1930s History: Key Events, Politics And Culture

Depression, hunger marches, the abdication, and a country slowly rearming.

Below: the key events of the 1930s, the politics of the decade, the social changes that came with them, the culture people still talk about, and what ordinary life looked like.

Written for quizzes, reminiscence sessions, school projects and anyone working out what a relative lived through.

Key events of the 1930s

• The Depression hits hardest in the industrial north, Wales and Scotland.
• The Jarrow March walks 300 miles to London in October 1936.
• Edward VIII abdicates in December 1936; George VI is crowned in 1937.
• The Hindenburg disaster (1937) and the Spanish Civil War (1936-39) dominate the newsreels.
• Neville Chamberlain returns from Munich in September 1938 with 'peace for our time'.
• Britain declares war on Germany on 3 September 1939.

Politics and government

• The National Government forms in 1931 as the financial crisis breaks the Labour government.
• The Means Test makes unemployment relief hated as well as inadequate.
• Oswald Mosley's British Union of Fascists is fought off at Cable Street in October 1936.
• The Holidays with Pay Act 1938 gives millions of workers their first paid week off.
• Rearmament from 1935 puts the depressed industries back to work.

Social change: rights, work and family life

• Mass unemployment split the country: the Means Test sent officials into people's homes to count their furniture.
• The marriage bar forced most women teachers and civil servants to resign when they married.
• The Housing Act 1930 began slum clearance; whole streets were pulled down and rehoused on new estates.
• The Holidays with Pay Act 1938 gave around 11 million workers a paid week off for the first time.
• Hiking, cycling and the 1932 Kinder Scout mass trespass pushed open access to the countryside.

Culture and entertainment

• Cinema becomes the national habit - around 20 million admissions a week by the end of the decade.
• The BBC begins the world's first regular high-definition television service in 1936.
• Penguin Books (1935) makes paperbacks cheap and good-looking.
• Dance bands, Gracie Fields and George Formby on the radio and in the halls.
• Butlin's opens its first camp at Skegness in 1936.

Everyday life

• Suburban semis spread along the arterial roads; a mortgage was within reach of a clerk's wage.
• Rickets and poor diet in the worst-hit areas sat alongside rising living standards elsewhere.
• Gas masks are issued in 1938 and evacuation is planned before war is declared.
• The pools, the pub and the pictures: the weekly routine for most households.

Years covered in the 1930s

• 1930 - The R101 disaster, rising unemployment and Amy Johnson flying to Australia. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1930
• 1931 - The National Government, the gold standard abandoned and the means test. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1931
• 1932 - Broadcasting House opened, the Empire Service began and hunger marches reached London. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1932
• 1933 - Bodyline, the first Loch Ness photograph and the opening of the Tube map. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1933
• 1934 - Driving tests announced, Belisha beacons and the Queen Mary being built. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1934
• 1935 - The Silver Jubilee, the first driving tests and the 30mph limit. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1935
• 1936 - Three kings in one year, the Jarrow March, Butlin's and the first television service. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1936
• 1937 - The coronation of George VI, the Hindenburg and the first Billy Butlin summer. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1937
• 1938 - Munich, gas masks and the Holidays with Pay Act. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1938
• 1939 - Evacuation, the blackout, the declaration of war and television going off air. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-1939
• That is every 1930s year we have written up so far: 1930 to 1939.

How to use this

• Quiz round: read an event and ask for the year, or read a year and ask for the prime minister.
• Reminiscence: ask where they were for one of the events above. The answers are always better than the facts.
• School project: pair this page with the decade calendar for a year-by-year timeline.
• Anyone born in 1930 turns 50 in 1980, 60 in 1990 and 70 in 2000.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Pair this with the decade calendar if you need the events in year order.
• For a reminiscence session, read one event and let the conversation go wherever it goes.
• Politics and everyday life rarely moved at the same speed. Both sections are here for that reason.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 1930
• Look back to 1931
• Look back to 1932
• Look back to 1933
• Look back to 1934
• Look back to 1935
• Look back to 1936
• Look back to 1937
• Look back to 1938
• Look back to 1939
• 1930s calendar: year by year
• 1930s trivia: fun facts
• 1930s art and artists
• 1930s films and directors
• 1930s music: albums and artists
• 1930s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• The 1930s: the whole decade
• Victorian and vintage parlour games
• Village fete and church hall games
• Traditional British party games
• Seaside and beach games
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Good luck cards
• Wedding cards
• Wedding cards guide
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What were the most important events of the 1930s?

The Depression hits hardest in the industrial north, Wales and Scotland. The full list above covers the events that defined the decade.

What was happening politically in the 1930s?

The National Government forms in 1931 as the financial crisis breaks the Labour government. The politics section above covers the governments, laws and arguments of the decade.

How did society change in the 1930s?

Mass unemployment split the country: the Means Test sent officials into people's homes to count their furniture. The social change section above lists the laws, rights and shifts in work and family life that defined the decade.

What was life like in the 1930s?

Suburban semis spread along the arterial roads; a mortgage was within reach of a clerk's wage. The everyday life section above covers homes, money, work and shopping.

What was popular culture like in the 1930s?

Cinema becomes the national habit - around 20 million admissions a week by the end of the decade. There are fuller guides to the decade's music, films, television and fashion linked from this page.

Can I use this for a quiz or a school project?

Yes, freely. Print it, read it out, copy it - no permission needed. We make greeting cards and prints; these pages are free.