Experience of Immigrants in Scotland

Question 1

Irish Catholic Immigrants
Positive Experiences:

Answer 1

• members of Catholic Irish communities were involved in strikes and trades union campaigns. This contributed to the positive experience of immigrants because this expression and shared protesting was both welcomed and encouraged by Scottish workers.
• the 1918 Education Act led to the establishment of Catholic schools in Scotland. This contributed to the positive experience of immigrants because children could be educated within the Catholic faith and allowed Scots to be more open to the faith in the East, such as places like Dundee.

Question 2

Irish Catholic Immigrants
Negative Experiences:

Answer 2

• they were seen as drunken, idle, and uncivilised. Irish immigrants were also seen as carriers of disease – typhus, for example, was known as ‘Irish fever’. This contributed to the negative experience of immigrants because many Scots didn’t mix with them due to this stereotype and held it against them.
• Scotland was a Protestant country and Catholicism was largely unwelcome. This contributed to the negative experience of immigrants because this caused attacks on the Irish which became commonplace in newspapers, pulpits and on the streets.

Question 3

Irish Protestant Immigrants
Positive Experiences:

Answer 3

• they were more accepted into Scottish society — they shared their religion with the majority of Scots, were typically well educated and therefore had better jobs. This contributed to the positive experience of immigrants because it allowed them to integrate more easily than Catholics within Scottish society as they shared the same faith and values.
• they were prominent in skilled industries, like ship building and the iron manufacture. Firms such as Bairds of Coatbridge employed a mainly Protestant workforce and advertised their job vacancies in Belfast newspapers. This contributed to the positive experience of immigrants because they worked alongside Scots in these skilled jobs and built relationships with them.

Question 4

Irish Protestant Immigrants
Negative Experiences:

Answer 4

• many experienced very poor living conditions. This contributed to the negative experience of immigrants because the poor housing and sanitation led to inflection of diseases such as cholera, typhus, and tuberculosis.
• many of the Irish who arrived fleeing the famine. This contributed to the negative experience of immigrants because they were so weak that their resistance to disease was low and many died and Scots blamed them for dragging down the poor living conditions in Scotland.

Question 5

Jewish Immigrants
Positive Experiences:

Answer 5

• they were generally welcomed by Scots as they did not compete for Scots jobs. This contributed to the positive experience of immigrants because they were able to integrate well and be accepted into Scottish society due to their lack of threat.
• they continued to speak Yiddish within own community and published their own newspapers. This contributed to the positive experience of immigrants because they were able to establish a strong community and feel at home in a foreign country.

Question 6

Jewish Immigrants
Negative Experiences:

Answer 6

• trade unions complained and opposed immigration as a result of the poor treatment of workers. This contributed to the negative experience of immigrants because Scots didn’t assimiliate well with Jews due to their poor working conditions and they were blamed for diluting the power of the union.
• Jewish people generally lived separately and avoided mixing with other communities. This contributed to the negative experience of immigrants because this contributed to anti-Semitism and created suspicion of Jews.

Question 7

Italian Immigrants
Positive Experiences:

Answer 7

• they moved into working-class areas, combining ice cream making with selling fish and chips. Restaurants and takeaways were established and sold food using ingredients widely available in Scotland – fish and potatoes. This contributed to the positive experience of immigrants because it gave Scots a place to socialise and resulted in many Scots reducing the amount of alcohol they drink.
• by the early 1900s, Italians were becoming affluent and their businesses were established such as Visocchi’s in Broughty Ferry. This contributed to the positive experience of immigrants because it led to family members joining relatives in Scotland to help in the thriving businesses and introduced café culture to Scotland.

Question 8

Italian Immigrants
Negative Experiences:

Answer 8

• the cafés were often the scene of unruly behaviour leading to claims that Italian cafés were morally corrupt. This contributed to the negative experience of immigrants because it could give the Italian businesses a reputation.
• they suffered hostility in the 1920s-30s as concerns grew over Mussolini’s rule and association with Nazi Germany. This contributed to the negative experience of immigrants because if there was a war, it was predicted that the Italians would fight for the opposing side, creating conflict and resentment towards them by the Scots.

Question 9

Lithuanian Immigrants
Positive Experiences:

Answer 9

• they had their own clergy, two newspapers, insurance societies, shops and other recreational groups. This contributed to the positive experience of immigrants because they felt at home and created their own communities in Scotland.
• many changed their names to integrate more easily into Scottish society, e.g. to Black and Brown. This contributed to the positive experience of immigrants because Scots could now pronounce their names, leading to better assimilation between them.

Question 10

Lithuanian Immigrants
Negative Experiences:

Answer 10

• the majority of Lithuanians were Catholic. This contributed to the negative experience of immigrants because their religion clashed with the Protestant Scots and often led to discrimination.
• the local media took up the anti-immigrant protest. Like the Jews, the Lithuanians were accused of being the ‘most filthy in their habits of life’ and a danger to the health of the local community. This contributed to the negative experience of immigrants because it created a stereotype which many Scots would hold against them and not mix with them due to this.