Plenty (Historical Context)

Historical Context

England in 1978

England is one of the countries that comprise the United Kingdom along with Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. In 1978, the year of Plenty’s debut, Prime Minister James Callaghan and Queen Elizabeth II presided over the United Kingdom, whose population at the time was approximately 55,780,000 people.

British Arts and Literature in the 1970s

According to Arthur Marwick in British Society since 1945, “British art merged anonymously into the major international trends” and thus did not necessarily advance a “distinctively national or personal genius.” Marwick identified “super realism” as one of the international trends with which British art blended. He included political works that emphasize feminism and homosexuality in this group. For dramatists, poets, and musicians, he noted that “innovation tended to be at the unspectacular.” Despite such derogatory comments, Marwick did — contrarily — suggest that in the 1970s “the National Theatre at last entered into its magnificent new architectural complex and thereafter continued to present a range of plays which could by no stretch of the words be deemed conservative or unimaginative.”

Also during this period, novelists such as Angela Carter and Fay Weldon advanced feminist concerns while playwrights such as Hare addressed issues that directly affected women in postwar society. Marwick called the rise of women novelists and feminism as a literary theme “the most significant development in the indigenous novel” for the 1970s.

Economy

By the close of 1978, the British economy had not enjoyed a better year since 1973. Most of the leading indicators were up, including total output, export volume, spending power, earnings, and retail sales. The government aided this trend by reducing taxes during the summer of 1978. As a result of a strong pound (the basic unit of currency in England), the country experienced less expensive imports. In addition inflation was brought to a celebrated low of 7.4% in June of 1978.

Although 1978 signaled improvement in many areas, the mid- to late-1970s were a harkening back to the Depression of the 1930s according to Marwick in British Society since 1945. The author stated that this period was marked by “a general sense of a worsening economy and declining living standards . . . and the break up of the optimistic consensus which had carried Britain through the difficult postwar years into the affluence of the sixties.”

Politics

According to Encyclopedia Britannica’s Book of the Year for 1979, one of the principal successes of 1978 was Prime Minister Callaghan’s ability to run the nation despite “a hung Parliament, a divided Labour Party, and Trades Union Congress opposition to his principle policies.” Ironically, in 1978, opinion polls rated Margaret Thatcher less popular than James Callaghan. This suggests that the Labour Party enjoyed a higher approval rating than Thatcher’s Conservative Party despite the fact that Thatcher assumed the Prime Ministership in 1979.

Foreign Relations

Callaghan’s visit to India marked a major foreign relations event in 1978. Prior to this visit, a British Prime Minister had not visited India since 1971. The general concerns for the year involved increasing international trade and decreasing Soviet influence in Cuba and Africa. Britain’s colonies continue to agitate for independence. Colonial Prime Minister Ian Smith signed an agreement that allowed the African nation of Zimbabwe’s black majority to assume sovereignty by year’s end.

Class

During the 1970s, Britain’s society continued to confirm the endurance of its class-conscious system. The decade, however, was also a time of class mobility. Marwick noted that “Margaret Thatcher herself is a symbol of the educational opportunity and upward mobility offered by the British System.” Marwick referred to the Prime Minister’s “lower-middle-class” beginnings in contrast to her future distinction as the British head of state as an example of the possibility of social mobility afforded to British citizens during this era.

Compare & Contrast

• 1940s: During World War II, Great Britain envisions that it will be able to provide for the development of its colonies abroad. On February 20, 1947, Great Britain announces its intention to relinquish governing power over India. By 1948, the British colonies of India, Pakistan, Ceylon, and Burma have gained independence. These events indicate the downsizing of the British Empire.
  Today: The majority of England’s colonies have achieved independence. The British Empire as a world power is no more.
• 1940s: Retail sales decline in 1943 because citizens are urged to purchase items such as clothing and furniture on a need only basis. Expenditures on luxury items are low as a result. Other items are restricted such as coal.
  1978: Britain enjoys a booming economy in 1978 with many of its leading indicators up from previous years.
  Today: According to the Economist, in 1997 Britain experienced economic growth for “a fifth straight year” despite a more recent slow down.
• 1947: Britain and Egypt attempt to negotiate a renewal of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 which granted Britain the right to post defense troops in the Suez Canal region to protect their interest in the route’s security. Negotiations break down despite Britain’s voluntary evacuation of the area.
  1956: President Nasser of Egypt nationalizes the Suez Canal in July and in October, after making an ultimatum that Egypt and Israel withdraw from the area, Britain and France invade the Canal Zone. Egypt sinks forty ships and effectively blocks the Canal in retaliation. By November British, French and Israeli troops withdraw from the area.
  Today: The Middle East continues to be a site of extensive political conflict.