experiences of immigrants in scotland Flashcards
8 negative experiences of the catholic irish immigrants
they were disliked by Scots because they didn’t share the same religion.
they found it difficult to get jobs because people didn’t want to hire Catholics.
they had to set up their own churches and schools.
they helped set up football teams such as Celtic FC in 1888.
they worked for less so Scots saw them as driving wages down.
they worked the hardest, most dangerous manual labour jobs such as Navvies.
they were openly discriminated against in finding jobs.
the Church of Scotland released anti-Catholic propaganda such as ‘The Menace of the Irish Race’ in 1923.
8 positive experiences of the protestant catholic immigrants
scots preferred them to their Catholic cousins therefore they found it a much more hospitable place.
the shared religion between a large number of Scots and the Protestants opened many doors for them, particularly in employment in the industrial factories of Clydeside.
the Protestant Irish were perceived to be of a higher education and training so were well equipped to take the more highly skilled, higher paying jobs in Scotland.
their fluency in English was a major reason for their ease of assimilation; very few Protestants were native Gaelic speakers.
speaking the same language helped Protestants socially mix with Scots easily which led to a much higher rate of intermarriage between the two groups.
they were mostly welcomed as Scots didn’t see them as threatening as they only accounted for 25% of Irish immigrants.
8 reasons jewish immigrants had positive experiences
the number of Jewish immigrants was relatively small, their communities self- contained and many moved into suburban areas such as Pollokshields.
jews tended to look after one another and new immigrants by setting up a Jewish movement of “friendly societies” that served the specific health and welfare needs of the Jewish community.
many young Jews were eager to answer the call to arms in their new country and volunteered to fight for Scotland during WWI.
jewish immigrants were involved in Scottish politics, with the majority to Jewish immigrants supporting the Labour Party in the interwar years.
yiddish language newspapers declined and were replaced with the english language newspapers such as the Glasgow published Jewish Echo.
jewish immigrants became established in the tailoring trade by producing affordable, quality clothing and also set up other businesses which provided goods for Scots such as watchmakers and tobacconists.
a large number of Jews chose not to reside in Scotland for long and simply passed through on their way to America.
many Jewish immigrants were prominent in respected professions like medicine, such as Prof. Noah Morris, the first Scottish residing Jew to become chairman at the University of Glasgow in 1937.
8 reasons jewish immigrants had negative experiences
jewish citizens in Scotland had to register for alien status during WWI.
many Scottish social and bowling clubs refused Jewish citizens entry or membership.
some groups such as the British Union Fascists, where one of the leaders was Scottish, made serious attempts in 1930 to stir up anti Jewish feelings in Scotland.
newspapers such as the Daily Record and Mail reported Jews negatively. They described Jews as an ‘alien danger: immigrants infected with loathsome disease’.
many Yiddish newspapers continued to circulate in Glasgow until the eventual appearance of the English language Jewish Echo in 1928.
many of the early Jewish immigrants were poor and so could only afford housing in areas of Glasgow like the Gorbals where poor sanctification and overcrowding was already an issue.
jewish immigrants often tended to agree to work for low wages, this added to the fear that there may be an overall cut in wages for workers.
some Jewish business owners often gained a reputation as harsh ‘masters’, offering poor working conditions.
8 reasons italian immigrants had positive experiences
many Italian immigrants opened up fish and chip shops.
some second-generation Italians changed their names to sound more Scottish.
some Italian cafes and restaurants were open late at night.
many Italians opened barber shops and hairdressers in Scotland.
many Italians employed their own families in their businesses.
many Italians were self-employed and ran small businesses.
many Italian families encouraged their children to learn English and only spoke Italian in the home.
italians were seen as hard-working.
8 reasons italian immigrants had negative experiences
while providing employment for their own families and community, many Italians were viewed with suspicion by Scots as they largely kept themselves to themselves and only ever really mixed in their own Italian communities.
many Italians spoke good English, but some kept to the traditions of their homeland and continued to speak Italian, in and out of the home.
partly due to their high work ethic, many Italians simply didn’t have time to socialise with Scots so many did not have close relationships with their Scottish neighbours.
the various “temperance movements” disliked that Italians cafes were open late as they provided a place for young people to socialise, which they thought would lead to greater instances of drunken behaviour.
not all Scots were fans of the Italian immigrants.
8 positive experiences of lithuanian immigrants
the initial immigrants were employed in the coal mines of Scotland.
their children were in Scottish schools and spoke more and more English.
their education extended to university where many went on to gain professional qualifications.
those experiencing poverty could expect to fall back on the Catholic Church’s help which helped look after Lithuanian immigrants.
they moved out of the coal mines and into their own businesses.
many Lithuanians left during WWI as they were called up to fight for Russia.
lithuanians became involved in the trade union movement and joined in strikes with Scottish workers.
they were relatively small in number so they didn’t attract nearly as much negative attention as other larger groups such as the Catholic Irish.
8 negative experiences of lithuanian immigrants
they were seen as ‘strike-breakers’ by Scots as they would be employed during the Scots’ striking activities.
the British people and government started to become suspicious that Lithianans supported Communism.
after WWI many Lithuanians were forced to leave Scotland as the British government withdrew financial support for Lithuanian women and children.
many Scots disliked Lithuanians as they were prepared to work for less pay than they were.
lithuanians were devoutly Catholic in a Protestant land.
lithuanians were routinely referred to as “Poles” or “Russians”.
lithuanian names that were difficult to pronounce were changed by Scottish government officials without permission.
the Lithuanians were considered Russians to the British government, and as such, were liable for service in the Russian army and forced to join it rather than the British army.
