THE 1950s & THE 1960s IN THE UK

I) The 1950s

The 1950s have been defined as a period of affluence which peak in 1959. Indeed, the affluence was both a fact and a feeling. The 1950s witnessed the evolution to what literate, wealthy and liberal, property-owning democracy.
There were significant improvement in living standards and mainly a property owning boom. By the end of the 1950s the middle classes and also the upper working class began to buy houses but also consumer durables such as cars, TV, washing machines and fridges. All this changed people's life, especially women's life , and later on in the 1960s telephones and holidays abroad were added as well as access to higher education.
Unfortunately, the economy faltered in 1956 – 57 and in 1961-62. In the 1950s, the UK also had the feeling of a renewed role in international politics with the beginning of the Cold War and the war in Korea. But the Suez fiasco in 1956 showed the limits of the UK in new international laws. (Suez fiasco was a military mission with france and was cancel by the US).
Although, 20 British colonies in Africa became independent in the early 1960s, following the « Wind of Change » speech pronounced in Capetown in February 1960. There was a feeling that the empire was collapsing and that the UK would soon be a second -rate power (many people in the UK found it difficult to adjust to this new status).

Despite the affluence and the fact that people were living better lives, by the end of 1950s there was evidence of national decline.
The 1950s / 1960s are also called the period of « consensus » because although the conservative party was in power for much of the time, it did not change or dismantle the welfare-state which had been set up by the labour party. Bc the conservatives were aware that the welfare state had led to vast improvements in people lifes and also because when the welfare state had been set up (in 1945), there was the idea that eventually as society moved