the fall of British empire and class conflict in look back in anger
The Fall of British Empire and Its Reflections on British Society in terms of Class Conflicts in John Osborne’s Look Back in Anger.
The British Empire was no longer the greatest empire on earth after the Second World War. She had started to lose all her colonies one by one. Thus, she lost her former dignity as the greatest power in the world. The capitalist power, America and the socialist opponent, Russia had already started to play an important role in world politics. Therefore, Britain had to change its role under such changing circumstances, but most of the Conservatives under the command of Winston Churchill were unwilling to accept the reality. Nonetheless, the younger generation, represented by Jimmy Porter in the play, was more realistic in terms of new world order and the changing balance of power. As a result of this, such young realistic people elected Clement Attlee and his Labor party to power. The new government tried to nationalize all major British industries and granted the independence to India so the people could become economically more mobile, but Britain was suffering one of the harshest economic crises not only in mother land but also all over its colonies. However, most of the people were still ignoring the fall of the empire, and thus most of them were still feeling nostalgia for the past glorious days. Meanwhile, The English aristocracy, like the Monarchy, was so far considered quite infallible. Coming from the Oxbridge universities, the elite were above questions natural leaders of the people. In Look Back in Anger, Alison’s brother Nigel belongs to this group. Nevertheless, the post-War English common challenged their authority and formed a general hatred to them. Osborne reflects this through Jimmy’s harsh comments about Alison and Nigel as well as their father Colonel Redfern. As a reaction to the ultimate power of British elite, the Labor Government announced a series of Welfare State measures. A large number of educational
The British Empire was no longer the greatest empire on earth after the Second World War. She had started to lose all her colonies one by one. Thus, she lost her former dignity as the greatest power in the world. The capitalist power, America and the socialist opponent, Russia had already started to play an important role in world politics. Therefore, Britain had to change its role under such changing circumstances, but most of the Conservatives under the command of Winston Churchill were unwilling to accept the reality. Nonetheless, the younger generation, represented by Jimmy Porter in the play, was more realistic in terms of new world order and the changing balance of power. As a result of this, such young realistic people elected Clement Attlee and his Labor party to power. The new government tried to nationalize all major British industries and granted the independence to India so the people could become economically more mobile, but Britain was suffering one of the harshest economic crises not only in mother land but also all over its colonies. However, most of the people were still ignoring the fall of the empire, and thus most of them were still feeling nostalgia for the past glorious days. Meanwhile, The English aristocracy, like the Monarchy, was so far considered quite infallible. Coming from the Oxbridge universities, the elite were above questions natural leaders of the people. In Look Back in Anger, Alison’s brother Nigel belongs to this group. Nevertheless, the post-War English common challenged their authority and formed a general hatred to them. Osborne reflects this through Jimmy’s harsh comments about Alison and Nigel as well as their father Colonel Redfern. As a reaction to the ultimate power of British elite, the Labor Government announced a series of Welfare State measures. A large number of educational
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