3.3) migrant communities in the 19th century industrial age Flashcards
when was the industrial revolution?
c1750-1900
why was england not a tolerant place in the 19th century?
- racist attitudes
- catholicism was looked down upon and demonised as britain was a protestant country at the time
why did most irish migrants begin to settle in england?
- only one city in ireland was being industrialised - belfast - but there weren’t enough jobs to meet the demand
- the land was distributed very unfairly, which meant that it was mostly owned by the wealthy english landowners who treated their tenants very poorly and forced them to pay high rents
- a collapse in agriculture in 1815 at the time of the population boom meant that there was a shortage of food and prices went up
where did irish immigrants settle and which jobs did they do?
- london, liverpool, manchester and glasgow
- often did the hardest jobs - in coal mines, gasworkers, in quarries and tanning
- irish workers (known as navvies) did the hardest jobs for low wages and in appalling conditions
what was the 1840s potato famine? why did they have to rely on potatoes?
- many people had to rely on potatoes as their main source of food due to the system of unfair land ownership that had developed
- but most, if not all, were destroyed by disease
what was a result of the famine (1845-49)?
- around 1 million people died of hunger
- 2 million people emigrated to england, canada or the US
- the population of ireland halved
- the british government chose to continue to export potatoes instead of using them to feed the starving irish people
what proportion of irish men joined the british army?
they made up about 20-40% of the total
how did britain’s population ‘explode’ between 1750-1900?
- london’s pop. went from 675,000 to 4.5 million due to the industrialisation of the economy, manufacture and trade
- the canal and railway networks were also created - this offered faster transport of exports
- there were many entrepreneurs
- the uk’s seaports became some of the busiest in the world - offering many jobs and income to immigrants
what were living conditions like for irish immigrants?
the conditions were terrible in industrial cities; there was poor sanitation and disease
why was their tension between the english and irish?
- pay: many thought that because the irish worker were accepting low wages, english jobs were being undercut and pay was kept low. -> irish accused of persuading their employers to hire only people from ireland
- workers’ rights: many irishmen joined trade unions (illegal at the time) and campaigned which created tension with their employers
- irish immigrants were blamed for: increase in crime, the poor sanitation and disease in industriall cities, increasing anti-british feeling due to the famine (+ a threat to security)
- religion: many irish were catholic in a protestant country
what were english attitudes to the irish?
- irish were stereotyped as sub-human (half-apes)
- many anti-irish riots in various cities
+ most irish didn’t didn’t live in poverty and the migrant population was in a healthier condition than the working class residents
+ they had a variety of jobs, many married english people and their middle class were successful business people
+ revitalised the catholic church of england -> equal rights to worship for all religions
why did scottish migrants vome to britain?
- some were hit by the potato famine
- others came after being evicted by highland clearances (scottish and england landlords realising they can use that land for profit)
where did scottish migrants work in england?
- most went to work in factories in the north
- joined the armed forces, serving internationally
why was life not easy for black people in britain in the 19th century?
there were many racist ideas which grew out of enslavement and empire. those ideas were spread and deeply rooted in all classes
what is chartism?
- organised mass protest that called for major reform in the political system
