Italians Flashcards
- Business success
(Italians)
Many Italian immigrants set up very successful catering businesses by opening fish and chip shops or cafes such as Tortolano’s which were very popular among Scots.
As a result, many Italian immigrants had a positive experience as they had business success.
- Hairdressing
(Italians)
Italian immigrants established the first hairdressing college in Glasgow using the skills that they had brought from the worlds of art and theatre to help make hairstyling a form of personal expression.
This shows that Italians had a positive experience in Scotland as many Italians experienced creative success.
- Strong community
(Italians)
Italian immigrant families continued to speak Italian at home and newspapers such as La Scozia were published in Italian.
As a result, Italian immigrants had a positive experience as they experienced very strong and well-connected Italian communities.
- Political tensions
(Italians)
After Mussolini took power in Italy in 1922, some Italians were targeted by anti-fascist Scots who were suspicious of them.
As a result, Italians had a negative experience in Scotland as they faced hostility from some Scots.
- Working class
(Italians)
Working class Scots did not object to Italian immigrants because they tended to establish their own businesses or work within Italian-owned businesses and industries.
As a result Italians had a positive experience in Scotland as they were not competing for jobs so Scots tended to react well to the Italians.
- Church of Scotland and the Media
(Italians)
The Church of Scotland claimed that the Italian late-night café culture was encouraging Scottish teenagers to behave poorly and affecting their morals.
This meant that Italians had a negative experience in Scotland as Scots therefore reacted to the Italian community with fury.
- Temperance
(Italians)
Italian cafe owners supported the Scottish Temperance Movement by refusing to sell alcohol.
This meant that Italians had a positive experience in Scotland as many Scots praised Italians as it gave young Scots an alternative to the pub for socialising.
- Insular
(Italians)
Italian immigrants and their children tended to mix well within the Italian community. They worked very long hours and had few days off, and any free days would be spent within the community.
Therefore, Italians had a negative experience in Scotland as they did not assimilate much.
- Education
(Italians)
Very few Italians stayed on at school or went onto colleges or universities to study further, opting instead to continue working within the family businesses.
This meant that Italians had a negative experience in Scotland as this prevented assimilation in Scottish professions.
- Later generations
(Italians)
In the 1920s and 30s marriages between Italians and Scots became more common.
This meant that Italian immigrants had a positive experience in scotland as young people began to have more freedoms to mix with Scots which meant that the Italians began to assimilate more.
