4.1 The First World War, race riots and immigration control 1900-19

Question 1

Who came and why?

Answer 1

• There was a settled population of several thousand Africans, Asians and West Indians, many of whom continued to be employed on merchant ships and had settled in the main ports
• There were also refugees from European countries who were actively opposing their governments while in exile, as well as students from Britain’s colonies

Question 2

What were there experiences and actions?

Answer 2

• After the 1905 Aliens Act, this was a time of low immigration but rising racism against migrant communities
• New laws restricted immigration, making it harder for poorer immigrants to enter
• Anti-German feeling was strong during the First World War, leading to attacks on German businesses and the internment of German residents
• Although millions of Africans, Asians and West Indians fought for Britain in the First World War, violently racist attacks against Black people erupted in several port cities after the war’s end
• Migrant seamen and their families fought back to defend their communities

Question 3

What was their impact?

Answer 3

• A crucial role in the war effort was played by Indian, African and West Indian soldiers in Western Europe, Western Asia and East Africa; and by Lascar merchant seamen on the Atlantic convoys
• After the war, tensions over jobs between unemployed ex-servicemen and migrant seamen erupted in port cities
• In 1919, multicultural communities came together, showing that united self-defence against racist attack was possible

Question 4

How did Britain’s relationship with the wider world affect immigration?

Answer 4

• The British Empire was at its height, and so were racist ideas directed against colonised people in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, as well as against Jews
• After 1905, there was a low level of immigration, and rising European tension leading up to the First World War meant that borders were tightened
• Most arrivals were temporary, made up of African and Indian students and ‘Coloured’ merchant seamen, some of whom continued to settle in the port communities

Question 5

Immigration acts in chronology

Answer 5

• 1905 Aliens Act
• 1914 Alien Registration and British Nationality Act
• 1947 Polish Resettlement Act
• 1948 British Nationality Act
• 1962 Commonwealth Immigration Act
• 1965 Race Relations Act
• 1973 Britain joins the EEC
• 1985 Schengen Agreement
• 1996 Asylum and Immigration Act
• 1999 Immigration and Asylum Act
• 2002 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act

Question 6

Why were immigration controls introduced?

Answer 6

• There were high levels of poverty and unemployment for British workers
• Many people blamed immigrants for taking their jobs and for poor health and housing conditions
• The sweating system, with a mainly Jewish workforce labouring for long hours at a low rate of pay, was accused of undercutting other workers’ wages
• Trade unions called for laws banning immigrant labour

Question 7

Describe key terms of the 1905 Aliens Act?

Answer 7

• Immigrants had to have enough money to support themselves
• Immigrants had to show they could earn a living
• Immigrants were not allowed entry if they had a criminal record, a mental illness or a contagious disease
• If they could prove they were refugees for political or religious reasons, immigrants would be allowed entry

Question 8

Why had there been such limited control on immigration?

Answer 8

Before 1905, Britain had an ‘open door’ policy on immigration because:
- Employers wanted cheap labour
- Far more people were leaving the UK than coming in
Between 1870 and 1910, there were 400,000 immigrants and 2 million emigrants

Question 9

Why did anti-foreigner feeling continue to grow after 1905 despite the introduction of the Act?

Answer 9

• The years before the First World War were a time of rising international tensions
• The UK was a temporary home for many refugees escaping repressive regimes in Europe
• In 1909, Latvian refugees opposed to the Russian government attempted a robbery in Tottenham to raise funds for their cause
• This developed into a police chase, and in the gun battle that ensued, a 10 year-old boy and a policeman were killed

Question 10

Describe the reasons for and the outcome of the Siege of Sidney street in 1911?

Answer 10

• In 1911, policemen surprised some Latvians who were robbing a jeweller’s in East London to raise funds for their cause opposing the Russian government
• After killing three policemen, the Latvians fled to Sidney Street where a siege developed
• This ended with a battle and a fire in which the Latvians all died
• Dramatic press coverage of these incidents stirred up public feeling against those portrayed as ‘aliens’

Question 11

What were the aims of the pan African conference?

Answer 11

• To achieve civil and political rights for Africans and their descendants throughout the world
• To encourage friendly relations between Caucasians and African races
• To approach governments and to influence legislation in the interests of the Black races
• To ameliorate (improve) the conditions of the oppressed negro in all parts of the world

Question 12

Name of an anti-colonial activist

Answer 12

Henry Sylvester Williams, a trainee barrister from Trinidad