Course overview

Harold Macmillan famously claimed in 1957 that the majority of British people had ‘never had it so good’ What did he mean by this and was this true? This thought provoking course will examine through contemporary evidence, films and through discussion the evidence for this. We will focus on the social, political and economic factors which applied in the lead up to the period and also the challenges which Macmillan himself identified. Lastly we will transition to the present day, and consider whether we are better off today, and if not why not?

Course description

The 1950s followed a long period of austerity in the early post war period. The UK had had a large number of challenges at the beginning of the period, including the start of the de colonisation period, the challenge of rebuilding Britain devastated by the second world war and supporting the early years of the welfare state and NHS.

By the time of Harold Macmillan’s speech Britain had been subject to huge amounts of criticism over its role in Suez.

What were the factors which led Macmillan to make this bold claim? We will examine these from a social, economic and political standpoint and take a view about whether his comments were justified for most people. Examining the data will allow us to form an opinion and also to consider what his comments meant to people of different social and economic groups.

The Prime Minister identified various challenges, what were these and did he deal with these effectively.

Lastly we will consider Britain today. What would we consider ‘never having it so good’ to be today?

Do we feel that this statement could be made today and if not why not?

What financial support is available?

We don't want anything to stand in your way when it comes to bringing Adult learning within reach so if you need anything to support you to achieve your goals then speak to one of our education experts during your enrolment journey. Most of our courses are government funded but if you don't qualify or need alternative financial help to access them then let us know.

What other support is available?

All of our digital content, teaching and learning activities and assessments are designed to be accessible so if you need any additional support you can discuss this with the education experts during your enrolment journey and we will do all we can to make sure you have optimal access.

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