Second World War

Second World War

During Victorian Age the Britain was the first power in Europe. At the end of world war II° it had losing the power on the colony that little by little become indipendent; in fact there was an increase of nationalitist feeling in various colonies.

Moreover during the war the japan capture of severl territories of the Empire in Asia.

In July 1945 the LABOUR PARTY came to power and started to lay the basis of the WELFAR  STATE which war time committes had already planned.

The economist, KEYNES, say that government intervention was necessary to maintain the economy of the state and garanted a high

Level employment, so after the government nationalized mayor industries ( coal,iron,and steel) and the railways.

The Mixed economy aimed to raise the liveing standard of all British people. The result of the inflation was strikes and tension between government and the tride unions.

In 1951 the conservative party returned to power and continued the Welfare policy of the previous Labour government trying to mantain the full employment.

The SUEZ CRISIES for the first time showed a decline of the Britain power. In 1950's started the so-called "cold war" between USA and western democracies against USSR and her allies. In Britain developed the Campaign for Nuclear Desarmaments for the threat [minaccia] of nuclar war.

In 1964 labour party won the elections and tryed to resolve all the problems that the conservatives party left them.

Harold Wilson and his CABINET proposed a technological revolution and they unsuccessfully attempts to become a member of the European Economic Community. (EEC) but at that time lower and middle class where very scepticipts about the supposed economic benefits about the enter in the EEC.

[ SOCIAL CONTEXT : ]

The post war years were characterize by economically dependence from USA with the MARSHALL AID PROGRAMME.

The labour government introduced a national healt service and the financial help for the old, the poor and mothers and children. From the 60s started the new youth cultures celebrating freedom and self-expression.

With this revolution appeared different groups like the Teddy Boys,Rockers,Mods,Hippies.

There was also formale revolt in 70s with the neo-feminist movement of the "Woman's Lib".

In these years there were permessivism in sexual behaviour, illegal drogues and general scorn [rifiuto] for norms and values [valori].

Permessivism was considered an individual responsabilities and with this new liberalism were legalisied the abortion and homosexual relation.

The Labour government introduced laws against the racial discrimination.

The swinging 60s rappresented, with Mary Quant, the Beatles, the rolling Stones, the drug culture, the unusual cloths, the freedom of the young people.

From 1970 until today the costant problem of the Britain is unenployment specially in north Scotland and northern Ireland.

[ CULTURAL CONTEXT :]

The cultural context of the post war period suffered of a very strond American influence.

Main example are the blue jeans and the fast food.

The cultural revoluton from 50s to 60s his expressed from the pop revoluton.

Popular music became the new pop music with the Beatles and their rivals the Rolling Stones.

The pop Art movement influenced also cinema and in the meantime [stesso tempo] increased [incrementò] the use of the mass media.

[POP ART ]

The Pop Art is the movement which flourished vigorously in England and in the USA, represented a move away from abstraction toward recognizable objects of popular [POP] culture and consumerism : advertisements [pubblicità].

[ FRANCIS BACON ]

In Bacon's painting the man's face is not portrayed according to traditional aesthetic conventions.

It is distorted as if a series of forces were pushig and pulling in different directions, compressing and at the same time expanding its muscles.

The result is a deformed, disfigured face that puzzles or shocks the viewer.

Distorted faces and bodies are characteristic of Bacon's pictures togheder with the frequent presence of a geometric, trasparent frame which imprisons human beings in a sort of cage.

The transparent frame is the symbol of some invisible force that imprisons and soffocates the men.

Bacon with this distorted image of a human being, want to represent the person's inner feelings that are hidden behind the mask one wears in everiday life.

The point of view is slightly on the left. The figure is sitting and he is frontal and vertical in a middle class ambient [class present in 60s].

Bacon's work seems in tune [sono in sintonia] with the atmosphere of those years.

In Historical context cold war and EEC

In Social context Beatles,Rolling Stones and new culture of young people

In Art Pop Art