In his personal comment ‘On Britain’ Ralf Dahrendorf detected the continuation of a powerful, self-confident and easily identifiable upper class lacked by other modern countries like Germany or France and the rather persistent survival of its old values as one of the reasons for the peculiar nature of the inequality of the British society. He called Britain a ‘society of fine distinctions’ which as well as economic inequalities between the occupational layers are responsible for the deep class segregation most of Britain’s population are still aware of. Andrew Adonis and Stephen Pollard take the view that, even though classes themselves have changed and social mobility is extending, the British class system separates people to the same extent as it did half a century ago.
What does this class system look like? The simplest but still applicable model divides Britain into three broad classes - the working, the middle and the upper class each of which can be determined by the occupational positions of its representatives, their education, status, housing, manners and even by the language they speak. Dahrendorf compared it with a layer cake - the dough at the bottom, the chocolate on top and in between a relatively broad jam layer - and stresses the clear dividing lines which separate them and which are characteristic for Britain’s society.
Who do the upper classes consist of today and to which degree does the old upper class, i.e. the aristocracy, form the chocolate icing of Dahrendorf’s cake? How has its position in the society, its influence and its relevance changed? Can one argue that the British aristocracy managed to survive as a clearly defined class and what role do such institutions like public schools and the House of Lords play? These are the questions this essay is going to deal with.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Who belongs to Britain’s aristocracy and to the upper classes?
The national elite of status, wealth and power – A historical overview
The loss and the maintenance of political power
The preserved fortunes
Social survival: The public schools - a melting pot for the merged elite
Conclusion
Research Objectives and Key Themes
This essay explores the persistence and adaptation of the British aristocracy within contemporary society, examining how a traditional elite has maintained influence despite significant political and economic shifts. It investigates the intersection of hereditary privilege with meritocratic values and the role of institutional gatekeepers in preserving social stratifications.
- The historical evolution and current composition of the British upper classes.
- The decline and transformation of aristocratic political power in the House of Lords.
- The preservation of ancestral wealth and property-based influence.
- The social function of elite public schools in bridging traditional and meritocratic hierarchies.
Excerpt from the Book
The preserved fortunes
The way of life of the very rich Britons, among them many aristocrats, and their circumstances visibly changed in the 1940s. As a result of changed social conditions caused by the Second World War and the policy of the Labour government an equalisation of wealth had started. From a long-distance perspective the inequality of the distribution of national wealth has plainly decreased. In 1990, the richest five per cent of people owned about 37 per cent of the marketable wealth compared to nearly 80 per cent 60 years ago.
In the post-war years, Britain’s wealth structure became dominated by self-made men and families. In 1980, more than one-third of British multi-millionaires had amassed their fortune this way. However, the hereditary peerage, that had seemed to be doomed to extinction after the Second World War, has continued to be an elite of enormous inherited wealth. The majority of Britain’s ten largest landowners are peers. Although the size of their landed holdings has decreased remarkably, e.g. twelve of the greatest landowners in 1880 had lost nearly two-thirds of their inheritable land by 1976, some of the greatest hereditary landowners are found among the wealthiest men as they were a century before. One can say that these landowners owe the rescue of their fortunes to the more than tenfold increased capital values of their land, a development supported by tax advantages. Especially the great hereditary London landowners like the Westminsters, Portlands and Cadogans who possess total fortunes estimated at unimaginable sums of thousands of million pounds belong to the very top of Britain’s wealthy class as their aristocratic ancestors did a century ago.
Summary of Chapters
Introduction: Provides a theoretical foundation by discussing Dahrendorf’s model of British class society and poses the central question of how the aristocracy has managed to survive as a defined group.
Who belongs to Britain’s aristocracy and to the upper classes?: Defines the numerical scope of the hereditary peerage and contrasts it with the contemporary 'Super Class' that emerged after the Second World War.
The national elite of status, wealth and power – A historical overview: Traces the historical supremacy of the landed gentry and nobility, examining the correlation between land ownership, social hegemony, and political control.
The loss and the maintenance of political power: Analyzes the constitutional erosion of the House of Lords' veto power and discusses how the aristocracy retains informal influence and presence in modern government.
The preserved fortunes: Examines how landed estates and tax advantages allowed the aristocracy to remain a significant wealth elite despite post-war redistributive policies.
Social survival: The public schools - a melting pot for the merged elite: Discusses how elite education facilitates the fusion of old aristocratic values with new meritocratic success, maintaining a cycle of privilege.
Conclusion: Summarizes that while the aristocracy no longer holds a monopoly on power, it has successfully adapted its traditional institutions to remain part of the contemporary ruling class.
Keywords
British Aristocracy, Social Stratification, House of Lords, Meritocracy, Public Schools, Hereditary Peerage, Super Class, Landed Gentry, Political Power, Social Mobility, Elite Education, Wealth Distribution, British Class System, Institutional Persistence, Privilege.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this work?
The work examines the transformation of the British aristocracy, analyzing how it has navigated the 20th century to remain a significant part of the social and political elite.
What are the central thematic fields discussed?
The themes include the historical decline of aristocratic power, the preservation of inherited wealth, the impact of meritocracy on the ruling class, and the role of exclusive education.
What is the core research objective?
The essay aims to explain how the aristocracy has avoided extinction by adapting to democratic reforms while retaining institutional influence and social status.
Which methodology is applied?
The study uses a historical-sociological approach, synthesizing literature and sociological models (such as those by Dahrendorf and Adonis/Pollard) to analyze class dynamics.
What topics are covered in the main body?
The main body covers the definition of the aristocracy, the loss of political veto power, the resilience of landed wealth, and the role of public schools as a mechanism for elite reproduction.
Which keywords characterize the work?
Key terms include British Aristocracy, House of Lords, Class Segregation, Meritocracy, and Public School system.
How did the Life Peerage Act change the House of Lords?
The Act introduced non-hereditary peers, which altered the social composition of the House and allowed the aristocracy to maintain a political base amidst calls for democratic reform.
Why are public schools considered essential for the elite?
Public schools are described as a "melting pot" that facilitates the fusion of traditional aristocratic backgrounds with modern meritocratic qualifications, thereby perpetuating social privilege.
- Quote paper
- Victoria Krummel (Author), 1998, The old upper class - Britain's aristocracy, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/19540
