The Sixties

Britain in the 1960s looked rather like a country reinventing itself. From an imperial power renowned for stiffness, Stoicism, formality, hypocrisy, and clearly marked class divisions, it became an international trend-setter in popular youth culture. British bands topped the charts not only at home but across the Atlantic and even across the Channel - the Beatles and the Rolling Stones most famously, but lesser-known groups also produced songs which many will still recognise by ear, even if they don’t know the name of the band.

Popular youth culture began to become a media phenomenon in the 1950s, with public disturbances caused by gangs of Teddy Boys (who dressed in a parody of Edwardian gentlemen’s attire), or in the 1960s by the fights between Mods and Rockers (two radically alternative styles of youth culture). It was only with the Beatles, in the early 60s, that pop concerts became national news. Crowds of screaming teenage girls were very far from any traditional notion of typical British behaviour, but were the background noise to the popular music of the era - even that of Scottish singer-songwriters in the folk tradition (see here).

Some of the stereotypically "Sixties" sights on the streets of London were, besides the mini, the new Routemaster bus (which went into production in the late 50s, but was only a familiar sight on London streets from 1961) and the miniskirt.

The new sensibility was reflected in a swathe of permissive legislation, rolling back the power of the law over what were coming to be thought of as purely private affairs, on the grounds that it was not the business of the state to tell people how to live their lives.

The late 50s and most of the 60s were an era of economic prosperity, technological advance, and massive expansion of access to university education (which in Britain had been among the least egalitarian in the industrial world). The importance of education and technology was given strong emphasis by the Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson (in office 1964-1970 and 1974-1976).

The Mini

The Arab oil embargo at the time of the Suez Crisis had stimulated demand for small cars that were economical to run, such as the Citroën 2CV and the Volkswagen Beetle. British manufacturers had not previously considered the market for cars with low fuel consumption, so were in a hurry to build something to compete.

The most successful design for a low cost car was the mini, designed by Alec Issigonis and produced by the British Motor Corporation. Like the miniskirt, pop music, and buses that passengers could hop in and out of at will, the mini became an icon of the new, young, stylish Britain. In 2009 it was one of the "British Design Classics" celebrated on a special stamp issue.

Foreign manufacturers could not understand how Morris was making the Mini so cheaply, but in fact poor costing meant that the mini was initially being sold at a loss. This is bleak testimony to the general inefficiency of postwar British industry.