The Extent of Change in Society (1880-1951)

Emergence of trade unions reflecting workers’ needs for collective bargaining and protection against exploitation.
Campaign for women’s suffrage symbolised desire for gender equality, leading to the formation of the Suffragettes and Suffragists.
Population increasingly moving from rural to urban, leading to further societal mobilisation.
The rise of newspapers and mass media, enhancing public awareness and political engagement.
Education Acts (1870 and 1902) gradually implemented compulsory schooling, raising literacy rates and allowing for a more educated workforce.

War and Post-War Changes: 1914-1945

First World War (1914-1918) led to restructuring of society, with women entering traditionally male-dominated workplaces.
Representation of the People Act (1918) gave women aged 30 and over (who met certain property qualifications) and all men aged 21 and over the right to vote.
Great Depression of the 1930s showed the vulnerability of the economy and had serious social impacts, exemplified in mass unemployment.
The Second World War (1939-1945) further changed societal structures and gender roles, featuring an increase in the role women played in society and industry.

Establishment of the welfare state as a reaction to economic depression and war, led to the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) and the expansion of education and housing.
Emergence of the nuclear family model, with the Housewife Returners’ Allowance Act of 1945 providing financial support to married women to stay at home.
Significant immigration from the Commonwealth countries after the British Nationality Act 1948, changed the racial and cultural makeup of Britain.
Rapid decolonisation following the Second World War brought about a significant shift in Britain’s position on the world stage.