How Far Was Britain Intolerant of Immigrants and Minorities, 1918-1939? Flashcards
Context
WW1 + Immediate Aftermath
Over 1/3 of Britain’s manpower made of black + Asian troops
Increase in white racist violence
Black and Asian people not entitled to equal rights
Race Riots 1919
Overview
Surplus of labour led to rioting between Jan-August 1919
African, Afro-Caribbean, Chinese, Arab, and South Asian sailors targeted - perception that they were ‘stealing’ white jobs
Race Riots 1919
Location
Cardiff, Newport, Glasgow, Salford, Hull, South Shields, London
Race Riots 1919
Glasgow
Jan 23-30, British Seafarers Union and National Sailors’ and Fireman’s Union (NSFU) held anti-immigrant labour meetings
Black + white seamen looking for jobs, fight broke out, bystanders joined, used makeshift weapons to attack black labourers
Race Riots 1919
Liverpool
Known for black population
June - Rioting crowd reached 10,000
Police arrested dozens of rioters
700 ethnic minorities temporarilynremoved from homes
Black , Arab, Chinese homes + businesses damaged, gov often didn’t reimburse victims
Race Riots 1919
Salford
June
Black people attacked, properties damaged or destroyed
Police intervention slow, but not when black people retaliated
5 killed, many injured, at least 250 arrested
Race Riots 1919
Gov Response
Repatriation scheme, encouraged black people to return to their country of origin
Fear of ‘black backlash’
1919-1921: Estimated 3,000 black and Arab seamen and families removed
Working Rights
Unions
National Union of Seamen demanded jobs of non white sailors be given to white seamen
1919 - Workers in Liverpool of strike in protest at working with black workers, led to sacking of 120 black workers
Working Rights
Legislation
Alien Orders Act (1920) - Migrant workers must register with police before seeking work. Failure to comply = deportation. De facto only applied to black + Asian people
Special Restrictions Act (1925) - Forced black seamen to prove citizenship or face deportation
Discrimination
Wages
Wage rates favoured white workers
MP Maclean Report: Asian chefs paid £5 a month, white chefs paid £20
Discrimination
Colour Bar
Black + Asian people excluded from employment + refused service in theatres, hotels, restaurants
1930s: Black people more likely to be unemployed
1934-35: League of Coloured People reported 80% Black + Asian men unemployed for prolonged period, only 30% of white men
Discrimination
Race Riots
1935 - Cardiff race riot due to economic depression
Local police collaborated with white workers to prevent black British sailors working on ships
Education and Health
University
50 from West Africa, 150 from Caribbean, similar number from India in Britain’s top unis interwar.
But hope was they would govern in colonies, not remian in UK
Education and Health
Harold Moody
Born in Jamaica, moved to Britain in 1904 to study medicine
Repeatedly refused employment in British hospitals, so established own medical practice in London
Established League of Coloured People (1931) to support equal rights for immigrant students
Education and Health
League of Coloured People Campaigns
Campaigned to end colour bar, end white ignorance, equal facilities, and equal access to healthcare
British Union of Fascists
Context
1939, 300,000 Jews fled Nazi Germany, settled in London
Oswald Mosely established the BUF in response
British Union of Fascists
Cable Street
1936 - March through East End, intention of intimidating Jews
Local communities (Jewish, Irish, Eastern European) + Communist Party erected barriers and prevented the march
The Communist Party of Great Britain
Overview
Founded 1921
High proportion minority ethnic groups - Caribbean, Indian, Irish, Jews
Unattractive to white workers
Leading role: Shapurji Saklatvala (Indian-born radical)
The Communist Party of Great Britain
Arab Seamen
1930 - NUS tried to force Arab + Somali seamen out of jobs in South Shields + Tyneside
CPGB organised regional strikes - ineffective, but showed support for anti-racism from some white workers
The Communist Party of Great Britain
BUF
Campaigns against BUF in mid-1930s
Attempted to incite anti-Semitism in East End: fire bombings and ‘Jew-Bashing’
Local Jewish People’s Council and CPGB organised demonstration of over 10,000 to stop BUF march, Battle of Cable Street
International African Service Bureau
Overview
Established 1937 by Caribbean intellectuals C.L.R. James and George Padmore
Newspaper: International African Opinion, encouraged readers to lobby MPs for black rights, specific access to healthcare + shopping
