1952 - The Year

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Liverpool - 20th Century
A major problem in Liverpool between World War I and II was its housing, for the population had increased to 856,072 in 1931. During the inter-war years, Queen's Drive was completed as an outer circular road, and beside it a number of large local authority housing estates were built. From 1931 to 1951 the population declined to 780,835, with a further decline to 745,750 by 1961. Slum clearance in the city centre reduced the population there.
When a survey was made of housing in the 1950s it was estimated that two fifths of the city's dwellings were below acceptable standards. People began to move to places beyond the perimeter of the city, such as Kirkby and Huyton-with-Roby; this process had in fact begun in central wards as early as the 1840s when houses were cleared for new roads, factories, and public buildings.
The population almost halved throughout the 20th century, from 867,000 at its peak in 1937, to its 1998 figure of 461,500, reflecting in part the decentralization of population from the city to surrounding towns. By the 20th century, Liverpool's population was ethnically diverse, with Irish, Welsh, Chinese, African, and Caribbean communities.

1952: An overview - Australia
The year of 1952 was one of change and some uncertainty for many Australians. In February the death of King George VI and the accession of Queen Elizabeth II were announced. March saw severe import restrictions introduced to prevent the nation's balance of payments from deteriorating further. In May the Minister for External Affairs, Richard Casey, fuelled anti-communist paranoia in the community by referring to a 'nest of traitors' in the public service. Then, in August, concern about rising unemployment caused the government to announce severe cuts to its immigration program. That month there were disturbances at the Bonegilla migrant camp near Albury. Traditional Labor anti-immigration views resurfaced in the Senate in October when Queensland ALP Senator Archie Benn compared immigrants to cane toads and suggested they should never have been introduced.
[1] That same month Australia entered the Atomic Age when Britain exploded its first atom bomb on the Montebello Islands off the northwest coast of Western Australia. And throughout the year Australian troops remained on active duty in Korea. A mass bombing campaign of North Korean cities by the United States and its allies did little to resolve the military and political stalemate on that troubled peninsula.