How far did British society change 1939-1975 (WW2)

American soldiers
1. Arrived from 1942 onwards
2. Americans were easygoing
3. Much better paid than British troops
4. Mixed in well with British society, occasional tension between cultural diferences
5. Many of the Americans were black, they came from segregated communities, treated very well by British
Other allied soldiers
1. Commonwealth soldiers fought with allies in WW2 such as Australians, Canadians
2. 40,000 marriages between Canadian troops and women
3. After war 120,000 Poles settled in Britain, Britain was their allie after Poland had been invaded by Germany in 1939
4. After war, Poland occupied by USSR, Poles didn't want to live in communist state
5. German and Italian prisoners in Britain increased significantly, by 1945 402,000 Germans, 157,000 Italians, most treated well
Women in Britain during WW2
1. 1941, all women aged 20 or more had to register for war work, most sent to industry or auxiliary armed forces
2. By 1945, 80% married women, and 90% single women working in industry or armed forces
3. By 1943, over 443,00 women worked in armed forces
4. Trade unions easily accepted women workers as compared to WW2
5. Millions of women in factories still had to look after their families, so flexible working arrangements
Attitudes towards women workers before and after war
1. Before
  1. Most work only available during war, stopped in 1945
  2. many work by women broken down, men believed women only capable of simple work
  3. Women worked in armed forces, but this was mostly supportive rather than front line roles
2. After
  1. Many older women still working to help British industry recover after war
  2. 1947, 18% married women compared to 10% in 1939
  3. Young married women stopped work to have children, encouraged by media
  4. 1945, sudden increase in marriages
Young people during WW2
1. Many schools closed due to war
2. Poor kids not evacuated so little eduacation
3. Young people's health improved, better diet in countryside than city
4. Rationing provided children with a balanced diet
5. Many families split up due to evacuation, children's suffered emotionally
Effects of evacuation
1. Many evacuees separated from their families for long
2. Most evacuees treated good, but some badly
3. 50% of children never evacuated
4. Some wealthy people tried to avoid evacuees

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How far did British society change 1939-1975 (WW2)

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	Created by Rifat about 10 years ago