Modern Era Migration - Reasons For Migration

Question 1

What made settling in Britain difficult for people during the early 20th century?

Answer 1

Immigration controls implemented during this period made it challenging for individuals to settle in Britain.

Question 2

What group managed to establish roots in Britain despite immigration controls?

Answer 2

Immigrant seamen hired to work on merchant ships were able to settle in Britain, particularly due to white seamen being called to serve in World War One and World War Two, leaving vacancies.

Question 3

What initiated a mass immigration of people to work in Britain after World War Two?

Answer 3

A severe labor shortage in Britain, especially in the transport network and the National Health Service, led to a mass immigration of people from the West Indies, South Asia, Cyprus, and other Commonwealth countries.

Question 4

What were the reasons for people from the Commonwealth immigrating to the UK after World War Two?

Answer 4

1. The UK had a severe labor shortage post-war, especially in key sectors like transport and healthcare.
2. Urban areas had been destroyed by aerial bombing, requiring rebuilding and additional workers.
3. British governments actively invited Commonwealth citizens to come and work.
4. Economic crises in Commonwealth countries, exacerbated by British colonial policies, led to high unemployment and prompted migration.
5. Events such as the partition of India and Pakistan and the civil war in Cyprus caused many to seek refuge in the UK.
6. Many Commonwealth citizens had prior ties to the UK, having served in the armed forces during the war.

Question 5

What characterized immigration to Britain in the late 20th century?

Answer 5

As the UK economy grew in the late 1950s and 1960s, migrants from various Commonwealth countries, as well as non-Commonwealth countries, came to work in industries like textile factories in the North and engineering factories in the Midlands.

Question 6

How did immigration patterns change in the 21st century?

Answer 6

In the 21st century, under the European Union’s ‘free movement of workers,’ hundreds of thousands of individuals from EU countries, particularly Poland, immigrated to the UK, mainly working in the service sector. Additionally, individuals from non-EU countries like Colombia, Morocco, and the Philippines also came to fill low-paid jobs.

Question 7

What did the Aliens Act of 1905 do regarding immigration?

Answer 7

The Aliens Act of 1905 restricted immigration but still allowed entry for refugees.

Question 8

How many Belgian refugees came to Britain during World War One?

Answer 8

Around 250,000 Belgian refugees sought refuge in Britain to escape German invasion during World War One.

Question 9

How were Belgian refugees generally received in Britain during World War One?

Answer 9

Belgian refugees were generally warmly received in Britain during World War One, although tensions arose as some British citizens felt they were living in better conditions than themselves.

Question 10

Where were resettlement centres set up for Belgian refugees in Britain during World War One?

Answer 10

Resettlement centres were established in locations such as Earl’s Court Exhibition Centre and Alexandra Palace in London. Some refugees lived with families, while others stayed in specially built camps. There was even a purpose-built Belgian village in Tyne and Wear.

Question 11

How many children came to Britain as refugees during the Spanish Civil War in 1937?

Answer 11

Approximately 4,000 children sought refuge in Britain during the Spanish Civil War in 1937.

Question 12

How many Jewish refugees were accepted by the UK following the rise of Hitler in 1933?

Answer 12

Around 40,000 Jewish refugees were accepted by the UK following persecution in Nazi Germany and Austria after Hitler’s rise to power in 1933.

Question 13

What was the Kindertransport?

Answer 13

The Kindertransport refers to the rescue of around 10,000 Jewish children from Germany, Austria, and Czechoslovakia to safety in Britain in 1938 and 1939. However, their parents were not allowed to accompany them, and many parents perished in the Holocaust.

Question 14

How many Polish refugees arrived in Britain after the Nazi invasion of Poland?

Answer 14

Around 160,000 Polish refugees arrived in Britain during World War Two, and many Poles served in the Allied armed forces.

Question 15

What did the 1947 Polish Resettlement Act allow?

Answer 15

The 1947 Polish Resettlement Act allowed Polish refugees who had arrived during World War Two to stay in Britain and be joined by their families.

Question 16

Name some examples of refugee groups that have sought safety in the UK since World War Two.

Answer 16

• Hungarians after the Soviet invasion in 1956.
• Greek and Turkish Cypriots in the 1960s and 1970s fleeing civil war.
• Asians expelled from Kenya and Uganda in 1968 and 1972.
• Chileans and other Latin Americans following military coups in the 1970s.
• Iranians following the 1979 Revolution.
• Afghans fleeing invasions and civil wars from the late 1970s until the present.
• Vietnamese ‘boat people’ in the 1980s.
• Sri Lankan Tamils during the civil war from the 1980s onwards.
• Turkish Kurds and Somalis as a result of civil conflict in the 1990s.
• Bosnians, Serbs, Croats, and Kosovans escaping conflict in former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
• Eritreans escaping violent government repression, particularly since 2000.
• Syrians, Iraqis, and Libyans uprooted by foreign invasion and civil war in the 2000s.

Question 17

Why was the 1947 Polish Resettlement Act significant?

Answer 17

The act allowed Polish refugees who arrived during World War Two to stay in Britain, marking a crucial step in refugee resettlement policy after the war.