British society underwent a series of changes between 1939 and the mid-1970s. The Second World War, the end of empire, immigration from former colonies, the Jenkins reforms and the birth of consumer and youth cultures all reshaped Britain and created what was in many ways a very different nation. Traditional concepts of class, family and work were all challenged as Britain went from being an imperial superpower to a member of the European Economic Community (precursor to the EU). Good overviews of this period can be found on the BBC website at www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/modern.
The expansion of the state and the strains of fighting ‘total war’ in an alliance with the USA and the USSR changed society. The mobilisation of all sectors of society in war led to new demands for the state to continue to organise society in peacetime too. Various sites highlight the social consequences of the war. Surging crime rates (www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/2WWcrime.htm), child evacuees (http://tinyurl.com/3wdgp9y) and the Blitz (http://tinyurl.com/4yy7b74) all affected society in different ways. The legacy of the Beveridge report (http://tinyurl.com/44kjzoa) was more long lasting and helped to create the National Health Service and the welfare state. The election of a reforming Labour Party under Clement Attlee was a vivid demonstration of this new public mood (http://tinyurl.com/2badcck).
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