Britain since 1930

Historical Background

Attempts at slum clearance had already begun in the 1930s, but it was the Second World War that brought matters to a head. Evacuation raised public awareness of the appalling conditions in which many people lived and bomb damage rendered large areas of slum dwellings uninhabitable.

The traditional industries of steel, textiles, shipbuilding and coal never really recovered from the slump of the thirties. The establishment of the national electricity grid made power more widely available across the country and new industry tended to settle in London and the south-east, close to the continental ports.

Improvements in the road and motorway networks encouraged factory owners to establish new sites close to the motorways. The result was a decline in heavy industry and expansion in the south and the area around London based on service industries. Changes in the transport system accelerated this development. The railway companies were already facing increased competition from road haulage firms when, in 1956, a Modernisation Plan was drawn up to bring British Rail back into profit. Services were reduced, lines were cut and rolling stock modernised.

Time line

1939 Britain declares war on Nazi Germany
1944 Secondary education becomes compulsory
1945 End of the war
1948 National Health Service Act is passed
1950s Harlow New Town is built; the first National Parks are created
1959 Work begins on the first motorway - the M1
1960s Building of Milton Keynes
1970s Oil is discovered in the North Sea
1988 The Humber Suspension Bridge is opened