Post War British culture
Perhaps the two most defining moments in England’s history are World War 1 and 2 or, as it is sometimes referred to as, the Great War. This turning point signified the end of the age of colonialism and the begging of a period of rebuilding. The country would never realize a full recovery of the Imperial power it once was but instead would take on a new global role. However, the war affected more than just the country’s role as a regional hegemon. It had a much more lasting effect on British culture during and after the wars. The catastrophic death and destruction had an obvious cultural impact but perhaps less obvious was the increasing importance of women in British society.
Both wars had devastating casualties on either side. World war 2 alone had taken the lives of around 450000 English citizens, which was the 4th most behind the Soviet Union, the United states and Yugoslavia. This is a staggering number to say the least but the effect this had on British family’s was unprecedented. I can recall out trip to Westminster abbey where we took time to observe the grave of the Unknown Warrior, an unidentified British solider found on the European battlefield. Our tour guide described this as the most important grave in Westminster Abbey. The grave was surrounded by roses preventing people from standing on it and was centered at one of the entrances. The significance of the grave could not be overstated as it bears the weight of thousands of lives. One of the poems we read in class For the Fallen by Lawrence Binyon talks about the general morale in post war Great Britain. The poem emphasizes how there were contradicting feelings of victory and grief.” There is music in the midst of desolation, And glory that shines upon our tears.” This line sums up the tone of the poem and the mindset of the post war British citizens. However, with the loss of men came an increasing need for women and therefore a monumental step toward equality.
A strong argument can be made that the Wars expedited the journey towards women’s equality. With the severe lack of men in society due to the demand for soldiers, women had to step up and take the place of these men. It is tough to find a silver lining amid massive losses but one could say the women’s suffrage movement had made significant progress in just a few decades because these wars. After World War 1 there was increasing need for women to be able to vote. During World War 1 only men who were residents of the country 12 months prior to a general election were eligible to vote. This effectively made it so troops who were serving in the war could not vote. Politicians now had the incentive to let all men vote and allow some women to vote.[1] A couple years later the Representation of the People Act of 1918 was passed which allowed women over the age of 30 with property qualification to vote. 10 years later, in 1928, the Equal Franchise Act was passed which allowed all women over the age of 21 to vote which meant the women and men now had equal voting rights. Voting rights was just the first step in the struggle towards equality. During World War 2, women had more opportunities than ever before to work in a wide range of occupations previously dominated by men. There were women working in factories, government offices and even in Churchill's cabinet war rooms.[2] This eventually led to women holding positions of office. There is no better example of this than The Iron Lady, Margaret Thatcher. Margaret Thatcher served as Prime Minister of England from 1979 to 1990. This is astonishing when you compare it to The United States. We came close to having a women president but still have not and might not for a while. It might be too much to speculate that Margaret Thatcher became prime minister so early because of the World Wars but there is no denying the significant impact it had on progressing women’s role in English society.
[1] “Women Get the Vote.” UK Parliament, www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/electionsvoting/womenvote/overview/thevote/.
[2] “The Transformative Impact of World War II World War II.” EGO, ieg-ego.eu/en/threads/alliances-and-wars/war-as-an-agent-of-transfer/a-w-purdue-the-transformative-impact-of-world-war-ii#SocialandCulturalChange