(Race & immigration) Racial controversy & the impact of government policies, 1958-1979

Question 1

Race & immigration - what did the government do in this time period (big picture?)

Answer 1

Took a series of steps to restrict immigration as well as outlaw forms of racial discrimination.

Question 2

Race & immigration - what did many politicians do in this time?

Answer 2

Used race to win votes by appealing to popular racism.

Question 3

Race & immigration - how did social attitudes begin changing?

Answer 3

People started to support multiculturalism more.

Question 4

Race & immigration - what kind of groups were formed in this time?

Answer 4

Some black rights groups

Question 5

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - when were each of the 3 acts?

Answer 5

1962

1968

1971

Question 6

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - what was the aim of the first act in 1962?
What did it enforce?

Answer 6

Aim = end large-scale immigration & prevent a multicultural society.

People from former colonies could enter if they had a job waiting or had specific skills needed by the British economy.

Question 7

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - what did the second act in 1968 enforce?

Answer 7

More strict entry rules, eg children over 17 with migrant parents in Britain denied entry.

Question 8

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - what did the third act in 1971 enforce?

Answer 8

Introduced two categories of migrants to tighten controls:

Partial = people born in UK or with (grand)parents born in UK.

Non-partial = people born outside UK or with (grand)parents born outside UK.

Question 9

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - the 1971 act introduced two categories in migrants to tighten controls.
What were non-partial migrants subject to?

Answer 9

Strict controls

They had no right of entry or residence and those who lived in the UK for less than ten years could be repatriated.

Question 10

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - what was the general reaction to the acts?

Answer 10

All received lots of support; 72% supported the 1968 act.

Question 11

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - what could it be argued the government was making attempts to do through the acts?

Answer 11

Appease voters by enacting policies with racist overtones and reflecting social desires.

Question 12

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - what were the impacts of the 1962 act?

Answer 12

Mass migration.

Radicalisation & black rights groups

White backlash

Question 13

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - one of the impacts of the 1962 act was mass migration.
Why?

(3)

Answer 13

To beat the act, many migrants moved to Britain before it was enforced - black & Asian population doubled 1960-61.

Many black & Asian migrants stayed for fear of being denied re-entry.

Allowed for immediate family to enter Britain.

Question 14

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - give evidence of mass migration taking place as a result of the 1962 act.

Answer 14

In 1959, 21,000 people entered from Commonwealth. 1961, 136,000 entered.

Question 15

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - one of the impacts of the 1962 act was radicalisation & black rights groups.
Why?

(3)

Answer 15

Labour = natural vote for black & Asian minorities but took a hardline attitude to migration 1965-68.

1964 = Tories used a racist tagline, referring to black individuals using a racial slur.

As a result, other parties were formed like the Race Today Collective - helped organise the biggest squat in British history to ensure Bengali population of Tower Hamlets had access to safe housing.

Question 16

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - one of the impacts of the 1962 act was white backlash.
Give evidence.

(3)

Answer 16

Enoch Powell, 1968 - Rivers of Blood speech:

Reflected new kind of post-colonial racism that acknowledged the death of the British Empire, while advocating for ‘keeping Britain white’.

74% of Britons agreed with him & National Front founded in 1967.

Question 17

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - one of the impacts of the 1962 act was white backlash, evidenced by Enoch Powell’s 1968 ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech.
Who was Enoch Powell?

Answer 17

Well-known member of the Conservative party.

Question 18

Commonwealth Immigration Acts - one of the impacts of the 1962 act was white backlash, evidenced by Enoch Powell’s 1968 ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech.
What did the speech outline?

(4)

Answer 18

Black & Asian people had more privileges.

White Britons were ‘strangers in their own country’.

Multiculturalism would lead to segregation and violence.

Gov should pay migrants to go ‘home’.

Question 19

Race Relations Acts - _______ _______ government introduced _____ Race Relations Acts - evidence of the government creating a _____ framework to _______ _________.

Answer 19

a) Wilson’s labour
b) three
c) legal
d) protect migrants

Question 20

Race Relations Acts - what were the causes of the Race Relations Acts?

(3)

Answer 20

Pressure to deal with racism.

Poor race relations had led to widespread rioting.

A partial commitment to multiculturalism.

Question 21

Race Relations Acts - when were each of the Race Relations Acts?

Answer 21

1965

1968

1976

Question 22

Race Relations Acts - what did the first (1965) Race Relations Act do?

(2)

Answer 22

Outlawed colour bar and incitement of racial hatred.

Established Race Relations Board to monitor enforcement of the law but didn’t address racial discrimination in housing.

Question 23

Race Relations Acts - what did the second (1968) Race Relations Act do?

Answer 23

Outlawed racial discrimination in housing and employment.

Established Community Relations Commission to promote multiculturalism in education.

Question 24

Race Relations Acts - what did the third (1976) Race Relations Act do?

(2)

Answer 24

Outlawed indirect discrimination.

Combined Race Relations Board with Community Relations Commission to create Commission for Racial Equality.

Question 25

Assimilation & multiculturalism - what were the wider impacts of the Race Relations Acts?

Answer 25

Created beginnings of official government commitment to diversity.

Labour Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins, was a key proponent of multiculturalism.

Question 26

Assimilation & multiculturalism - one of the wider impacts of the Race Relations Acts was that it created the beginnings of official government commitment of diversity.
Give evidence of this.

Answer 26

The 1976 Act was used to uphold the right of Sikh boys to wear turbans to school in a 1982 court case.

Question 27

Assimilation & multiculturalism - one of the wider impacts of the Race Relations Acts was the influence of the Labour Home Secretary, Roy Jenkins.
Give evidence of this.

Answer 27

He attempted to enact policies designed for assimilation that failed.

Question 28

Assimilation & multiculturalism - Labour Home Secretary was a key proponent of multiculturalism. What did he attempt to do?

Answer 28

School dispersal to disperse black & Asian members to different areas for greater cultural diversity.

Question 29

Assimilation & multiculturalism - what did the Commonwealth Immigration Acts try to do?

Answer 29

Restrict the number of migrants from Africa, the Caribbean and Asia while protecting the rights of white migrants.

Question 30

Assimilation & multiculturalism - what did the Race Relations Acts try to do?

Answer 30

The labour party tried to outlaw discrimination and lay the foundations for a multicultural society.

Question 31

Assimilation & multiculturalism - why weren’t the Commonwealth Immigration Acts and the Race Relations Act not successful?

Answer 31

CWIA failed to stop mass migration.

RRA failed to create a multicultural society - it was instead created by a history of local activists who defended the rights of their communities.