migration and empire Flashcards
when was the treaty of union signed?
1707
when was the union of the crowns?
1603
what happened to glasgow in 1901?
it became the official second city of the empire, after london
what were the 4 main industries in scotland, 1830-1930?
textiles
shipbuilding
locomotives
steelworks
what was the biggest industry in scotland in 1930?
textiles
how many employees did the cox brothers have in dundee?
14,000
apart from the uk, where were there textiles markets?
the usa and the colonies
what other industries were there in scotland?
fewer more diverse industries
shale (smooth rock)
whisky
singer sewing machines and beardmore planes (clydebank)
what were the effects of heavy industrial growth in scotland?
- huge growth in the population
- redistribution of population with heavy industrial areas of the west the benefactors
- agricultural employment in decline
- continued urbanisation - more people start living in cities
by 1911, what percentage of scotland’s population lived in towns of over 5,000 people?
60%
what were these heavy industries dependent on?
lots of skilled workers
who was paid less: scottish or english workers?
scottish
what did lower pay rates for scottish workers do for scottish industrialists?
gave them a cost advantage until the end of the 19th century
what was the textiles industry built on?
poorly paid female labour
immigrants from which country provided lots of labour?
ireland
what were the reasons to leave scotland?
- high rents (push)
- highland clearances (push)
- potato famine (push)
- consolidation of land (push)
- poor quality soil (push)
- decline in kelp industry (push)
- industrialisation (pull)
- communication (pull)
- assisted passage (pull)
what were the highland clearances?
landlords evicted (sometimes by force) their tenants and replaced them with sheep, deer and game because it was more profitable
what was the potato famine?
potatoes were affected by blight making them inedible, which devastated many communities such as Mull where 80% of the population relied on potato alone for food
how did industrialisation cause migration?
people moved in huge numbers to urban areas in the lowlands in order to find work in the growing number of factories
why was poor quality soil a cause for migration?
the soil was very difficult to grow food on, making potato the staple diet for many. the 1840s potato blight meant that even potatoes could not grow properly, making it more difficult for highlanders to sustain themselves by working the land
why was the decline in the kelp industry a cause for migration?
this industry was very important and it’s collapse led to severe poverty and accelerated the clearances as people became economic migrants
why was the consolidation of land a cause for migration?
by 1830 land had mostly been consolidated into larger farms. this created a pool of landless labourers and the prospect of owning land disappeared
what was assisted passage?
between 1830-1930 various groups in scotland offered assistance to people hoping to leave the country. schemes were established by landlords, the british government, charities and colonial societies. the government were particularly active in this practice after WW1 when unemployment was high.
why was communication a cause for migration?
letters home from family members already abroad expressed the number of opportunities available elsewhere (availability of land, employment opportunities, improved standard of living). adverts in newspapers and posters also promoted the financial and social benefits of emigration.
what percentage of coal miners and iron workers in coatbridge were irish in 1861?
45% of coal miners and 47% of iron workers
why did many irish immigrants settle in ayrshire?
because it was close to ireland
why were dundee and angus attractive to immigrants?
the textiles industries offered work
why did many irish immigrants settle into edinburgh, paisley, stirling, greenock, kilmarnock and glasgow?
job opportunities
which group of irish immigrants tended to fit in better in scotland?
protestants from ulster
what did the church mean to catholic irish?
it was a place they could gather together and help each other and the irish social life was often focused around the church (youth groups and sunday schools etc)
what did catholics set up in scotland?
football clubs, schools (celtic, hibs, dundee united)
until the 1850s, who funded catholic schools?
the church
why did catholic schools refuse to join the state system in 1872?
because the inclusion of religion could not be guaranteed
what did catholic churches become?
charities eg the st vincent de paul society, the league of the cross
what was the original purpose of celtic football club?
set up by a priest in 1887 to help poor catholics, provide food
what was the irish population of dundee and glasgow in 1851, from the census?
glasgow 18.2%
dundee 18.8%
why did protestant irish find it easier to assimilate in scotland?
shared religion, many had scottish names
what were some negative aspects of irish immigration?
drunkenness
violence
disorderly behaviour
what were some positive elements of irish immigration?
contribution to developing scottish economy
many conducted themselves with propriety
lasting contribution to scottish culture eg football teams
who published a pamphlet titled “the menace of the irish race to our scottish nationality”?
the church of scotland (protestant)
name some areas in glasgow and dundee that the irish went to
maryhill, saltmarket in glasgow
lochee in dundee
what did an 1836 government report suggest about the irish?
that they were inferior to the scots
which politician party did the catholic irish support?
labour
give some examples of the perception of the catholic irish
- not seen as law abiding or hardworking
- seen as competition for jobs
- seen as benefit scroungers
- accuses of being strikebreakers
what fraction of irish immigrants were protestant?
about 1/4
how long have irish protestants been coming to scotland?
since the 18th century
catholics began coming in the 19th century
did the protestant irish have trouble assimilating?
no - they had lots in common with the scots eg religion and language
what jobs did irish immigrants do?
catholics:
textiles
coal-mining
iron working
protestants:
shipyards
what were the four main groups of immigrants to scotland?
irish (catholic and protestant)
jewish
italian
lithuanian
why did italians leave italy?
economic problems
poverty and famine
dependency on agriculture
lack of industrialisation
what area of scotland did italian immigrants tend to settle in?
the south west (renfrewshire, ayrshire)
apart from the south west where did italian immigrants settle?
edinburgh, the lothians, glasgow
what jobs did italian immigrants do?
initially worked as peddlers (door to door salesmen) or barrow men selling ice cream
began to set up ice cream parlours and chip shops
also ran restaurants and hairdressers
why did italians struggle to assimilate?
- devout catholics
- opened cafes on the sabbath which caused tension with religious leaders
- seen as morally corrupt
why did jewish people immigrate to scotland?
- persecution by pogroms in russia
- better transport
- later, persecution by nazis
where did many jewish immigrants come from?
eastern europe but later germany
where did jewish immigrants go?
glasgow (especially gorbals), edinburgh, ayr and aberdeen
who did jewish immigrants live with and what did they do?
- tended to form their own jewish communities
- lived in tenements with other immigrant groups to avoid attacks
- created businesses in their communities eg bakers
what jobs did jewish immigrants do?
initially peddlers
developed cigarette industry
tailors
butchers
lawyers
doctors
name 4 countries jewish immigrants left
russia
latvia
lithuania
estonia
what 2 methods of transport did jewish immigrants use to come to scotland?
railways
steamships
name 7 places jewish immigrants settled
glasgow ayr greenock edinburgh falkirk dundee aberdeen
what language did jewish immigrants speak?
yiddish
name 2 jewish newspaper
jewish times
jewish echo
what was the name of the immigration act passed in 1905?
the aliens act
why did lithuanians leave to come to scotland?
agricultural depression
poverty
tsarist oppression
politics
how many lithuanians left between 1870-1914?
1 in 4
in which decade did lithuanians begin arriving in large numbers?
from the 1890s
where did lithuanians settle?
west lothian
fife
coatbridge
ayrshire
what industries were lithuanians involved in?
mining
iron
steel
what was the biggest employer of lithuanians?
mining
what caused conflict between scots and lithuanians?
religion (catholicism)
seen as filthy
blamed for driving down wages
what helped lithuanians assimilate?
- kids went to scottish schools
- learnt and spoke local language
- often changed names to more scottish ones
what effect did ww1 have on lithuanians in scotland?
many refused to fight
some saw themselves as russian not scottish
as a result some repatriated
