-Britain today-

-Bulai Corina -Corodeanu Andra

-Palade Andreea
 Table of Contents

01. Multiculture 03. Stereotypes

02. Social Classes

 Multiculture
The United Kingdom has a long history of
multiculturalism, and the British model of
integration has been successful in many ways. In
recent years immigration and multiculturalism
have become hot-button issues, driving much of
the political debate. In recent years there has
been much debate about whether the UK is able
to sustain this much immigration, and concern
about what consequences immigration will have
for the country. Some would argue that
multiculturalism exists in the very framework of
the United Kingdom, as it is made up of four
countries: Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and
England, each with its own languages, cultures,
and traditions.
Another view is that the history of multiculturalism in the UK is closely linked
to its past as a colonial power.

The British Empire spanned the world, and imported not only raw materials,
art, and new types of food and drink from the colonies; there were also
people who came and settled, looking for greater opportunities in Britain.
However, immigration to the UK on a large scale only started after World War
II, in part related to the collapse of the British Empire.

When colonies gained independence and came under new rule many saw a
need to leave, and they sought a home in the UK. Post-war Britain needed
manpower and welcomed immigrants from its former colonies, inspiring
many to make their home there. Since 1960 the number of immigrants to the
UK has typically been larger than the number of people
emigrating.Interestingly, the 2011 census revealed that the overall
percentage of Brits who identify as white and Christian is declining.
● A separate study shows that over 300 languages are
spoken in the UK. According to the latest ONS statistics,
the population has increased by 3.1 million within 10
years. 55% of this 3.1 million increase was attributed
mostly to net migration, making the total population
56.1million*. The multicultural population in the whole
UK is 7.5 million from which 2.5 million are from
Europe and 5 million are from outside Europe. The
number of illegal immigrants is not included in any of
these figures. The unofficial estimate is around 2
million.
02 Social Classes
Before the Industrial Revolution, British society was divided into
groups depending on what kind of family you were born into, which
then influenced their occupation, social status and political influence.
British society has experienced significant changes including an
expansion of higher education due to more people gaining an
education,especially at university level
and home ownership, mass immigration, a changing role for women
and a more individualistic culture. These changes have had a
considerable impact on the social landscape.
Having said that a large percentage of people in the UK do prescribe
to the class system, which is broadly broken down into five main
groups.
Five main groups in the British class system
Lower Class – describing the homeless and very disenfranchised who
are likely to have little economic, social and cultural capital.
Working Class – describing those in low level or semi-skilled work with
little post school education.
Middle Class – describing those who are professionals.. They score far
better on the social and cultural capital but may still struggle financially
in some aspects.
Upper Class – describing those who have strong economic, social and
cultural capital. They are typically from ‘well to do’ families and have
often received a private and university education
Aristocrats – describing those with titles such as the royal family.
Wealth and titles are often inherited, and individuals don’t have the
same pressure to prove themselves educationally.
Although some people in the UK still refer to themselves as "working-
class", "lower-middle" or "upper-middle" to the majority of the British
the meanings don't seem to matter much these days.
 Stereotypes
Stereotypes of British people are found in several
cultures. Some stereotypes relate to specific ethnic
groups of Britain while others are directed at British
nationals in general.
• Politeness
Both historically and in the present day, the British have
often been associated with good manners by many
people around the world, similar to Canadians.
• Humour
British humour is well known for its use of sarcasm, dark
comedy, and irony. Monty Python was a famous British
comedic group and some of the most highly regarded
comedies, such as Fawlty Towers and Mr. Bean, are
British
 Drinking tea - specifically the more oxidised black tea - is seen as a key part of British culture.
Originally introduced as a luxury product in the 17th century, cheap imports from colonial India
allowed its consumption to significantly increase during the second half of the 19th century.
Today it remains a popular beverage, with surveys from 2017 showing that the UK had the 12th
largest tea consumption per capita in the world.
Other hot drinks, especially coffee, are also popular.
Food-Jokes are often told about British food being either poor quality or inedible. Historically,
British cuisine was generally fairly bland after the World War II period, but globalisation and
mass immigration have caused it to become more diverse.
Monolingualism-There is a common stereotype that the British are only able to speak English.
This has some truth to it, as levels of bilingualism are relatively low. Additionally, the number of
people who speak a language other than English as their first language is reasonably low,
especially among those who were born in the UK—even among those with immediate immigrant
ancestry. However, most British schoolchildren receive at least a few years of compulsory French,
German or Spanish lessons. This used to happen during the first years of secondary school, but
teaching foreign languages at an earlier age has been viewed as increasingly important.
Thank you
for
watching!
 Resources
https://ndla.no/subject:1:3d4efd60-aa24-4dc9-b1ad-71fb0ba2746c/topic:2:186142/resource:1:90914
https://greatbritishmag.co.uk/uk-culture/is-the-uk-multicultural/#:~:
text=The%20UK%20is%20most%20definitely,customs%2C%20music%2C%20and%20languages
http://projectbritain.com/class.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_class_in_the_United_Kingdom
https://greatbritishmag.co.uk/uk-culture/what-is-the-british-class-system/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotypes_of_the_British
https://theculturetrip.com/europe/united-kingdom/articles/14-british-stereotypes-that-we-wont-even-try-to-
deny
/