Race and Immigration 1918-1979 Flashcards
Who was Charles Wotten?
Born in Bermuda, served as a Navy man in WW1. When his ship came back to Britain in 1919, black civilians were targeted, chased by a white mob in race riots. He was chased and fell into the sea.
Why did the race riots of 1919 happen?
- Long-held belief of supremacy of yt Britons over BAME
- Trigger factor: demobilisation of White Brit troops- angry at home they were returning to). Tough competition for jobs in industrial cities- boycotting/striking from yt workers of workplaces where BAME men worked b4 them, b4 + after race riots.
What happened after 1945?
Shift in migration. 1948: Ships like Empire Windrush brought ppl from Caribbean to help them rebuild the country after WW2.
How did the demographic change affect racist attitudes?
- Racist attitudes hardened e.g. White Defence League
- Mixture of cultures which created new types of cultures e.g. ska music was a mix of British punk and reggae.
What was the 1918-1945 “Colour Bar” and when was it?
All Brit citizens had same rights to work, use public facilities. But in practice:
- Widespread prejudice
- TUs + businesses working to deny rights of BAME ppl
- Police indifference to racism
- Denial of service in theatres, hotels, restaurants
When were the years of Commonwealth Immigration?
1945-1958
How were people of colour viewed by white Britons in the period 1918-1939?
Viewed as ‘alien’, ‘inferior’, and ‘un-British’
13 years of Conservative Dominance
Want to limit black migration knowing they can’t pass racist legislation. But they pass the Commonwealth Immigration Act 1968- limited immigration from Caribbean. Africa, etc. Doesn’t get rid of these immigrants.
At the start of the 20th century, were there many non-white ethnic minorities in Britain?
Britain did have a small section of non-white ethnic minorities, mostly living in port cities.
Interwar period: these minorities experienced physical, passive and institutional racism (in some legislation.)
Summarise the main reason for mass migration to Britain in the late 40s, 50s, and 60s
In 1948, Clement Attlee’s Labour passes the British Nationality Act which encourages mass migration from the Empire across the late 40s, 50s & 60s.
Summarise race relations in the 1950s
In the 1950s, as the number of Black and Asian migrants grows, there were still many examples of physical racist violence. Eg. The Notting Hill Riots 1958.
Summarise race relations in the 60s
By the 1960s, the government began to take steps to fight racism with a number of Race Relations Acts. Although there are still issues with assimilation and racist attitudes still persist in some sections of society.
What happened due to Britain’s status as an Empire?
Mix of different nationalities in Britain mostly due to seamen and labourers that would work on ships or in the direct industries surrounding ports.
Why were port communities the most diverse places in Britainin Britain at the start of the 20th century?
Minority communities were almost exclusively in port cities: eg. Liverpool, Hull, Cardiff, Southampton, Bristol. By around c.1914 Liverpool was the most ‘diverse’ city in Britain w/sig no. of Irish, Chinese, Black, Italian and German migrants living there.
- Why was there racist violence after WW1?
2. Example of racist violence after WW1
- Angry jobless white Britons attacked BAME ppl they saw as unentitled to Brit jobs as they were ‘foreign’
- Cardiff: yt violence-> 3 deaths, £3k property damage
Victorian Race Theory
Ppl at the heart of great European Empires (eg. Britain) saw themselves as white and civilised and superior to the ‘coloured’ people they colonised.
Where did the summer of 1919 Race Riots occur?
Britain’s port cities eg Cardiff, Newport, Glasgow, Hull, South Shields and most notably Liverpool
The National Union of Seamen (NUS) fought for the ‘right’ of white workers to take the jobs of ‘coloured’ workers. Provide an example of this.
Demanded jobs of ‘non-yt’ sailors should be given to yt seamen. 1919- white workers went on strike protesting working alongside black workers. Led to sacking of 120 black workers
The NUS campaigns and race riots of 1919 led to what two acts?
- The Alien Orders Act, 1920
- Special Restrictions Act, 1925
What did the Alien Orders Act of 1920 do?
- Required Migrant workers (‘aliens’) to register w/police before seeking work or face deportation.
- Meant to apply to all ‘Aliens’, but yt Euro migrants were unaffected. Police only applied law to BAME (even Brit citizens)
PLACED ALL BLACK AND ASIAN PPL UNDER SUSPICION AND UNDER THREAT OF DEPORTATIOn
What did the Special Restrictions Act (Coloured Alien Seamen Act) of 1925 do?
- Forced ‘coloured’ seamen to prove Brit citizenship to immigration authorities when requested or face deportation.
- Assumed all ‘coloured’ seamen were non-British if they couldn’t prove citizenship. Most seamen at the time didn’t carry documentation in this way- oft–> issues and deportation.
What did historian Laura Tabili call the Coloured Alien Seamen Act of 1925?
“the first instance of state-sanctioned race discrimination inside Britain to come to widespread notice”
What was the impact of the Coloured Alien Seamen Act of 1925?
- Created a hostile environment for migrants.
- Normalised racial discrimination, particularly towards Black and Asian minorities.
- Encouraged migrants to leave Britain & gave the gov a legal framework to repatriate migrants.
Examples of wage discrimination against minorities
- Report presented in the House of Commons in 1919- Asian chefs paid £5/month vs £20/month for yt chefs
- Black and Asian men disproportionately affected by Depression- 80% of black and Asian men jobless for a long period, vs 30% of yt men
Which two prominent groups fought for the rights of black, Asian, and Jewish workers in the 1920s and 30s?
- Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB)
- International African Service Bureau (IASB)
Both groups linked fight against yt domination in the Empire w/fight against yt domination in Britain
What was the International African Service Bureau (IASB)?
- Est London, 1937 by Caribbean intellectuals C.L.R. James and George Padmore.
- Est newspaper International African Opinion- encouraged readers to lobby their MPs for minority rights, esp = access to healthcare and shopping facilities.
Why was the Communist Party of Great Britain focused on fighting racism?
- Est 1921, it had a high proportion of members from minority ethnic groups- Caribbean, India, Ireland, and Jews.
- Party was equally unattractive to most yt workers
What was one of the CPGB’s campaigns against racism in the 20s-30s?
In 1930 the NUS tried to force Arab and Somali seamen out of their jobs in South Shields. CPGB worked w/groups representing Arab and Somali seamen + organised regional strikes against NUS’s racist policy.
What was the impact of the CPGB’s campaign against racism in the NUS in 1930?
Unsuccessful, but showed some yt workers were prepared to support anti-racism + that immigrants were prepared to fight for their rights.
What was the League of Coloured People (LCP)?
Set up by Harold Moody in 1931. It:
- Worked to expose colour bar and thus end yt ignorance of the extent of discrimination
- Started campaigns to ensure = access to facilities + healthcare for all black and Asian ppl in Britain
Did migrant workers play a huge part in the war effort?
During WWII, it is undeniable that migrant workers and Black and Asian members of the Empire were crucial to the war effort. But there was still govt prejudice- propaganda encouraged yt Kiwis + Aussies to serve but discouraged it from the Caribbean.
How did the war open up new opportunities for black and Asian people in Britain?
Eg. education and training offered to all ex-servicemen after the war, govt rejected (although did not ban) discrimination, evidenced by the Learie Constantine case
