Historians have disagreed as to whether there was a social revolution in

Historians have disagreed as to whether there was a social revolution in Britain in the 1960s. What is your view about whether there was a social revolution in Britain in the 1960s?The extent to whether there was a social revolution in Britain in the 1960s has caused much debate amongst historians. Martin Pugh argues that there was a social revolution in the 1960s due to the visible changes in society which exhibited many symptoms of an ‘outright rebellion or divergence from conventional social behaviour’ 1 . His argument highlights the various aspects of British society which experienced extensive transformations such as the introduction of permissive legislation and the considerable liberation of women.Paul Addison shares Pugh’s views on the substantial number of changes visible in society and legislation with the ‘arrival of a new society in which repressive Victorian controls were replaced’ 2 however Addison marginally disagrees over the universality of the revolution arguing that some of the transitions faced significant opposition and that some of the changes only affected particular people therefore ‘it would be misleading to see the 1960s as a one-way ticket to a more libertarian society’ 3 . Mark Donnelly argues that whilst there was noticeable evidence of change, there’s a vast number of limitations to the changes which therefore restricts the extent the 1960s can be called a ‘social revolution’. Whilst Donnelly and Addison both agree there were limitations to the change, Donnelly argues it was limited to a greater extent. He argues the press focuses on ‘Swinging London’ however misses the ‘widening gap of have and have nots’ 4 demonstrating that the changes in society focused on the experiences of the wealthier. The extent to whether there was a revolution can be determined based on various factors such as the universality of the social changes, whether they were sustained, the extent to which the changes evolved or whether they were new to society. Considering the three interpretations, it’s clear that whilst Pugh argued that 1960s Britain experienced considerable changes, a ‘revolution’ defined as a ‘sudden, radical, or complete change’ may be an exaggeration. Therefore, the changes in the 60s arguably didn’t result in a social revolution as, according to Donnelly, various people in society either opposed the changes or weren’t integrated into the changes so they weren’t universal.During the 1960s, one reason many people suggest there was a ‘social revolution’ was due to the transition to a Labour government in 1964. Labour tended to adopt a more liberal viewpoint on various areas of policy and further to this, Harold Wilson appointed Roy Jenkins as Home Secretary between 1965 and

• Jenkins arguably contributed to the social revolution due to his, ‘highly

tolerant, enlightened and influential approach’ 5 . Pugh suggests there was a social revolution due to this shift in government as a ‘younger generation began to dilute the conservatism of parliament’ 6 showing that there was institutional change which is hugely significant. The Labour government was critical in ‘presiding over major reforms’ 7 in areas such as divorce, abortion, homosexuality and immigration and without the appointment of ‘liberal’ Jenkins then ‘few of 1 Martin Pugh, State and Society, page 297 2 Paul Addison, No Turning Back, page 196 3 Paul Addison, No Turning Back, page 220 4 Mark Donnelly, Sixties Britain, page 131 5 Kenneth O Morgan, Britain Since 1945, page 260 6 Martin Pugh, State and Society, page 299 7 Martin Pugh, State and Society, page 299

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these measures would have been enacted’ 8 . Whilst this indicates that the Labour government’s actions were revolutionary and unprecedented, Donnelly highlights the limitations to this as ‘there was still deep popular unease about liberal reforms’ 9 demonstrated by continued support for the death penalty as well as the common perception that ‘too much publicity was given to sex’.Donnelly also suggests that these changes were evolutionary and ‘the end point of a more gradual liberalisation’ 10 indicating there was not a sudden change in society. This limits Pugh’s interpretation that the liberal legislation represents a revolution as Donnelly highlights the lack of universality of the changes visible from the extent of opposition, and the fact that many of the changes were already underway from previous years and therefore, they weren’t new and revolutionary.One significant change which could be considered ‘revolutionary’ was the 1967 Sexual Offences Act which decriminalised homosexual acts between consenting adults in private which were previously illegal. Addison argues whilst this was ‘a great liberation’ it was still ‘a limited one’ 11 as the age of consent was fixed at 21 for homosexuals whereas it was still 16 for heterosexuals showing there was still a lack of equality, and this legislation also didn’t apply to the armed forces.There was also a lack of changing attitudes within politics as Attlee publicly stated that he believed ‘homosexuality is an evil’ 12 . Therefore, whilst this change was critical as it was the first legislation which legalised any form of homosexuality, it still didn’t go far enough to represent revolutionary change.Martin Pugh however argues that it was a significant transition in society as it was the first time ‘the question of homosexuality came into force’ 13 indicating this was a critical movement forward. During the 1960s, homosexuality in society became more ‘freely discussed’ with the establishment of papers such as ‘Gay News’ 1962. This relaxation in attitudes shows a shift in society as homosexuality became a less taboo topic of discussion. Donnelly however highlights this change was limited as the Gay Liberation front was established in 1970 as it was ‘less than satisfied with the 1967 act’ 14 . Geoffrey Goer’s 1969 survey of under 45’s suggested there was still vast intolerance and that ‘there was much to do’ as only 12% of his sample displayed ‘even a tolerant attitude to homosexuality’, 22% expressed ‘pity’ and 24% even went as far to say they were ‘revulsed’ 15 . This shows a lack of acceptance and arguably the strongest argument is that there was not a social revolution, particularly in terms of the lack of changes in attitude and inequality remaining within legislation regarding homosexuality.Divorce was another area which experienced significant reform during the 1960s and contributed to the growing liberation of women. In 1969, the Divorce Reform Act was passed which was a profound change in divorce law as it allowed a marriage to end through mutual consent after three years whereas before, a divorce could only occur if there was a ‘guilty party’ leaving many people trapped in unhappy marriages. Pugh argues that this law was substantial as by 8 Martin Pugh, State and Society, page 299 9 Mark Donnelly, Sixties Britain, page 117 10 Mark Donnelly, Sixties Britain, page 122 11 Paul Addison, No Turning Back, page 204 12 Paul Addison, No Turning Back, page 204 13 Martin Pugh, State and Society, page 300 14 Mark Donnelly, Sixties Britain, page 120 15 Mark Donnelly, Sixties Britain, page 120

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