Experiences of Italian immigrants

Question 1

Chain migration

Answer 1

Many early Italian immigrants were men who would send money home to their families in Italy, and once they had built a stable livelihood in Scotland, their families would immigrate to join them. This explains the Italian experience, as many Italians didn’t have to face the worst aspects of poverty.

Question 2

Businesses

Answer 2

Many Italians sold ice cream or boiled sweets from carts on city streets, which were soon replaced by small shops or ice cream parlours, with some, like Rizzas Ices, going on to be national companies. This explains the Italian experience, as they were able to successfully set up business to become financially stable.

Question 3

Negative stigma around businesses

Answer 3

Although popular, ice cream parlours were blamed for encouraging children to smoke and seek other short term thrills. This explains the Italian experience, as this negatively impacted the perception of their businesses, lowering their income and making assimilation harder.

Question 4

Poor assimilation

Answer 4

Italian communities tended to be very insular, and they often worked long hours at their businesses where they often recruited directly from Italy, so communities remained separate and assimilation proved difficult. This explains the Italian experience, as this often led to it being difficult to maintain positive relations with Scots.

Question 5

Xenophobia

Answer 5

When war broke out in 1939 Mousilini demanded that all Italian citizens become registered members of the Fascist party. Italian businesses were targeted in xenophobic attacks. This explains the Italian experiences, as this severely worsened their relations with Scots and negatively impacted their businesses.

Question 6

Poor housing

Answer 6

Italians tended to lie in areas like Partick in Glasgow and the Grass market in Edinburgh, both known for housing problems like overcrowding and poor sanitation, however as their businesses became more successful, they could afford to move to better housing. This explains the Italian experience, as poor housing led to negative impacts to their health.

Question 7

Italian groups

Answer 7

Italian immigrants would set up groups to promote Italian culture, like Casa D’Italia, which offered Italian lessons for children and business loans to help Italians start companies. This explains the Italian experience, as they had communities such as these which supported them financially and helped them maintain their Italian identities.

Question 8

Relations with Scots

Answer 8

Due to the fact that there was not a huge number of Italian immigrants, the Scots didn’t feel particularly threatened by their presence, and they generally set up their own businesses, meaning they were also not accused of stealing jobs. This explains the Italian experience, as in general they were able to keep up good relations with Scots.

Question 9

Prejudice

Answer 9

Some Italians faced prejudice and nicknames from Scots, such as being called ‘tallies’. This explains the Italian experience, as this made it much more difficult for Italians to have a positive experience in Scotland when the people treated them poorly

Question 10

Cafés

Answer 10

Italians often chose to keep their cafés open on Sundays due to their work ethics. This explains the Italian experience as Scots resented this. Sunday was seen as a day of rest, and the fact that Italians willingly worked that day angered many.