Many people that had lost their job fell under the poverty line, in fact during the 1930's 8 million people lived on the dole and it was calculated that around 30% of the population could be considered poor. The definition of "poor" depending on the different people conducting these surveys therefore we must consider this figure not extremely precise. However it is true that an enormous line of people queuing for the dole in the streets was a common view and that poverty did increase. Not only in the cities was the situation bad but also in the country due to a massive fall in the agriculture industry leaving the many farmers without a job and in awful conditions.
Britain's position as a world leading power was also being challenged. Britain had a balance of payment deficit og 100 million during the 1930s. British goods were losing competitiveness abroad and the value of exports halved during the depression. However some progress was also being made especially with the set up of the so-called "new" industries which included for example electricity. The consumption of electricity doubled and also other industries such as aircraft and motor vehicle boomed during the 1930's. These created employment although only in the south-east of England causing the difference between various regions of Britain to be even more apparent.
The gamble industry expanded and became the second largest industry in the country. Also a great step forward was achieved with the boom of the leisure industry which positevely changed the social life of many people. The 1930s in Britain are remembered as the 'golden age' of cinema. Most people went at least once a week and seeing pictures moving on a screen was something so new and spectacular for their eyes that it was able, at least for the duration of the film, to distract them from their hard life.
Standards of life were also improved thanks to the growth of consumer goods. Thanks to contraception , the number of children per family fell from 4.6 to 2.2. This resulted in a larger "disposable income" giving families a larger spending power. Life expectancy grew in women from 60 to 66 years and in men from 55 to 61 years. These were great achievements also together with the lower infant mortality rates. The British were also considered to be more 'literate' than ever in this period as also education was advancing, and music and literature were spreading.
Government intervention was also intensified and the government became more involved in welfare schemes. There were benefits for poor, sick and disabled people and a national insurance scheme was introduced. Public services, for example roads, improved. The 1930s was also a period of the housing boom with 150 million houses built thanks to the low costs of building materials as well as easy-to-achieve mortgage payments.
In conclusion, I agree with the statement to a certain extent because I am aware that conditions in some areas of the countries were seriously hazardous and the 1930s were actually a period of economic stagnation. Yet, in other areas Britain experienced large progress and made great achievements both socially and economically.
