Theme 3C- Race and Immigration Flashcards
How did racist violence escalate due to unemployment in the 1920s?
Minorities faced with violent attacks by mobs of unemployed white men, threat is never resolved and continues into 30s
Examples of violence surrounding working rights
4 days of violent rioting in Limehouse and white violence in Cardiff led to 3 deaths and £3000 worth of damage
What was the stance of trade unions in the 1920s?
Adamant about restricting rights of minority workers, concerned about impact on white workers
Example of Trade Union racism in 1920s
National Union of Seamen demanded non-white seamen lose their jobs to white seamen, NUS managed to push legal restriction on the rights of migrant workers
What was the 1920 Alien Orders Act?
Migrant workers had to register with police before seeking work, or could face deportation- only really applied to black and Asian people
What was the 1925 Special Restrictions Act?
Coloured seamen had to prove British citizenship or face deportation, proof hard to come by
What is an example of the police being racist 1918-39?
1935 Cardiff riot, police helped white workers instead of keeping the peace
How did migrants face economic discrimination 1918-39?
Discrimination between white and non-white workers clear- in 1919 Asian chefs payed £5 compared to £20 for white chefs and (34-35) 80% of black and Asian men unemployed compared to 30% white men
How was there discrimination within education and health?
People who migrated to get uni education expected to leave once they got degree, Medical graduates from the empire were refused work in British hospitals and had to set up their own instead
What were the main groups who fought for the rights of migrant workers?
Communist Party of Great Britain and International African Service Bureau
How did the CPGB help migrant workers?
Defended Arab seamen’s rights against NUS and gained support from white workers (unsuccessful but important) and organised 10,000 strong demonstration against Moseley which led to Battle of Cable Street
Which demographic was most racist 1918-39?
Unemployed men, especially those who just came back from WWI. Middle class liberals tried to fight racial discrimination and raise funds for struggling minority families
Where was there evidence of racism during WWII?
Gov rejected offer from Caribbean shipping company to pay for 2000 Jamaican workers to travel to Britain to aid war effort, black and Asian soldiers rarely promoted, American soldiers in Britain popularise idea of colour bars
How did immigration grow in the postwar period?
Asian and Caribbean communities in Britain grew from 190,000 in 1949 to 630,000 in 1959
What was the 1948 British Nationality Act?
Gave all people in British colonies the right to enter UK (response to war effort)
How did opportunities for immigrants grow in the postwar period?
More opportunities in entertainment, post offices, railways etc, 3000 Caribbean nurses recruited for NHS 1948-54
In what way did opportunities for immigrants remain consistent in the postwar period?
White workers still pushing for restrictions, Ford Dagenham enforce 95% quota of white workers, with strike in case of breach
How did Attlee and Churchill respond to changing attitudes?
Actively tries to discourage migration from the Commonwealth by restricting availability, considered limiting migration or repatriation
What was the reaction to immigration in the postwar period?
Claims that they would commit crimes, were too culturally different, interracial relationships led to violence, police harassed and targeted black and Asian people
What were the 1958 Notting Hill Riots?
Armed white men beating up and attacking the homes of black residents- ‘Keep Britain White’- police did little to nothing
What was the 1962 Commonwealth Immigration Act?
Required those from the colonies to have a job waiting for them, designed to end large-scale immigration
What was the 1968 Commonwealth Immigration Act?
Made it harder for children of migrants to come to Britain
What was the 1971 Immigration Act?
Introduces racial categories into British law (partial and non-partial), subjected non-white people to harsher immigration controls
What was the 1965 Race Relations Act?
Outlaws the colour bar
What was the 1968 Race Relations Act?
Outlaws racial discrimination in housing and employment, establishes Community Relations Commission
What was the 1976 Race Relations Act?
Outlaws indirect discrimination and created the Commission for Racial Equality
Did the acts passed post-1945 calm the fears of white Britons?
No- became more concerned at increase in immigration seen after 1962 Commonwealth Immigration Act
How did the acts passed postwar effect the politics of black and Asian people?
Radicalised them- all Race Relations Acts passed under Labour govs, enraged at 1968 act restricting immigration of asylum seekers (Kenyan Asians), black power ideology increasingly common among young black people who adopted forms of direct action and protest
Examples of black radicals challenging racism
Darkus Howe in 1971 forced met police to acknowledge evidence of racial hatred, helped organise squat in tower hamlets to force council to ensure safe housing for Bengali population
How did the acts passed post war incur white backlash?
‘Rivers of blood’ speech, claimed black and Asian people had more rights than white people and that they would become strangers in Britain. Widespread support for these ideas- petitions, marches etc following sacking of Powell
How were the Race Relations Acts successful?
Created foundation of racial diversity seen in later years, reduced discrimination, colour bar made much more rare, 1976 RRA used in legal argument in 1982 Mandla vs Dowell-Lee case surrounding Sikh boys being allowed to wear turbans
