Theme 3 - Race And Immigration Flashcards
1
Q
What happened to race relations straight after WW1?
A
- 1919 demobilisation of British army caused explosion of racist violence across Britain
- Angry mobs of unemployed white Britons attacked black and Asian people that they considered foreign and therefore not entitled to jobs in Britain
- NUS (National Union of seamen) demanded that the jobs of ‘non-white’ seamen should be given to white seamen
- Mass strikes in many industries led to the sacking of black workers. People refused to work with ethnic minority workers
2
Q
What was the 1920 Alien orders act? Impact?
A
- Required migrant workers to register with police before seeking work
- ‘Aliens’ who failed to comply would be punished with deportation
- Many ‘Aliens’ were actually British citizens whose rights were ignored by the police as they were black.
- Minorities lived in constant fear
3
Q
What was the 1925 Special restrictions act?
A
- Coloured seamen had to prove British citizenship to immigration authorities or face deportation
- Coloured people were presumed non British unless they could prove it
4
Q
Examples of discrimination during the interwar years?
A
- White chefs paid £20 in 1919 but Asian chefs were only paid £5 a month
- In 1930’s black people were more likely to be unemployed than white people (Between 1934-35 30% of whites had been unemployed for long but 80% of blacks had been unemployed for a long time)
5
Q
What parties were fighting for ethnic minority rights in Britain?
A
- Communist party of Great Britain (CPGB)
- International African Service Bureau (IASB)
6
Q
What did each of the two parties fighting for ethnic minority rights do?
A
- CPGB: founded in 1921 had a high proportion of ethnic members as party seemed unattractive to white workers
- Defended Arab seamen when NUS tried to drive them out
- White workers in South Shields supported movement (Unsuccessful campaign but showed white support)
- Fought BUF to stop them launching racist campaigns in London’s east end (CPGB won and caused BUF to abandon campaign)
- IASB: established in 1937. Launched International African Opinion Newspaper (IAON) which encouraged leaders to lobby MP’s for black rights. They lobbied for black and Asian people to have equal access to healthcare and shopping facilities
7
Q
How was racism prominent in education and health during the interwar period? (Not including LCP)
A
- 50 West Africans, 150 caribbean’s and and 150 Indians were educated in Britain’s top unis however after education they were expected to return home to serve the empire as senior administrators
- Students were not expected to stay no matter how good their education. Harold moody studied medicine in 1904 but despite his qualifications he was refused work and had to set up his own practice
- Ethnic students faced discrimination in studies
8
Q
What was the LCP?
A
- League of coloured people set up to support immigrant students to gain equal rights.
- Worked to expose the colour bar and therefore end white ignorance of the extent of discrimination.
- Started campaigns to ensure equal access to facilities for all black and Asian people in Britain and campaigned for equal healthcare
9
Q
What did the government realise after WW2 about migrant workers?
A
- They had been crucial to war effort
- 6k-10k Caribbean men joined RAF, 500k black African men served in the British forces and by 1945 the Indian army numbered 2 million men
10
Q
How did racist attitudes change during the war?
A
- New opportunities opened up for ethnic minorities
- Education and training was offered to all ex-servicemen after the war which they took advantage of
- British state did not criminalise discrimination but they did public ally object it
11
Q
How did racist attitudes not change during the war?
A
- During the early war years government still offered prejudice. encouraged New Zealand men but did not want Caribbean members joining army
- Discrimination faded out during war however West Indian workers still felt they were marginalised and white factory workers discriminated against them. Promotions for ethnic minorities were very rare and many workers were refused work in white factories due to ‘cultural differences’
- US Army tried to enforce their segregation when in Britain, preventing black British troops from mixing with their white troops. Used as an excuse by business to set a colour bar. Black men refused access to hotels were white American troops were staying
12
Q
What happened to immigration after WW2?
A
- Serious Labour shortages meant that migrants could come over and find easy work
- British Nationality Act (1948) gave legal rights for all people in British colonies to enter Britain. Mass migration started to occur. (SS Empire Windrush arriving with 492 Jamaicans is thought to be the beginning of mass migrations)
- 1939 the population of Caribbean people living in the UK was 8k, this rose to 173k in 1959
- Opportunities opened up for migrant workers in the 1950’s. Many opened nightclubs, performed shows and opened restaurants. NHS employed 3k Caribbean nurses between 1948 and 1954
13
Q
How did the government respond to mass migration?
A
-Attlee and Churchill actively discouraged it by pressuring ‘new commonwealth’ countries to restrict availability of passports
14
Q
What Did the white population think of mass migration?
A
- Gov received complaints from whites fearing immigration. They did not want ethnic minorities to; buy houses, claim benefits, get jobs, commit crimes or behave in a way reflecting cultural differences
- Only white people were truley British and only British people could do the above
15
Q
How did ethnic minorities respond to mass migration?
A
- Complained to government about discrimination
- Government did little to help as they feared it would attract more migrants which therefore angered many ethnic minorities
