ABSTRACT
This chapter presents the idea that the post-war period in Liverpool can be understood very much as a future focused, or ‘forward-facing’ period, during which it was assumed that the city would continue on an upward trajectory of progress and prosperity. The 1950s/1960s ‘boom’ – characterised by a buoyant economy, an emerging popular culture, ‘slum’ clearance, ‘modernisation’, and optimism – is explored, followed by the ‘bust’ of the 1970s, which brought with it recession, economic decline, unemployment, urban decay, and the death of hopes for brighter days in a ‘futuristic’ Liverpool. The chapter closes with a consideration of the emerging negative discourses on the city and its inhabitants, and how they were challenged by a new, authentic, Liverpool ‘voice’ via the mediums of literature, theatre, and television. Specific attention is paid to Alan Bleasdale’s seminal work, Boys from the Blackstuff, a state-of-the-nation piece which encapsulated the desperate climate of the city to great acclaim.
