ABSTRACT
Probably the most significant economic and social problem of the inter-war years was mass unemployment. Although there is an absence of satisfactory statistics which makes comparison over time difficult, it is evident that unemployment increased significantly over the 1920s and 1930s. Despite the fact that many workers used leisure as a time of creativity and fulfilment, it is true that work was the foundation of working-class consciousness. The work ethic meant different things to different people and any generalization would have to take into account the complexities of age, gender, region and occupation. Unemployment meant dependence upon State benefits and these were often regarded as poor relief or charity, adding further to feelings of humiliation and shame. Unemployment had made Socialists and like-minded people reappraise well-developed ideas about work and leisure.
