Commonwealth/Empire Flashcards
How did the Commonwealth help to bolster Britain’s international position
provided a strong and wide-ranging diplomatic network and ensuring British membership of key international bodies
What can Britain’s place on the UNs security council been as a reflection of
Britain’s status acquired through empire and maintained through Britain’s world-wide influence
How did the Queen reinforce the connection between Britain and the commonwealth
regular commonwealth visits, sometimes with other members of the royal family, to all countries
How many Britons migrated to the dominions between 1946-1957
approx 1 million
How many Britons were in contact with relatives in the dominions in 1948
25%
What was the National Service
between 1939 and 1960 young British men aged 17-21 were required to undertake military service for up to 18 months
What was the British Nationality Act and when was it passed
gave full British citizenship including right of free entry into Britain to every inhabitant of the Empire and the Commonwealth in 1948
Why did the British gov encourage immigration
help country recover economically after WW2
plentiful and well paid work for unskilled workers in the booming British factories
What did the recruitment drives try to do
encourage unskilled workers to take up a work in public transport and the national health service
How many new employees did London Transport take on in 1956
4000- mostly from Barbados
Give examples of the amount of immigrants in 1958
115,000 West Indians
55,000 Indians and Pakistanis
25,000 West Africans
10,000 Cypriots
Where in the UK did most immigrants reside
nearly half in London (mostly West Indians)
Birmingham (mostly Indians and Pakistanis)
Why did a lot of Asians also settle in Oldham and Bradford
as the declining textile industries were desperate for cheap unskilled labour
Why were many Britons against the growth of immigration to Britian
worries about the dilution of British cultural and national identity
concerns about protecting their houses and jobs
Who created the anti-immigrant Union Movement
Oswald Mosley
What were the gangs who attacked black people in 1958 called
Teddy Boys
What percentage of the British population supported legislation to curb immigration in 1962
90%
How big was Britain’s black population c1967
nearly 1 million
What was the nature of Notting Hill Carnival
example of the assimilation and interchange of culture
spectacular floats, steel drum bands, outlandish costumes and dancing on the streets
stalls serving typical Caribbean food (jerk chicken, rice and peas, and rum punch)
What did the survey in North London 1965 show about white attitudes towards immigrants
showed that 1 in 5 workers objected to working with black people or Asians
half said they would refuse to live next door to a coloured person
9 out of 10 disapproved of mixed marriages
Til Death Do us Part (1965)
constant swearing about ‘bloody coons’ won the main character a cult following even though the writers intention had been to satirise ignorant bigotry
When was the Commonwealth Immigrants Act
1962
What were the terms of the Commonwealth Immigrants Act
attempt to control the escalating immigration
-free immigration for former colonial subjects was ended
-work permit scheme was put in place instead
although this didn’t explicitly discriminate against blacks and asians it had the same effect
How did the Commonwealth Immigrants Act discriminate against blacks and Asians
The Irish were exempt and most white immigrants had skills which enabled them to obtain vouchers
unskilled black applicants found it difficult to obtain permits- 12 months following the Act only 34,500 arrived in Britain
How many Britons supported the Commonwealth Immigrants Act
70%
What was the nature of the Race Relations Board (1965)
it compiled statistics, produced reports and held ‘hearings’
forbade discrimination in public places ‘on the grounds of colour, race or ethnic or national origin’
When was Empire Day abolished
1962
Which countries flags did the union jack remain
Figi
New Zealand
Australia
How great was christianisation in Africa
the Anglican church had more members in Africa than Britain itself
When did the first commonwealth games take place
1954
How did Sir Malcolm Sargant remind the British public of their imperial past at the 1954 proms
performed:
- Edward Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March No.1
- Henry Wood’s Fantasia on British Sea Songs
- national anthem
