1. 1970’S BRITAIN:
POWER-CUTS, RIOTS, TERRORISM, ECONOMIC DECLINE
AND THE SPACE HOPPER

2. GOD SAVE
THE QUEEN
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
THE FASCIST REGIME
THEY MADE YOU A MORON
POTENTIAL H-BOMB
GOD SAVE THE QUEEN
SHE AIN'T NO HUMAN BEING
THERE IS NO FUTURE
IN ENGLAND'S DREAMING

3. WHAT WERE THE
1970S LIKE?
The the UK economy had been propped up for
decades by a series of IMF (International
Monetary Fund) loans.
The main concern throughout the 70s was
―declinism‖, an obsession with the idea that
Britain had ―no future‖–the phrase which
ultimately became a rallying cry of punk rock.
Many projects were killed by the mid-70s
recession and the oil price spike. Oil price
shock of 1973, leading to 70% increase in oil
prices.
There were also a number of riots and strikes
by unions which caused the country to have a
3-day week.
The IRA planted a number of bombs in the
1970’s killing many innocent civilians

4. DECLINISM
At one time British-owned auto
manufacturers were world leaders. The
British Motor Corporation (BMC) created the
world’s fourth-largest producer of cars.
By the 1970s, however, the British auto
industry faced growing problems.
Lost out to foreign-owned competition both
at home and abroad. The profitability of many
firms was steadily declining.
A number of problems, such as old-fashioned
or low-quality products.
Included the iconic Mini, which were triumphs
of design but production costs made them
unprofitable.
By the 1970’s Management of many firms was
both incompetent and hindered by chaotic
organization of sales and production.
Most seriously, the industry was plagued by
bad labor relations, with frequent strikes.

5. IRON & STEEL
High manufacturing
costs, a downturn in
shipbuilding, free-
market and overseas
competition
contributed to the
closure of many
mining pits in a
number of cities
across England.

6. RIOTS AND
STRIKES
Many people felt
that trade unions
stood up for the
interests of
working people and
many battled for a
fairer, more equal
society. Some
governments, howe
ver, felt they
damaged the
country's economy.

7. RIOTS AND STRIKES
Because of high rates of
inflation, one of the
government's strategies
was to cap pay rises.
This caused unrest
amongst trade unions
where wages were
struggling to keep pace
with prices.
This extended to most
industries, most notably
an industry where there
was a powerful union –
coal mining.

8. 3 DAY WORKING
WEEK
Between 1 January
until 7 March 1974
a three-day week
was imposed to
preserve dwindling
fuel supplies, a
result of severely
fractured relations
with the miners
because of their Many homes and businesses were
without electricity for up to nine hours a
continual strikes. day.

9. WINTER OF
DISCONTENT
Widespread strikes
by local authority
trade unions
demanding larger
pay rises for their
members, because
the Labour
government sought
to hold a pay freeze
to control inflation.

10. RUBBISH STRIKES
Rubbish was piled high in Central London's Leicester
Square after Westminster Council had allocated
rubbish to be dumped there. The rubbish attracted
rats and, rather indistinguishably, the conservative
media, who used pictures of the Square in an attempt
to discredit the strikers.

11. IRA
The 1970’s also saw
the start of a new
bombing campaign
from the IRA.
November 1974, the
IRA carried out one
of its most
devastating attacks
when 21 people were
killed in another pub
bombing in
Birmingham.

12. IMMIGRATION
In the 1970s, the
British left was
faced with the re-
emergence of
fascism on a
significant scale —
in the form of the
National Front and
a deepening of the
racist offensive
against black and
immigrant workers
by the state

13. 1976 – NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL
An important year for race
relations in Britain tempers
were boiling among young
black men over police use of
the "sus" law, under which
anybody could be stopped,
searched and held, even if only
suspected of planning a crime.
Anticipating some trouble,
3,000 police officers turned up -
ten times the amount of
previous, relatively peaceful,
events.
Police officers were soon
dodging a hail of bottles and a
surging crowd.
Windows were smashed, fires
were lit and ill-equipped police
officers picked up dustbin lids
and milk crates to charge the
rioters.

14. BRITISH PUNK
Punk was not just
about music or clothes:
it reflected a core of
dissatisfaction and
resentment built up at
the end of a decade
that saw the
introduction of the 3-
day week in
Britain, strikes, increasi
ng unemployment and
collapsing public
services.

15. THE SEX PISTOLS
1977 single "God Save
the Queen", were
apparently to evoke
sympathy for the working
class, and a general
resentment for the
monarchy.
The song was released
during Queen’s silver
jubilee in 1977. The
record's lyrics, as well as
the cover, were
controversial at the
time, and both the BBC
and the Independent
Broadcasting Company
refused to play the song.

16. VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
Westwood met Malcolm McLaren, then an art
student in a squat. She was a primary school
teacher who was running away from her husband
and already had a child in tow.
During this period Malcolm McLaren, became the
manager of the Sex pistols and with Westood they
opened a fashion boutique in London
Westwood created clothes which McLaren
conceived.
The two gained attention as the band wore
Westwood and McLaren's designs.
Westwood was deeply interested in the punk
fashion phenomenon of the 1970s, saying "I was
messianic about punk, seeing if one could put a
spoke in the system in some way‖.
The "punk style" included bondage gear, safety
pins, razor blades, bicycle or lavatory chains on
clothing and spiked dog collars for jewellery, as
well as outrageous make-up and hair.
Essential design elements include the adoption of
traditional elements of Scottish design such as
tartan fabric

17. SO WHAT
CHANGED?

18. 1979 ELECTIONS….