What Was the Impact of the Second World War on Immigration and British Attitudes? Flashcards
Impact of the Second World War
Frontline WW2 Aid
10,000 Caribbean men in RAF
500,000 African men in British forces
2 million Indian men in Indian Army (largest multi-ethnic army)
British + colonial troops fought side by side
Sept 1939-mid 1942: close to 15 mil serving people in Commonwealth forces
Impact of the Second World War
Home Front WW2 Aid
1,200 men from Caribbean employed in munitions factories
(Lancashire and Merseyside)
1,000 as ground staff for RAF
Led to wave of immigration for West Indian male workers
Impact of the Second World War
Government Attitudes
British government realised migrant workers + soldiers had been crucial to the war effort
Victory dependent on support of colonies, so viewed as valuable allies, not racially inferior subjects
Impact of the Second World War
Analysis
Increased immigration and collaboration softened attitudes
Immigration encouraged by gov during war
Postive impact of migrant workers in industry changed gov views
Continued Racism and Intolerance
Government Prejudice
British propaganda encouraged white men from Austarlia and New Zealand to help war effort, not from the Caribbean
1940 - rejected offer from a shipping company to bring 2,000 Jamaican workers to Britain
Continued Racism and Intolerance
Prejudice in Wider Society
Some Caribbean workers were refused work in factories - ‘cultural differences’
Trade unions lobbied for preservation of ‘white’ jobs - white workers refused to work with black workers
Promotions for black + Asian soldiers rare in armed forces
Social isolation - pressure against dating white women
Continued Racism and Intolerance
American Military
Arrived in Britain in 1942
Racially segregated, tried to enforce this in Britain
Some British businesses used US desire for segregation to enforce a colour bar
1944 - London Imperial Hotel refused service to Learie Constantine as white Americans didn’t want to share hotel
Continued Racism and Intolerance
Analysis
Second World War may have reinforced segregation and discrimination
Colour bar supported by American soldiers
Institutional discrimination, ethnic minorities rarely promoted and often excluded from jobs
Increased Opportunities
Legislation
Repealed the Special Restrictions Acts (1920 + 25)
Easier for foreign workers to find work
Increased Opportunities
Work
Many industries, e.g. London Transport, NHS, textiles, advertised in New Commonwealth for workers
London Transport - Recruiters in Caribbean, 140 bus drivers from Barbados in 1956
NHS recruited 3,000 Caribbean nurses 1948-54
By 1958 estimated 15,000 New Commonwealth immigrants a year
Increased Opportunities
European Immigration
Need for recovery + cheap labour
Gov recruited 100,000 workers from Poland, ‘Polish Resettlement Corps’
85,000 European Voluntary Workers from Eastern Europe and Italy
Increased Opportunities
Education, Training, Legal
Education + Training offered to all ex-servicemen
Significant legal progress - Learie Constantine won Learie Constantine v Imperial London Hotels (1944), established equal rights to services
Increased Opportunities
Analysis
Aftermath of Second World War led to increased opportunities + relaxation of immigration legislation
But fueled by economic need, and aim to use immigrants as cheap labour
General public not as quick to adopt new attitudes
Enduring Discrimination and Segregation
Geographic Disadvantage
Immigrant populations gravitated towards urban centres with low skilled work available
Tended to be poorest areas: East End, Glasgow, Birmingham, quasi slums
Enduring Discrimination and Segregation
Segregation
Black and Asian families faced de facto segregation - isolated from British society
Not welcomed by population, ‘no blacks’ signs commonplace
Limited integration, St Anne’s Nottingham, Brixton London, white flight
Enduring Discrimination and Segregation
Violence
White ‘Teddy Boys’ and black youths would regularly fight
Enduring Discrimination and Segregation
Gov Support
Local councils lacked funding, manpower, and expertise to integrate immigrants
Government inactive, did little to improve conditions
Not large enough population to form unified civil rights movements, so gov did little as little pressure
Enduring Discrimination and Segregation
Analysis
Government invited workers, but didn’t provide support to facilitate a smooth transition or integration for improvements
Rising tensions suggest continued racial discrimination, exacerbated by minimal gov intervention
