impact on entertainment and fashion. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Tom Jones, none of them came from upper-class backgrounds and they were all working-class heroes that people of all class backgrounds admired. There was a new celebrity class that set fashions and inspired young people to copy them and this celebrity class came as a result of young people buying more products such as records or clothes, thus making it possible for people like Mary Quant or The Beatles to be rich and famous. How widespread was this shift and how long-lasting was it? It is up to you to decide and to support it with quotes.

Britain’s Place in the World and Attitudes Towards Foreign Countries Politics Some young people clearly cared about political issues as can be seen from the various protests that sprung up. The voting age was reduced from 21 to 18 in 1969. Did this come as a result of the increased politicisation of young people and their engagement with political issues during the 60s? With the protests against the Vietnam War, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and the general peace movement, did the young (who were at the forefront of many of the protests) actually have any impact? It is up to you to find out if the young influenced politics and to support your findings with quotes. Britain’s Place in the World and Attitudes Towards Foreign Countries Different youth cultures had different attitudes to the wider-world. For example in the 1960s some younger people looked to the European continent as somewhere exotic, whereas in the 1950s the Rockers admired American stars. This also links to the generation gap as older people viewed Europe with suspicion as a result of the wars of the first half of the century. It wasn’t until the 1970s that cheap flights became available and young people could actually visit these foreign places but even in the 1960s magazines included features on foreign travel. It’s up to you to find out if youth culture actually did have any significant impact on this area and to find quotes to support your findings.

Gender Equality Race Equality The argument is either: Youth culture helped to create equality between the sexes. Youth culture had no impact, good or bad, on the gender divide. Youth culture made the gap between men and women worse because men were the key figures in the youth sub-cultures. If you choose this paragraph then you could show different arguments, supported by evidence and then come to a conclusion in your paragraph summary (you should do this with all of your paragraphs though). Race Equality The argument is either: Youth culture helped to create racial equality. Youth culture had no impact, good or bad, on racial equality. Youth culture’s made the race problem worse. If you choose this paragraph then you could show different arguments, supported by evidence and then come to a conclusion in your paragraph summary (you should do this with all of your paragraphs though).

How much impact did youth culture have on British society in the years 1951–79? What do you need to do? Continue to gather quotes. Begin to colour code the quotes to indicate which paragraphs they might fit into. Start to choose which three paragraphs you want to tackle. Think about and write down how you will show different sides of the debate for each sub-topic you choose. For each paragraph you choose, consider what your paragraph summaries might be (like a mini-conclusion about the sub-topic that comes at the end of the paragraph). Record them. Start to select the quotes you intend to use in your essay and record them in your note booklet. Start to draft an answer.

(Optional) Homework For Half-Term How much impact did youth culture have on British society in the years 1951–79? (Optional) Homework For Half-Term Draft an answer. I won’t make you do this as you have other commitments such as science, maths etc… However, when you come back after half-term you will have two more lessons to prepare and then will be writing up your enquiry controlled assessment and it will be easier for you if I’ve managed to have a conversation with you about it, with work in front of me.

How much impact did youth culture have on British society in the years 1951–79? Plenary – Tell somebody else about a good quote that you intend to use and why you intend to use it. I’m going to ask you to tell me about a quote somebody else had found and intends to use, which paragraph they intend to use it in and why they have chosen this quote.