Contemporary Age

English Colonialism in India

Problems in India• Poverty

• Lack of religious tolerance• Political division: India was a mosaic of over 500 states

Incidents came to happen often, sometimes even massacres

How could a country with liberal traditions mantain an authoritarian empire which ultimetely rests on force?

• Social Darwinsm explained a “special genius of the Anglo-Saxon race” and the “racial superiority” of English people

• English people thought the stability of India depended on the British Army

How could a country with liberal traditions mantain an authoritarian empire which ultimetely rests on force?

• Social Darwinsm explained a “special genius of the Anglo-Saxon race” and the “racial superiority” of English people

• English people thought the stability of India depended on the British Army

Incidents came to happen often, sometimes even massacres

How could a country with liberal traditions mantain an authoritarian empire which ultimetely rests on force?

• Social Darwinsm explained a “special genius of the Anglo-Saxon race” and the “racial superiority” of English people

• English people thought the stability of India depended on the British Army

Problems in India• Poverty

• Lack of religious tolerance• Political division: India was a mosaic of over 500 states

Incidents came to happen often, sometimes even massacres

Problems in India• Poverty

• Lack of religious tolerance• Political division: India was a mosaic of over 500 states

Incidents came to happen often, sometimes even massacres

They saw modern India as a result of their work. It was common opinion that all that was positive in India had its roots in British rule.

The end of British Rule in India

Causes• Labour government in Britain• Britain was economically ruined and financially dependent on the USA• Feeling against imperialism was increasing among the British people

English Influences in India

• EducationEducation

• LanguageLanguage

• ReligionReligion

•Hierarchy and EqualityHierarchy and Equality

Independence of Pakistan and India: 14° and 15° August 1947

British Indians in the UK

Indian people born in the UK who are of Indian descent, and Indian-born people who have migrated to the UK.

End of II World War Breakup of the British Empire

Indian migration in the UK increased

Distinct phases can be identified:

• 1950-19601950-1960: Manual workers were recruited to fulfil the labour shortage; Medical staff were recruited for the newly formed National Health Service

• 1960- 1970: 1960- 1970: East African Indians in the UK after they were expelled from Kenya, Uganda and Zanzibar

21° century21° century: Indian community represents 1.8% of the UK’s population

Immigration from Ireland, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Caribbean, South Africa, Kenya, Hong Kong, Malta and Cyprus

MULTICULTURALISM

Different cultures coexist

“State multiculturalism is a wrong-headed doctrine that has had disastrous results. It has

fostered difference between communities.. And it has stopped us from strengthening our

collective identity. Multiculturalism was manipulated to entrench the right to difference – which is a divisive concept. What we need is

the right to equal treatment despite difference”.

5 February 2011

Cameron

Riots 2011

Police shooting of Mark DugganMark Duggan on 4° August 2011

Peaceful marchPeaceful march on 6° August 2011

Between 6° and 10° August 2011, several London districts of cities and towns across England suffered

widespread rioting, looting and arson

EFFECTS

•Deaths (five people died)•Injuries (at least sixteen people)

• Crimes accross London (a total of 3443)• Property and business damage

Contributory factors to the riots

• Social issues: illiteracy, drug abuse, poverty, growing gap between rich and poor, high unemployment

• Government cuts and low economic growth

•Moral decay at the top: Daily Telegraph Columnist Peter Oborne said: “Moral decay is just as bad at the top of society as it is at the bottom”

• Failure of the penal system.

WelfareIt’s a concept of government in which the State plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its

citizens. It’s also called “Keynesian State” from John Maynard Keynes.

It had been intensively since the end of the World War II.

Welfare

The State begins to play a decisive role in economic and

institutional dynamics.

Functions of the State

• Income redistribution

• Macroeconomic stabilization

• Regulation of market

Liberal Model

Liberal State arose almost extraneous to

the economic system.

Jhon Maynard Keynes

The father of the Welfare state is Lord Beveridge who identified :• Disease• Want• Ignorance• Squalor• Idleness

And found a new way to relieve these five giant evils that plagued society,

“All people working age should pay a weekly national insurance contribution. In return benefits would be paid to people who were sick, unemployed, retired or widowed.”

In the same period he promoted the BIRTH OF

National Insurance

Act

1946

National Assistance

Board

1948

Education Act

1944

Universal Child

Benefit National Health Service

Baby Boom

Lord Beveridge

… With the advent of the CONSERVATIVE PARTY and their leader

MARGARET THATCHER this situation changed.

She was elected in 1979 and was the first female Prime Minister.

FIRST TERM (1979-1983)

• Cuts of direct taxes

• Increase of indirect taxes

Unemployment levels around 3

million.

Thatcher lost a lot of popularity but with

FALKLAND WAR (1982) her fame increase

SECOND TERM (1983-1987)

• Closing of 20 mines

• The economy grow

• Privatization, Beveridge model was finally abandoned.

Lost of 20000 jobs

Protest and strikes

THIRD TERM (1987-1989)

• Privatization of British gas, telecom, water, British airways and electricity

• Poll Tax 1989: An attempt to reform local government and finance by replacing

household rates which made each voter bear a full share

of the costs incurred by prodigal spending.

Lost of confidence in Conservative Party and rise

of Labour Party.

Margaret Thatcher

She was called “The Iron Lady” for her tight control of Britain’s

monetary policy.

The Role of the Woman in the 20th century

Revolution in

Clothes (the bikini and the mini skirt).

Politics: the emergence of the “new feminism” of the 1960s.

•Some demonstrations (at the Miss America competion or at the BBC ).•The first feminist publishing house in 1973.•The Equal Pay Bill was introduced in 1970, in 1975 the Sex Discrimation Act.

They were redefining their roles as wives, mothers, lovers and workers.

Tony BlairOn elections in UK in May 1997 And became the Prime Minister

of the Labour Party.Members of Left wing placed

Blair on the Right wing because, in their opinion, he violated the principles of the Labour Party not paying enough attention to their rights like redistribution of

wealth. The other political party argued that Blair is a populist.With this election ended the 18

years of Conservative Party period.

POLICIES

Made a lot of reforms:

•Introduced new employment rights;

•Constitutional Reforms ;

•Promoted rights for homosexuals.

•Increased police power

•Imposed the recording of DNA.

Nation Identity Card

Abolition of Clause 28

He agreed with Margaret Thatcher to reduce categories of Welfare payments.

At The Beginning...

The origins of the Labour Party are to be found in the movement of Chartism, headed by F. Place and W. Lovett.

It took its name from the  People's Charter of 1838.

People demanded:

- Universal male suffrage;

- The secret ballot

- Annual Parliaments

They privileged the union struggle.

But the requests were not accepted and this will led to a decline of the working class movement.

It was the first mass working class movement.

The Labour Party

• It was born in 1900 by the fusion of the Social Democratic Federation (SDF) and the Independent Labour Party (ILP).

• Was realized an agreement between the ILP and the Trade Unions that were undertaken  to be involved in politics after the break with the Liberal Party.

• The Labour Party became interested  in  the economic problems of the working class instead of in the socialist political principles.

British societyNumber of blue collar (manual workers) declined and number of white collar (workers in offices) increased.

In the 1950s West Indians and Asians arrived in Britain Became a Multi-cultural society.

Divorce and single parent families became common.

Work and industry In 1950s-60s became a long period of prosperity that ended in 1970s.

In the late century started a de-industrialisation process. Traditional industries like coal mining, textiles and shipbuilding declined rapidly ≠ industries of tourism, education and finance grew rapidly.

PovertyIn 1945 was introduced child benefit.

In 1950 absolute poverty had almost disappeared, however there was relative poverty(when you cannot afford the things most people have).

Education

In 1947 the school age leaving was raised to 15 and in 1972 to 16

Corporal punishment, especially the cane, was

abolished between 1987 and 1999

In 1960s many new universities were founded: people had more opportunities of education than ever before

Homes

From1959 to 1980 vacuum

cleaner, central heating,

double glazing became common

By 1960s all kinds of household goods were made of plastic

In 1950 many homes didn’t have bathrooms, the situation improved in 1960

FoodRationing lasted until 1954, with meat and cheese.

Chinese and Indians takeaway and restaurants, pizza and hamburgers chains became common in 1980s.

From 1953 to 1963 went on sale tea bags, fish fingers and fruit-flavoured yoghurt.

From 1948 to 1979 became common Polo Mints, Bounty, Lion Bar and Twix.

By 1950s supermarkets replaced many small shops.

Transport and CommunicationsThe first zebra crossing was introduced in 1951 and the first three-point seat belt in 1959.

The first hovercraft passenger service began in 1962.

The Channel Tunnel opened in 1994.Cars became really common from 1960s to 1970s.

Telephone became common in 1970s, in 1990s mobile phones and e-mails.

MusicA revolution in music was led by Elvis Presley...

…and Freddie Mercury: the “Britain’s first Asian rock star”.

Leisure

TV became common in 1950s:a lot of people bought a TV set to watch

the coronation of Elizabeth II

BBC 2 began broadcasting in colour in 1967.

From 1980s to 1990s became common video recorders (replaced then by DVDs), portable TVs, personal computers and internetBy the 1980s people had at least 4 weeks annual holiday

MedicineIn 1948 was founded the National Health Service.

In 1960s were discovered vaccines for measles and poliomyelitis. Were also done the first pacemaker and the first heart transplant.

The first test tube baby was born in 1978with Edward and Steptoe’s studies.

In 1980 the smallpox was eradicated. But in 1981 a terrible new disease called AIDS was isolated.

Alec Jeffrey invented DNA fingerprinting in 1989 which helped to solve numerous crimes and still does today.

Pop art: it employs aspects of mass culture, such as advertising, comic books and mundane cultural objects. The word “pop” first appeared in a collage made by the artist Eduardo Paolozzi.

Minimalism: it exposes the essence of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts.

Postmodern art: it consists in the recycling of past styles and themes in a modern-day context, as well as the break-up of the barrier between fine and high arts and low arts and popular culture.

Art

“John Lennon” by Andy Warhol

“Campbell’s Soup” by Andy Warhol

Literature

George Orwell is one of the most significant writers in this period. Dealing with issues such as poverty, totalitarianism and colonialism.

Agatha Christie was a crime writer of novels that gave her the title of the “Queen of Crime”.

A. S. Byatt with her “Possession”.

In thriller writing, Ian Fleming created the character James Bond 007.

Federica BarcaroliMina LovaitiaAgnese PicchiantanoArianna PizzichiniAndrea Martina Trifici