CIN 3110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Nazism, 18 Months, Independent Film
16 Jun 2018
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The History of British Cinema Class 2:
2nd world war – the people’s war – more popular of the two World Wars
• Impact on citizenry at home - Intense fear of invasion, whole british pop subject to
military attack.
• Widespread assent against national socialism - Sense of WWII as a just war against
fascism.
Historical details – enormous impact on daily lives, through conscription (all males between 18
and 41, with some exemptions)
• After WWII all young men have to serve 18 months in the military until 1960. Potent
form of social mixing (elite private schools and state education mixing together and
sharing their social lives).
• Blitz, access bombing campaign against major cities and industrial locations. The falling
of bombs on major urban centres is indiscriminate. Inner city children sent out to large
country estates (social mixing again) – NARNIA
• How the war disrupts existing social patterns.
• Rationing. Access submarines sinking supplies across the Atlantic. Rationing continues
to 1950. Everyone is under the same conditions except people in various industries.
• Thriving black market as war fatigue sets in. Not everyone bought in in the same way.
• Shared collective sacrifice.
o Directed by central privatised economy.
Manage public opinion and moral to defeat facism
• Posters, radio broadcasts, theatre, cinema – regulated by the state in a very specific way.
o Drawing lines of connection between domestic, public, and the war
o Focus on energy and consumption – feeding the nation to have collective strength
against a threat
o Threat of spies among us – everyone has to do their part not to disclose
information
o Focus on geography of GB.
• Keep Calm and Carry On – WWII propaganda poster
Mood shift
• After war, it goes towards reconstruction. A Matter of Life and Death – propaganda, what
happens after the war.
• Widespread sense that things will have to change to honour shared collective sacrifice
that people have made.
• In order for the victory to be worth it, the fabric of british society has to change in order
for everyone to be more equal.
• William Beverage’s report – government report, becomes an unlikely bestseller, sells
100s of 1000s of copies. Why? Because WB was charged with coming up with a plan
post-war. Chief theme – on the road to recovery, there are 5 giants that must be slain.
Want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness. 5 great social problems that the
government should help end.
o Product – the welfare state, in order to combat the social problems.
o The education act – universal system of education.
o So everyone gets a fair shake in life.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
2nd world war the people"s war more popular of the two world wars. Impact on citizenry at home - intense fear of invasion, whole british pop subject to military attack: widespread assent against national socialism - sense of wwii as a just war against fascism. Historical details enormous impact on daily lives, through conscription (all males between 18 and 41, with some exemptions: after wwii all young men have to serve 18 months in the military until 1960. Potent form of social mixing (elite private schools and state education mixing together and sharing their social lives): blitz, access bombing campaign against major cities and industrial locations. The falling of bombs on major urban centres is indiscriminate. Inner city children sent out to large country estates (social mixing again) narnia: how the war disrupts existing social patterns, rationing. Everyone is under the same conditions except people in various industries: thriving black market as war fatigue sets in.
