A Discussion of the Representation of Masculinity and Femininity in ...

4. SOCIETY IN THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY
Britain in the early stages of the twentieth century was undergoing considerable
social change. In this section I intend to briefly draw on some of those changes to put
the texts later analyzed into context.
4.1 The Boer War (1899-1902)
Victorian Britain considered itself to be at the height of power and prosperity and
at the forefront of modernity, and euphorically celebrated the jubilees of the Queen in the
late nineteenth century. However, this positive mood was soon to be altered by the
“humbling military defeats” (Black, 2000:7) of the Boer War in which 22,000 British
troops died. This in turn “unleashed a wave of intense national introspection” (ibid)
which culminated in the growth of concern over national efficiency and imperial strength.
4.2 National Health and Efficiency
The difficulties faced by the British army in the Boer war were considered in part
explicable by the widely circulated statistic that “only two out of every five recruits were
physically qualified to be in the army” (Rosenthal: 1986:196). Revelations about low
levels of fitness and health horrified those in power, as Britain’s ability to maintain the
Empire became uncertain. “National renewal through a vast effort at national efficiency
became the theme permeating nearly every sphere of British life” (p197), and the
physical deterioration of Britain’s youth became a motivating factor in setting up the
Scout movement, and youth movements generally.
4.3 The Growth of Youth Movements
The movements (such as the Boys Brigade, the Girls’ Friendly Society etc
(Johnson, 1994)) characterized a nation concerned with retaining its imperial status and
strength through generating notions of appropriate masculinity and femininity within its
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