Migrants In Britain: 4.3 Flashcards
The impacts of migrants on Britain, c1900 - present day
1
Q
What is the main, overarching political impact of British migrants during this time period ?
A
- racial tensions led to rise in support for far-right political parties like the BUF and NF
[] in response, this led to organised opposition to them - racial tensions led to Parliament passing legislation to support diversity and equality
[] led to Britain being seen as a place of freedom and safety for migrants and asylum seekers; useful in keepibg up the Western image of greatness during the Cold War
2
Q
What is the main, overarching economic impact of British migrants during this time period ?
A
migrants tended to work in factories, mills, engineering, transport and new public sector industries like the NHS - without them, many of Britain’s industries and post-war institutions wouldn’t have survived
- also helped to rebuild the country, allowing the economy to be re-established much more quickly
3
Q
What is the main, overarching cultural impact of British migrants during this time period ?
A
migrants brought music, dance and food, as well as their own accents and customs, which changed the face of many cities
[] the growth of migrant communities also encouraged representation in jobs and schooling, better educating Britain’s white non-migrant community on different cultures and increasing acceptance and anti-racism the more familiar they became
4
Q
Describe the key factors that government policy regarding immigration was based on/driven by and their significance
A
- economic demand for labour or growth
[] impacted decisions like joining the EU in 1951 and the 1948 British Nationality Act - public opinion of the voting population (if many were against immigration, had to introduce anti-immigrant policies in order to gain sufficient votes for election
- immigrant needs for governmental protection in the face of racism
[] also the upwards trend of race riots or organised opposition to racial tensions/inequality/violence signalled the need for protective legislation; also encouraged this legislation as Britain was afraid of being condemned internationally for its treatment of the migrant communities, especially black people due to the condemnation of the US’ treatment of black Americans - racial riots and tensions caused violence and thousands or millions of pounds of damage
[] needed to stop these for political, social AND financial reasons
5
Q
What was the 1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act and what was its impact on migrants to Britain ?
A
- introduced a “voucher” system to immigration, where only those with valuable skills or who could fill jobs with a shortage of workers would get a voucher allowing them to immigrate
- ended the 1948 automatic rights of Commonwealthpassport holding migrants to immigrate to Britain
[] was done in order to restrict unskilled migrants from the Caribbean and Asia (particularly India and Pakistan)
[] many argued that this was racist in nature, as majority white Commonwealth nations like Australia etc. had higher populations of skilled people than Asia or the Caribbean (most skilled people had already migrated at this time) - impact = inadvertently INCREASED migration to Britain
[] more than 130 000 decided to immigrate before the Act came into effect and they were barred entry
6
Q
What was the 1965 Race Relations Act and what was its impact on migrants to Britain ?
A
- made it illegal to discriminate against anyone on the grounds of race
[] set up a Race Relations Board in 1966 to handle complaints about discrimination HOWEVER the board had very little power to enforce its decisions and many argued that unspoken/unofficial colour bars were still present in employment and servicing
[] had very little positive impact on improving immigrants’ lives and actually did the opposite, spurring on racial tensions as frustration with government and public inaction against racism grew
7
Q
What was the 1968 Commonwealth Immigrants Act and what was its impact on migrants to Britain ?
A
- reduced the amount of immigration vouchers available
[] applicants only allowed vouchers if born in Britain or had British-born parents/grandparents - favoured white immigrants from Canada, Australia and New Zealand
- HOWEVER, British outcry about the Act being used to reduce Kenyan Asian immigration in a time where many needed the safety of Britain
[] due to public pressure, government exempted Kenyan Asian immigrants from the law
8
Q
What was the 1971 Immigration Act and what was its impact on migrants to Britain ?
A
- replaced voucher system with work permits for specific time periods
[] didn’t apply to those with British-born parents/grandparents - again favoured white immigrants from Canada, Australia and New Zealand
- public outcry against the Act being used to restrict Ugandan Asian migration at a time where they needed a safe, stable place to immigrate to
[] government caved to public pressure and allowed them entry to Britain
9
Q
What was the 1968 Race Relations Act and what was its impact on migrants to Britain ?
A
- criminalised discrimination explicitly in housing and employment
- little to no impact, as employers or renters/estate agents could still indiscriminate indirectly by claiming white candidates had more experience, more qualifications or offered more money
[] also provided no way and no improvements on the Race Relations Board to better handle and enforce decisions made due to complaints of racial inequality and discrimination, however did criminalise it, allowing the (very slim) chance of jailing or fine for racially motivated discrimination
[] increased frustration amongst the black and Asian British community
10
Q
What was the 1976 Race Relations Act and what was its impact on migrants to Britain ?
A
- made it illegal to discriminate on grounds of race, nationality or ethnic origin
[] covered employment, education, training housing and service - set up tribunals to hear complaints from victims of discrimination
- set up the Commission for Racial Equality to investigate and combat racism
- FINALLY DID SOMETHING TANGIBLE TO SUPPORT THE MIGRANT COMMUNITIES IN BRITAIN; celebrated
11
Q
Who was Harold Moody (1882 - 1947) ?
A
- Jamaican born British immigrant
[] came to study medicine at King’s College Hospital - struggled to find housing and employment because he was black
- 1931, Moody founded the pressure group the League of Coloured Peoples and was its first president
[] 20 years, campaigned relentlessly for civil rights
[] helped thousands of black Britons - died from influenza after touring the USA to raise funds for a colonial culture centre in London
[] lack of funding caused the League to close in 1951
12
Q
What was the Pan-African Conference and when was it first held ?
A
- 1900 in London was the first time it met
- campaigned for full political rights for Africans worldwide
- met six times until 1945
13
Q
What was the West African Students’ Union and when was it founded ?
A
- est. 1925 by Ladipo Solanke (Nigerian immigrant who studied at London University)
- campaigned against the British Empire and racism
[] urged decolonisation
14
Q
Describe the key events of Stephen Lawrence’s murder
A
- 22 April 1993
- 18 years old, stabbed to death whilst waiting for a bus in south-east London
- 5 suspects were arrested but none were charged
15
Q
Describe the key events of Doreen Lawrence’s campaign for bringing to justice her son’s (Stephen Lawrence) murderers
A
- claimed the Met Police hadn’t carried out a full investigation into the murder case
[] said had been incompetent and racist in their inaction and condoning of the white suspects (none were charged) - massive publicity campaign began led by Doreen
[] had support of many people in the community, media and politics
[] led to private prosecution in 1994 that failed - 1997, inquest into Stephen’s death held
[] the original five suspects refused to answer any questions
[] the Daily Mail (huge readerbase) accused the suspects of murder; HUGE PUBLICITY - PRESSURE ON GOV. + LEGAL AUTHORITIES - 1999, government set up public enquiry led by Sir William MacPherson (judge)
[] found the Met Police to be institutionally racist, as well as with poor leadership, resulting in inaction regarding the case
[] HUGE EXAMPLE OF SUPPORT FOR THE BLACK COMMUNITY; celebrated - led to the law against double jeopardy (being tried for the same case twice) being dropped, as it prevented the case going further privately after the 1994 prosecution failed; if it weren’t for the public enquiry, justice wouldn’t have been served
[] shows public pressure can easily get to government - two of the killers were found guilty in 2012
16
Q
Describe Doreen Lawrence’s achievements after achieving justice for her son’s murder
A
- made Stephen Lawrence prize (bursary for young architects)
- founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust
[] promoted community relations
[] Doreen rewarded with an OBE for her community work because of this - awarded honorary doctorates from the Open, Cambridge and West London universities
[] chancellor of de Monfort University 2016-2020 - became life peer in 2013 as Baroness Lawrence of Clarendon in the Commonwealth Realm of Jamaica
[] sits on Labour benches
[] BLACK VOICES IN POLITICS !!! IMPORTANT !!!!
17
Q
What is a pressure group ?
A
founded in response to a particular event in order to force the government to make policies that coincide with their beliefs and aims
18
Q
What is the Anti-Nazi League (ANL) ?
A
- pressure group started in 1977
- links to other left-wing groups and trade unions
- 2003 merged with other similar anti-racist groups to form UAF (Unite Against Fascism)
- aim/action was to disrupt fascist marches, demonstrations and campaigns to promote anti-racism and equality in Britain
[] most likely a response to the 1976 Race Relations Act
19
Q
What is the National Front (NF) ?
A
- started 1967 in response to the mass migration of Kenyan Asians
- links to other racist right-wing groups across Europe
- after the mid-1970s, lost many members to the BNP (British National Party)
- aims/actions: shares similar aims to the BNP (wants bans on all non-white immigration to Britain) and held rallies, put up candidates for local and national elections
20
Q
What is SRTRC ?
A
- Show Racism The Red Card
[] if a football player gets a red card, sent off the pitch immediately SO campaigns for the complete eradication of racism in Britain - charity
- started North Tyneside 1996 (the year before Stephen Lawrence’s inquest and the Daily Mail accusations of the suspects associated to the case)
- works with high-profile footballers as anti-racist models
[] works closely with schools and youth clubs
[] runs workshops and training sessions - has a lot of white support in Britain; participation of white footballers in the campaigns helps to increase this
21
Q
What is BLM ?
A
- Black Lives Matter
- movement began in 2013 in the USA
- protests against police brutality and racially motivated violence, demands criminal justice reform
- became international protest movement after the murder of George Floyd in 2020 by an American police officer in Minneapolis
[] 2021, the policeman found guilty of murder legally
22
Q
Describe the impact of migrants in rebuilding Britain’s textiles industry
A
- 1971, 100 000+ migrants worked in the textile industry
- Bradford textile mills had many Pakistani immigrant workers who accepted lower wages than the British, raising profits and helping the industry’s businesses to stay afloat
- 300 000 worked in manufacturing and engineering of textiles, mainly in the West Midlands
23
Q
Describe the impact of post-war immigration on the London Transport
A
- jobs in London Transport were VERY much needed to be filled
[] job adverts placed in the Caribbean
[] British set up a recruitment of office in the capital of Barbados (Bridgetown)
[] HOWEVER not all were recruited via the offices - some were already in the UK and applied in this way - women taken on as bus conductors, station staff, canteen workers
[] later trained to be bus drivers
[] EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN; attractive to migrant women who want to earn money - by 1968, 9000 of its 73 000 workers were from an ethnic minority
24
Q
Who was Ruel Moseley ?
A
- bus conductor in Barbados who migrated to England in 1959 to expand his skillset, earn better wages and then return to Barbados to get a better job
[] faced racism when working for London Transport - some passengers refused to touch money or tickets touched by a black person beforehand
[] promited more slowly than white employees, so didn’t get the economic progress he had hoped for - shared a room with 5 other men due to discrimination in housing at the time
[] shock; in Barbados even the poorest didn’t have to live in such tight quarters - said that the stress of being in work at early hours, sharing living space and keeping dignity all at once was particularly detrimental to mental health
- never moved back to Barbados; instead married and had a family, continuing to work for London Transport until he retired in 1990
- played for the Central Road Services cricket team like many other Barbadians - community
25
Describe the impacts of (black) immigrants on the foundation and establishment of the NHS
- NHS new and needed MANY workers due to being a healthcare service available for every single person in the country "from cradle to grave"
- by 1955, recruitment campaigns for the NHS in 16 different (former) British colonies
- by 1965, 5000 Jamaican nurses employed in the NHS
- between 1953 and 1955, 12% of NHS doctors were trained overseas
[] many Jewish and European refugees from former Nazi control/occupation
[] by 1977, 12% student nurse and midwife recruits were migrants
- by 1980, 18-20 000 NHS doctors born overseas (half Indian and Pakistani)
- by 2003, nearly 30% NHS doctors and 40% of NHS nurses born outside the UK
26
Describe the main ways in which migrant communities changed city life
- rebuilt many houses, turning them into homes
[] more homes meant more population, labour etc. for the surrounding economy and more business for British estate agents and landlords, keeping the property industry alive
- 1960s, mass closures of local stores due to competition from the new supermarkets
[] Asian migrants, particularly Kenyan and Ugandan, played a huge role in moving into these areas and restarting new businesses catering to the Asian communities surrounding, which had high demands for the regional goods sold in the new shops and so they prospered
[] in Leicester, the Golden Mile was established on Belgrave Road (many Asian-run jewellery stores)
- migrant foods became popular in restaurants set up across Britain
- migrant communities were extremely close and many self-help organisations were formed
[] provided community spirit, security and familiarity for migrant communities, especially useful when dealing with hostility and thus pressuring for justice
- many areas attracted (British) tourism with their new migrant communities promoting the expression of their own cultures in terms of decoration and food; boosted the economy overall as more people encouraged to spend on local shops that stocked specific goods from specific cuisines and cultures etc.
27
Describe the main religious changes to Britain with the arrival of many new migrants
- cities with large Muslim populations (mainly Pakistanis) had intricately built mosques and brought Muslim practices into daily life
- Indian and Pakistani migrants brought Hinduism and Islam to the heart of British communities
[] festivals like Diwali and Eid al-Fitr were widely celebrated
[] large religious celebrations and festivals brought tourism from around the country and internationally as well
[] boost for economy in part
- Pentecostal Christianity and gospel singing brought from the Caribbean
[] renewed Christianity in many inner cities
[] kept chruches in these inner cities in use, when they may have otherwise become disused
[] kept clerical occupations alive and strengthened (black) community
28
Which popular cultural foods were brought to Britain by migrants ?
- sausages (German)
- curries, tikka masala (Indian)
- kebabs (Turkish)
- Chow Mein (Chinese)
- fish and chips (Jewish)
- pizza/ice cream (Italian)
29
Who is Marcus Rashford ?
- plays for Manchester United
- campaigns for ending homelessness and child hunger
- has West Indian grandmother and is British-born himself
30
Who is Rishi Sunak ?
- MP for the Conservative party (and ex-PM now)
- became chancellor of the exchequer in February 2020
[] father was Kenyan Asian and mother Tanzanian
- grandparents were Punjabi Hindus who emigrated to Britain from East Africa in 1960s
- british-born
31
Who is Diane Abbott ?
- MP
- 1987, first black woman to be elected to parliament
- worked for the Labour shadow cabinet
- Jamaican parents
32
Who is Ms Dynamite ?
- rapper, singer, songwriter, producer
- Jamaican father, Scottish mother
33
Who is Mo Farah ?
- British track athlete
- won gold medals in 2012 and 2016 Olympics
- born in Somalia and migrated to England when he was 8
34
Who is Jessica Ennis ?
- gold medal winner in heptathlon at London Olympics 2012
- Jamaican father
35
Who is Lucian Freud ?
- important portrait painter in 1900s
- fled Germany with Jewish family when Hitler and the Nazis came to power 1933
36
Who is Moira Stuart ?
- began working in TV and radio journalism from 1970s
- 1981, first African-Caribbean female newsreader to appear on British national TV
37
Describe the key effects, events and significance of the Windrush scandal of 2012
- 2012, government announced people had to prove they had the righht to live in Britain
[] many of the Windrush Generation arrived on their parents' passports instead of having their own British passports
- Home Office had destroyed many thousands of landing cards proving legal immigration for these people, and so made proof of legal immigration extremely difficult
[] also required people to show at least one official document per annum since they arrived in Britain; impossible for many
- thousands branded illegal immigrants despite living, working and paying tax in Britain for decades
[] lost jobs and denied healthcare
[] some deported
- scandal reported in 2017, causing HUGE SHOCK AND OUTRAGE
[] racist policy, condemned by the public, putting huge pressure on the government to amend this
- official enquiry
- government apologied and promised to compensate those who had been affected
[] December 2020, promised increase in payments and to speed up the process of compensation
- big example of discrimination faced by migrants even years after they arrive and the shift in public support for immigrants' rights over the years
