Social change in the 20th century

Social Change in the 20th Century

In this Chapter you will track changes in Ireland under certain headings such as transport and communications.

Each topic will be split up into the beginning, middle and end of the twentieth century and will track the changes that occured during these times

Beginning of Century:

At this time 60%-70% of people in Ireland lived in the country
These people lived in poor conditions and worked the land by hand and by horse
Houses were small, two roomed thatched cottage without running water or electricity cooking was done on an open fire and animals were also sheltered in the cabin
Food was produced on the farm and was scarce (potatos, milk and occasionaly bacon)

Middle of the Century :

Emigration rates were very high and people went to England and the U.S to look for work
Tractors and other machinery became available to help farmers produce more and better quality food in less time (farming labourers lost jobs as a result)
Rural electrification brought light and then labour saving devices such as washing machines

End of the Century:

35% of people living in the country
Most farm work was done by machinery
Modern rural houses were of better quality with running water and electricity
Ireland joined the E.U in 1973 and farmers got better prices for their crops\animals
More and more food beginning to be bought in large supermarkets

Beginning of the Century:

Belfast and Dublin were the only two cities
Towns were small. Most people walked to work in factories or offices
Only the rich owned their own homes. The poor lived in tenement houses which were rented rooms in overcrowded buildings
They had no running water or electricity

Middle of the Century:

Small industries were started and industrial estates were built on the outskirts of town
People from inner cities were rehoused in new housin estates.. They had running water and electricity
Supermarkets began to replace small shops which offered people more choice

End of the Century:

Cities and towns expanded. Traffic increased international shops came to ireland scuh as zara, topshop e.t.
Also foreign supermarkets chains opened e.g. Lidl and Aldi
Large shopping centres on the outskirts of cities were built e.g. Mahonpoint- Some shops began to close in cities
City authorities are encouraged to drop or lower parking charges to encourage shoppers to go into cities

Start of the Century:

Middle of the Century:

End of the Century:

Ireland had several several airports and air transport beacme cheaper. Low cost carriers like ryanair carry large numbers of people at low cost
Motorways have been built
Railways are popular again
Transport is fast, cheap and efficient

Beginning of the Century:

Letters were cheap and a fast method of communication
Phones existed for the rich and the poor occasionaly went to the post office to make a call
Telegrams delivered urgent news (death)
Radio was just invented

Middle of Century:

Phone calls began to replace letters (landlines)
Many newspapers existed e.g. Irish independent/Cork examiner
Radio broadcasting began in Ireland. Channels consisted of 2RM which then beacme Radio Eireann and then R.T.E . Over time radios beacme cheaper and a second station began

End of Century:

R.T.E television began in Ireland first in black and white and laterb in colour
Now there are hundreds of channels available on digital television
Mobile phones are very popular and many homes have no longer have a landline
Computers and the internet are the most common form of communication e.g. E-mail

Beginning of Century:

People had very little leisure time (6 day week and 14-16 hrs a day)
Wages were very low so there was little spare money
Sport was free for the poor e.g. Soccer in cities and hurling in the countryside
Visting and music in houses was also very common

Middle of Century:

Working hours were reduced by law. Paid holidays were introduced and people took day trip by train to the seaside
Cinemas were popular
Radio covered big G.A.A. games and neighbours gathered to listen

End of Century:

40 hour week with week-ends off
People could buy T.Vs and cinemas declined as a result
Dance halls/Joining gyms/golf courses/walking clubs and shopping in shopping centres were all popular leisure activities
Travelling abroad and holiday was now more common due to low cost airlines like RyanAir

Beginning of Century:

Women/girls had few rights and choices in life
They were not educated as they were raised to marry or work in factories/big houses or become nuns
Woman had no right to vote or to own property
In 1918 women got the right to vote

Middle of Century:

Women were allowed to own property and work in many jobs until marraige-Marraige Ban
In 1969 free secondary education for all introduced and all girls were now sent to secondary and many onto third level

End of Century:

Marraige ban has ended which meant that married women could work outside the home after marraige
Equal pay for equal work was introduced
All careers are now open to women-The defense forces now have women in all ranks as does the Garda Siochana
The first woman president was Mary Robinson and there has been a second- Mary MacAleese
Women are represented in all areas of Irish life