Dan Dare and the Birth of Hi-Tech Britain

Big new technology projects were associated with the welfare state, brand-new industries, defence and old, traditional industries. These high-profile projects reinforced a revival of national optimism and hopes for the future. Some hailed these post-war years as a ‘new Elizabethan age’ that would bring Britain prosperity, economic growth and global influence.

After the Second World War, welfare organisations from the National Health Service to local authorities were big customers for new technologies. There had emerged a broad agreement that government policies should make post-war Britain into a fairer society. A 1942 report by Sir William Beveridge set out plans for a new ‘welfare state’ promising social support from ‘cradle to grave’ – benefits, healthcare, better education, housing and full employment.

Health and housing benefited particularly from new innovations in medicine and construction. New screening technologies helped the NHS eradicate tuberculosis by 1956. In housing, strong efforts were made to replace 5 million old and war-damaged homes. People’s everyday lives were perhaps most closely affected by these new technologies in the emerging welfare state.

After the end of the Second World War, defence technologies were harnessed for new commercial purposes. Computing, civil aviation, nuclear energy and pharmaceuticals rapidly expanded to become ‘national champions’, helping Britain retain prosperity and prestige on the world stage. These industries were seen as strategically important, and often were partnerships between government and private companies.

The products developed were highly innovative, and uniquely home-grown. However, not all succeeded – global competition and the huge economies of scale that US makers enjoyed put many to the test.

As the Second World War ended, Britain almost immediately faced a new military threat from the Soviet Union (USSR). Though the focus was now on recovery, the UK reluctantly geared up its defence production again. Even in 1953, almost 3 million people were members of Britain’s armed forces or worked in defence industries.

Britain was vulnerable to attack, being a small country relatively close to Soviet bases. Geography, and the 1957 decision that Britain’s defence should rely mainly on nuclear weapons, determined the technologies with which Britain fought the Cold War.

After the Second World War, Britain had to modernise its old industries as well as build up new ones. Old industries such as transport, mining and manufacturing created crucial jobs and export opportunities, but were neglected and worn out by war. This was perhaps the greatest challenge facing post-war Britain – modernising old, conservative industries while also working at top speed to support the post-war recovery.

The end of the Second World War marked a new age for British consumer technology. Most pre-war homes had a radio, but usually no fridge, TV, washing machine or even a phone. Now, wartime research and investments could boost domestic manufacture, making new, technology-based consumer goods available for the first time.

Seen today, these products reveal a surprising ‘lost world’ of British manufacture – a time before globalisation when televisions, power tools and most things we bought had a strong national identity.

However, the climb from austerity to affluence and the hi-tech lifestyle of today was a tough one. The immediate post-war period saw extended hardship – a lack of goods to buy and continued rationing. Later, as consumer demand grew and design was exploited as a force for good in society, British industries were challenged by serious competition from overseas.

The British people had resolutely endured the hardships of the Second World War. When it ended, they expected renewed prosperity and the return of consumer products.

In 1946 the exhibition Britain Can Make It opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum with the promise of the new well-designed, affordable goods that UK industry would offer.

But consumers were sadly disappointed. Paying for the war had made Britain the world’s biggest debtor. The economy was in tatters and the USA abruptly stopped its wartime loans. Everyday life was an uphill struggle and most new goods were shipped abroad to earn foreign currency. The exhibition was dubbed by some ‘Britain can’t have it’.

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