What was the impact of migration to Britain, c.1000 – c.2010 Flashcards
Political impact (c.1000 – c.1500)
• The Norman Conquest brought about a shift in power from the Anglo-Saxons to the Normans. Land-ownership was transformed as Anglo-Saxon nobles’ land was given to Norman lords. This development, combined with the feudal system, enabled the Normans and their successors to control the country, a system which stayed in place for centuries and was the basis for future monarchs’ control of the country.
• Jewish migration enabled kings and bishops to borrow money, read and do accounts at a time when most people were not literate. Money-lending enabled monarchs to build the castles and cathedrals which helped them spread their authority over the country, as well as financing wars. From the late C13th Lombard bankers were a source of revenue for the Crown which was used to build castles and cathedrals as well as to fight wars.
• Kings and the Church exploited antisemitic hatred of Jews by spreading lies such as the Blood Libel to increase their influence and wealth, as well as introducing racist laws like the 1275 Statute of Jewry and the 1290 expulsion of the Jews.
Political impact (c.1500 – c.1900)
• Many Black people, such as Mary Prince, Olaudah Equiano and Ottobah Cugoano, contributed to the abolitionist movement, which led to the 1807 Act making the slave trade illegal in the British Empire, as well as the 1833 Slavery Abolition Act.
• Becoming a British citizen was more straightforward after the 1870 Naturalisation Act, which stated that Parliament could grant citizenship. It also made it possible for citizenship to be removed. This changed the way in which people could become citizens, ending the practice of denization which had been at the discretion of the monarch.
• Immigrants during the industrial period became involved in political and trade union activism. For example, William Cuffay, the son of an enslaved sailor and Fergus O’Connor, an Irish Protestant were actively involved in the Chartism campaign to expand the right to vote. Many Irish and Jewish migrants were actively involved in the trade union movements and took part in strikes to campaign for better working conditions, such as the 1889 tailors strike in which 10,000 people took part.
• The arrival of so many immigrants into Industrial towns contributed to major public health problems such as Cholera outbreaks, with the local authorities unable to cope. These health problems forced the government to introduce reforms such as the Public Health Act of 1876 to improve health and hygiene. From then on, public health became an issue that governments had to deal with (later seen with the NHS).
• London became a place where ideas could be exchanged freely and debated, with important political works like Marx’s Capital which had a massive impact on world history in the C20th.
Political impact (c.1900 – c.2010)
• Over 1 million Indian and thousands of African and West Indian soldiers played a crucial role in the First World War effort in western Europe, western Asia and East Africa, as well as Lascar merchant seamen on the convoys.
• In the first half of the 20th century Britain became home to anti-colonial activists who would lay the foundations for the independence of several nations, through organisations such as the Pan-African Conference. In 1945, this was attended by three future leaders of African countries, post-independence.
• 45,000 Lascar sailors, 14,000 Polish airmen and millions of other women and men from the Empire played vital roles in helping Britain win the Second World War.
• Migration became increasingly a heated political issue, with politicians such as the Conservative Enoch Powell calling for tighter immigration restrictions. In 1966, the racist party National Front was launched, calling for immigrants to be deported.
• In 1963, a group of young Black people organised a boycott of Bristol’s buses because of the company’s refusal to employ non-white crews, forcing the company to change its policy. This campaign helped to lead to the 1965 and 1968 Race Relations Acts, making racial discrimination illegal. This was followed by the setting up of the Commission for Racial Equality in 1976.
• Migrants have made a significant impact in British politics and are increasingly represented in government. Current Chancellor Rishi Sunak is the son of British Indian parents and Home Secretary Priti Patel is the child of Indian-Ugandan parents.
• Migration has been a major political issue, especially with the increase of refugees and EU migrants, leading to the rise of groups such as UKIP, the EDL and BNP. Immigration was a major reason why Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016.
Economic impact (c.1000 – c.1500)
• William the Conqueror ordered the Domesday Survey which helped him take control of the taxation system. The Normans also abolished slavery, which had affected 10% of the population.
• Flemish weavers made a huge contribution to the development of the wool trade. Up until their arrival, England had primarily exported raw wool, but now they exported manufactured cloth. This led to increased prosperity in towns across England, such as Lavenham, Castle Combe and Worcester. Furthermore, they were the first to set up looms in Manchester, which in the C19th became the world centre for the production of cotton cloth.
• Hansa merchants and Lombard bankers were among the first people to make the City of London a financial centre, which not only boosted England’s economy at the time but paved the way for London’s future growth.
Economic impact (c.1500 – c.1900)
• Walloon and Huguenot migrants in the C16th and C17th played a significant role in helping develop the capitalist economy. They helped transform the silk cloth trade in cities like Canterbury, and played a role in starting Sheffield’s cutlery industry (which was to thrive in the C19th). Huguenots contributed 10% of capital investment when the Bank of England was founded in 1694, helping Britain establish itself as a world financial power. Jewish migrants from the C17th century also played an important role in the economies of London, Liverpool and Hull.
• Many Black people in the C18th worked as domestic servants and seamen, doing the labour that enabled the wealthy to run the country and profit from the slave trade.
• Lascars and other Asian migrants played a large role in Britain’s trade. They formed a big part of the crews bringing luxury goods and raw materials to Britain, as well as exporting manufactured goods from Britain. Many also took on roles building infrastructure, such as the Yemenis who worked on the Manchester Ship Canal, all of which contributed to Britain becoming the leading economic power in the world.
• Migrants were an important part of the workforce during the Industrial Revolution and helped to build key infrastructure such as roads, canals and railways as well as work in factories producing textiles and working in mining and in the docks. The best-know examples were the Irish ‘navvies’. Much of this Victorian infrastructure is still in use today.
• Many new businesses were established by migrants such as Marks and Spencer and Moss Bros which had their origins in Whitechapel sweatshops and were all started by European Jewish immigrants.
• Wealthy German migrants during the C19th set up important businesses such as Schweppes, Reuters International News Agency and banks such as Rothschilds which are important today.
Economic impact (c.1900 – c.2010)
• Migrants from the Caribbean contributed significantly to Britain’s economic recovery at the end of WW2 and growth during the 1950s and 1960s. They were key in running crucial public services such as London Transport and the National Health Service, as well as working in factories and rebuilding the country after WW2.
• There are many successful business owners in Britain today who have arrived and settled here from other parts of the world such as Rita Sharma and Andrew Ng. In 2014, it was found that 8.3 million people in Britain were employed in businesses started by migrants.
• A 2007 report found that immigration had brought £6 billion in benefits to the UK economy in the previous 10 years.
Cultural impact (c.1000 – c.1500)
• The Norman Conquest resulted in the transformation of Architecture, with many Anglo-Saxon churches being replaced by imposing Norman-style buildings which still survive to this day (such as Durham Cathedral).
• The Normans also introduced a new language, Old French; over time this combined with Old English to create the basis of the English langue we use today. They also introduced the system of surnames to show people’s occupations or where they had migrated from.
• Antisemitism and a mood against ‘the other’ became widely encouraged within Medieval England, such as through the Blood libel and in the context of the crusades. This escalated into extreme violence such as the killing of Jews in London and York. Jews became increasingly persecuted and were eventually expelled from England. Jews didn’t return to England until the C17th.
• Many of the words we use about money including bank, credit, debit, and the ‘£’ symbol come from Italian because of the Lombard bankers.
Cultural impact (c.1500 – c.1900)
• Gypises contributed to society as farmworkers and entertainers as well as leaving a cultural impact on language and leisure between 1500 and 1750.
• Asian, African and West Indian migration during the C18th and C19th helped create thriving, diverse communities, where marriage between White, Black and Asian people was common. This was the beginnings of the diversity in those cities which still exists today. This was particularly noticeable in port cities such as Cardiff, South Shields and in the ‘Chinaports’.
• Many working-class English people resented the arrival of migrants who were willing to work for less pay and believed they were lowering wages. Some migrants worked as ‘strike breakers’ during trade union disputes. Prejudice against migrants grew, especially against the Irish. The Irish were stereotyped as half-human ‘apes’ and were widely blamed in the press for causing disease, increases in crime. There were several anti-Irish race riots such as in Cardiff in 1848. Other groups also faced racism include Black migrants, Italians and Jews. By the end of the C19th there was growing pressure to restrict migration.
• Irish migrants settled all over Britain and set up new institutions, such as Dr. Barnardo who set up a school for the poorest children. Italian migrants and German migrants set up schools, churches and shops as well as hospitals.
• Mass Irish immigration helped to revitalise the Catholic Church in England and helped speed up the move towards equal rights for all religions.
• A number of important contributors to British culture were migrants or descendants of migrants such as the Irish author Oscar Wilde and the composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, whose father was from Sierra Leone.
• Many migrant groups brought new types of food to Britain that were quickly adopted such as ice-cream from Italian migrants and sausages from German migrants.
Cultural impact (c.1900 – c.2010)
• In 1919 (in many port cities) and again in 1936 (East End of London), multicultural communities came together, showing that united self-defence against racist attack was possible.
• In the 1930s and 1940s, groups such as the League of Coloured People campaigned against the ‘colour bar’ and colonialism, and had a significant impact on attitudes to race and empire.
• Several of the Jewish refugees during the 1930s and 1940s achieved considerable success, contributing to many aspects of British society, such as Walter Khon and Arno Penzias.
• Caribbean migrants from the late 1940s brought new music styles such as ska, reggae, jazz and Latin American music that fused with British music to revolutionise the music scene. Many of the genres that are popular today, such as drum and bass and dubstep, have their roots in Caribbean culture. Other influences have also been strong, from European electro house to the 1990s Asian Underground.
• Claudia Jones, a Trinidad born political activist organised a Caribbean Carnival to demonstrate aspects of Caribbean Culture. The eventually developed into the Notting Hill Carnival, which has become Europe’s biggest street festival.
• Britain has become increasingly a multi-cultural country, especially cities such as London. Anti-immigrant feeling does however exist, especially in more deprived areas of the country such as Northern England.
• Although racism does still exist, attitudes to migrants and migrant communities have changed. Anti-racism grew in the 1970s through initiatives such as Rock Against Racism. Nowadays, large numbers of foreign players in the Premier League are cheered on by their fans, which is a far cry from the racism of the 1970 When Somali refugee Mo Farah won gold for Britain in the 2012 Olympics, people had no difficulty seeing him as a representative of the modern UK.
• From doner kebabs to chicken tikka masala, spaghetti bolognese and baguettes, the food brought by migrants has been adopted and embraced in this country.
• Language: we often have different words with only subtly different meanings, reflecting how each word entered our language at a different time (e.g. begin, start and commence). Other examples include ‘ketchup’ (Malay), ‘yoga’ and ‘pyjamas’ (Indian languages) and ‘jazz’ (African languages)
