theme 3 - race and immigration Flashcards
impact of WW1
over 1/3 of Britain’s manpower made up of Black and Asian colonial troops and labourers
increase in white racist violence after the war - tried to stop black and Asian workers from taking ‘British jobs’
racist violence in interwar period
attacked by white British people who believed they weren’t entitled to jobs in Britain
- Cardiff - violence led to 3 deaths
- Limehouse - 4 days of white rioting
1935 Cardiff race riot
1920 Alien Orders Act
migrant workers had to register with police force before seeking work
would be deported if they didn’t
only applied to black and Asian migrants
1925 Special Restrictions Act
‘non-white’ seamen forced to prove British citizenship to immigration authorities
otherwise would face deportation
conditions for black and Asian workers in interwar period
national unions fought for white workers to take jobs of migrants
- NUS demanded jobs of ‘non-white’ sailors should be given to white workers
- 1919: workers in Liverpool went on strike
paid less than white workers
more likely to be unemployed
1934/35: 80% unemployed for prolonged period compared to 30% of white men
antiracism groups in interwar period
Communist Party of Breathe Britain (CPGB)
International African Service Bureau (IASB)
CPGB
founded in 1921
1930: organised strikes to defend Arab seamen when NUS tried to force them out of their jobs. Unsuccessful but some white workers did go on strike against NUS
Battle of Cable Street
- series of fights between BUF and antifascist campaigners
- forced BUF to abandon anti-semitic march
IASB
established in 1937
created newspaper ‘International African Opinion’
- encouraged readers to lobby MPs for black rights
education for migrants in interwar period
educated in top unis (50 people from West Africa, 150 from Caribbean)
were expected to gain education and return to colonies to serve the Empire
Harold Moody - moved to Britain to study medicine and was refused employment in British hospitals
League of Coloured People (LCP)
established by Harold Moody in 1931
worked to expose colour bar and end white ignorance
started campaigns to ensure equal access to facilities
campaigned to gain equal access to healthcare
impact of WW2
1945: government recognised that migrants had been essential to the war effort
- 500,000 African men served in British forces
exposed racism
- govt propaganda encouraged white men from Australia and NZ to help with war effort but discouraged men from Caribbean
- faced discrimination in the workplace
- 1942 arrival of American military promoted segregation
what new opportunities were there post-war?
ex-servicemen offered education and training after the war
British state didn’t outlaw discrimination but did publicly reject it
- supported Learie Constantine’s victory against Imperial Hotel which had enforced colour bar
post-war about shortage caused large influx of migration
New Commonwealth migration
there was a post-war labour shortage
1948: SS Empire Windrush brought 492 Jamaican people to Britain
1948 British Nationality Act
allowed all people in British colonies to enter UK
mass migration (1939-58)
migrants from Caribbean
- 8,600 (1939)
- 133,000 (1949)
- 173,000 (1959)
migrants from India and Pakistan
- 9,300 (1939)
- 64,000 (1949)
- 462,000 (1959)
how did mass migration create opportunities?
British economy grew and migrants found opportunities to make money
- NHS recruited 3,000 nurses from the Caribbean (1948-54)
- entertainment business (opening and performing in nightclubs)
government reactions to mass migration
opposed by both Labour ad Conservatives
Churchill and Attlee pressures governments in Caribbean, Asia, and Africa to restrict availability of passports
considered policies to limit immigration, but didn’t implement for fear of damaging Britain’s international reputation
public reactions to mass migration
MPs received letters of widespread concern among white people
- objected black and Asian people buying houses, claiming benefits, getting jobs
- believed only white people were British
- no complaints about migration from ‘white colonies’
MPs received letters from recent immigrants about discrimination
- no action taken against white racism
white racism in post-war period
migrants who dated or married white women were often beaten by white men
blamed for social and economic problems
1958 Notting Hill riots
- 300-700 armed white men beat black residents, attacked homes and businesses
- police did little to stop it
what factors led to legal restrictions on immigration?
widespread public concern about racial tensions
government reports blamed migrants for crime, cost of welfare, and overcrowding
1962 Commonwealth Immigration Act
controls on immigration, permitted entry if:
- they had a work permit
- had family in the UK
1968 Commonwealth Immigration Act
restricted entry of family
new migrants had to prove that a parent or grandparent lived in Britain
1971 Immigration Act
two racial categories
- partial - had grandparents born in Britain
- non-partial - they and their ancestors were born outside the UK (subject to strict controls)
consequence of the 1962 act
1962 Act led to multicultural society
- people migrated before the ban was enforced (black and Asian population doubled 1960-61)
- those who planned to leave stayed instead
- allowed immediate family entry
