Race Relations Flashcards
What were the main consequences of the Liverpool race riots?
Some people were deported. Became harder for black workers to gain secure entry and employment. Strikes broke out across the country. A resettlement allowance of £5 was introduced with a further £1 added on later.
What was the special restriction act of 1925?
“Coloured” seamen without documented proof had to register as aliens in port cities.
Outline the 1948 British nationality act
Every person who lived in the UK or the British colonies was a British citizen and could move to the UK.
Name some factors that influenced race relations.
Activists, the government, the media, society, current affairs, education, individuals.
Name two films that highlighted what it was like as a black person living in Britain.
To sir with love (1967) first portrayal of black protagonist. Black Christmas (1977) struggle of a black family during the Christmas period.
Outline the events of the Bristol bus boycott.
There was a labour shortage on buses but black people were refused work. An action group was formed trying to prove the existence of the colour bar. They boycotted the buses with the support of some MP’s and Learie Constantine meaning there would be no more discrimination in employment on the buses.
What was controversial about the Smethwick election campaign?
The conservative MP ran on a racist slogan. His campaign shocked the country but he won his seat. Malcolm X visited because he heard about the treatment of minorities.
What caused the race riots of 1919?
Much of the British army were demobilised and they saw the black and Asian people as stealing their jobs.
What was the colour bar?
Something mainly practiced in the 20s and 30s, it excluded black and asian people from employment or refused them service in theatres, hotels and restaurants.
Outline the alien orders act of 1920.
Required that migrant workers or aliens register with police before seeking work. If they didn’t they would be deported.
Why was the alien orders act racist?
The law only applied to black and Asian migrants and many branded aliens were nationals of the British empire who the police assumed were aliens.
What were the inequalities in wages and employment that minorities faced during the 20s and 30s?
Wage rates favoured white workers, Asian chefs paid £5 per month compared to white chefs paid £20 per month. Between 1934-45 80% of black people were unemployed for an extended period compared to 30% of white people.
What were the main groups that fought for black, Asian and Jewish rights during the 1920s and 30s?
The Communist party of Great Britain and The International African Service Bureau.
What was the Battle of Cable street?
A fight between fascists and anti-fascists. The fascists were led by the BUF who attempted to incite anti-Semitism in London and their march was interrupted by the communist party and the local Jewish People’s Council, which was a demonstration of over 10,000 people. The clash of the two led to a fight,
What did the League of Coloured People campaign for?
Worked to expose colour bar, end white ignorance of discrimination. Campaigns to ensure equal acces to all facilities for black and Asian people.
Campaigned for equal access to healthcare.
How many people from the colonies helped fight in WW2?
1,200 Caribbean men in factories in Lancashire and Merseyside.
Between 6,000 and 10,000 Caribbean men in the RAF.
Around 500,000 black African men joined the British armed forces.
By 1945 the Indian army numbered 2 million men.
How did the war expose ongoing racism?
Government propaganda encouraged men from Australia and New Zealand to help the war effort. However, it discouraged men from the Caribbean. Rejected an offer from 2,000 Jamaicans to travel to Britain to carry out war work. Caribbean workers were refused work in factories.
What was offered to all ex-servicemen after the war?
Education and training
What happened to the Caribbean population of the UK between 1939 and 1959?
Grew from 8,600 to 173,000
