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British Economic & Social History

Question: How useful is the term ‘cultural revolution’ when applied to the sixties? 87%

Answer: The sixties are definitely remembered by its generation as a time of significant change. Many associate the period fondly with memories of groups such as The Beatles and The Kinks, at the same time remembering the many protests and movements that hoped to change the ideas and values of society. In answer to whether the term ‘cultural revolution’ is useful when applied to the sixties, study of ......(short extract) to download the full answer, please Sign in or Register then make a payment or submit an essay

Question: What do you understand by the terms “mainstream culture” and “counter culture” in reference to the 1960’s? Discuss with reference to any three of the disciplines represented in Block 6: History, History of Science, Religious Studies, Music and History of Art.

Answer: The 1960’s were a period of history which witnessed a vast amount of cultural change. This change swept across the whole of society, but particularly amongst the young. There was a shift away from the ‘mainstream’ Western culture when the ‘counter-culture’ came about and created a change in the ideas and behaviour of a whole generation of people. It is possible to find examples of thi......(short extract) to download the full answer, please Sign in or Register then make a payment or submit an essay

Question: “There were two somewhat distinct criminal underworlds in early modern England: That of wayfaring vagabonds and that of urban-based thieves.” Discuss.

Answer: In early modern England there was clearly a problem with crime, although a lot of it was petty theft. There was also a fair amount of organised crime, the more serious mainly in urban areas. Historians have put the high rate of theft down to the ‘rhythms of the pre-industrial economy’ [1] as many people could only be provided with employment for a couple of months in the harvest season and wou......(short extract) to download the full answer, please Sign in or Register then make a payment or submit an essay

Question: How do the economic texts on slavery differ from the narratives on slavery, and why is it important to analyse this?

Answer: In the introduction to his book Did Slavery Pay? (1971: xii), a collection of readings on the economic effects of slavery, Hugh G. J. Aitken discusses what we can learn from these texts. He says they ‘have much to tell us about slavery, and about the plantation economy, and the South, but they have little to tell us about the black man’ (1971: xii). To get a fuller understanding of the subject......(short extract) to download the full answer, please Sign in or Register then make a payment or submit an essay

Question: ‘There was a consumer revolution in eighteenth-century England. More men and women than ever before in human history enjoyed the experience of acquiring material possessions. Objects which for centuries been the privileged possessions of the rich came, within the space of a few generations, to be within the reach of a larger part of society than ever before, and, here for the first time, to be with in the legitimate aspirations of almost all of it. Objects which were once acquired as a result of inheritance at best, came to be the legitimate pursuit of a whole new class of consumers’ (McKendrick et al 1982 p. 1) Critically evaluate this statement.

Answer: Throughout the literature it is clear that there was a definite consumer revolution in the eighteenth century (Clarke, 2003; Lury, 1996; McCracken, 1990). McKendrick 1982 maintains that the ‘great transformation’ which occurred across Western societies in the eighteenth century was not only the result of an industrial revolution but also a consumer revolution. Mckendrick’s argument for the r......(short extract) to download the full answer, please Sign in or Register then make a payment or submit an essay

Question: What is historical context and can texts be explained or enriched by considerations of context?

Answer: Historical context is largely responsible for assigning a place into which a text can be ‘fitted’, a set of conditions out of which the fiction has been moulded and a grounding which is therefore fixed historically in time and space. However, historical context is essentially the backdrop and starting point from which the literature comes into being and as attitudes of readers change over the ......(short extract) to download the full answer, please Sign in or Register then make a payment or submit an essay

Question: To what extent were entrepreneurs to blame for Britain’s lack of industrial competitiveness between 1870 and 1914?

Answer: This essay will attempt to evaluate the claim by certain historians, that entrepreneurs were the main cause for Britain’s lack of industrial competitiveness between 1870 and 1914. The essay will begin with a brief introduction, and then will outline in turn the main arguments that are damning of entrepreneurial actions.......(short extract) to download the full answer, please Sign in or Register then make a payment or submit an essay

Question: To what extent was the outbreak of the civil war in England caused by Charles I attempt at personal rule without parliament?

Answer: Before we look at the extent of which Charles was responsible for the civil war, it is important to explore the events occurring before his coming to power. King James I, Charles predecessor, first came to power in 1603. It was before this time that James had conceived his theory of ‘divine right monarchy’ which was to prove unpopular amongst members of parliament, as in 1609 during a speech t......(short extract) to download the full answer, please Sign in or Register then make a payment or submit an essay

Question: With reference to the years 1830-1930, why did it take so long for Britain to become a fully democratic country?

Answer: The period 1830 to 1930 witnessed the greatest ever extension of the franchise in British history. By the end of the period the country could claim to be a full democracy, but why did it take so long? Unlike most other European countries in this period, Great Britain failed to undergo a revolution. The three sectors of the population to which the franchise needed to be extended to achieve universa......(short extract) to download the full answer, please Sign in or Register then make a payment or submit an essay

Question: To what extent did Thomas Cromwell shape the English Reformation?

Answer: The nature of the English Reformation has generated fierce debate among scholars since writing began on the subject. Assumptions have changed and opinions have varied, but from Elton and Dickens to the ‘revisionists’ the prominent historians of the 20th Century have all agreed that Thomas Cromwell played a significant role in the tumultuous events of the 1530’s.......(short extract) to download the full answer, please Sign in or Register then make a payment or submit an essay

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British Economic & Social History

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