Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Postwar Wales & Industrial Decline
The postwar years were not kind to Wales. The coal industry went into steep decline, for-
cing the closure of mines and a bitter struggle as unemployment levels rose to twice the UK
average. The Welsh language was suffering and national pride was at an all-time low.
The final blow came in 1957 when the North Wales village of Capel Celyn, near Bala,
and the surrounding valley were flooded to provide water for the city of Liverpool, despite
vigorous campaigning across Wales. There were too few Welsh MPs in the House of Com-
mons to oppose the project and resentment lingers over the issue even today, intensified in
dry summers by the appearance of the chapel, school and farms above the waters of Llyn
Celyn.
The 1960s became a decade of protest in Wales, and Plaid Cymru gained ground. Welsh
pop music began to flourish and Welsh publishing houses and record labels were set up. In
1962 Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (the Welsh Language Society) was founded. Further
electoral successes by Plaid Cymru in the 1970s started people thinking about a measure of
Welsh self-government. In 1976 the Welsh Development Agency (WDA) was established
to foster new business opportunities across Wales in the face of the decline in traditional in-
dustry.
Margaret Thatcher's Conservative Party initiated a sweeping campaign of privatisation
during the 1980s, leading to severe cuts in the coal, manufacturing and steel industries.
Agriculture, too, was in a state of disarray and unemployment began to soar. Welsh living
standards lagged far behind the rest of Britain, and with the collapse of the UK Miners'
Strike (1984-85) Welsh morale hit another low point. Many mines were subsequently shut
down and whole communities destroyed. Some have since reopened purely as tourist at-
tractions, notably Big Pit at Blaenavon and the Rhondda Heritage Park.
Something good did come out of the '80s, however, with the 1982 establishment of S4C
(Sianel Pedwar Cymru), the Welsh-language TV channel. Support and enthusiasm for the
Welsh language increased, night courses popped up all over the country, Welsh-speaking
nurseries and schools opened, university courses were established and the number of Welsh
speakers started to stabilise at around 20% of the population.
