Reaction to Immigration

Causes

Britain has had a long history of immigration and had welcomed people from many different places. After World War 2, this increased a lot due to a shortage of workers in Britain. There was a mass building programme, the NHS was soon to be set up and Transport for London was desperate for workers. In 1948 the British Nationality Act was brought in which gave a British passport to people who were or had previously been involved a member of the British Empire.

The Empire was starting to fall apart but many countries kept connections to Britain through the Commonwealth. The Empire made a valuable contribution to the war effort and there was a lot of good will towards them.

Development

Britain had a shortage of low skilled workers and the Government was trying to rebuild the country after the war. London Transport ran a recruitment campaign in Barbados and Jamaica. They held recruitment fares in the Caribbean and so many people were coming with jobs already in place. There had been a very bad hurricane in the Caribbean which had seriously damaged the farming stock and limited the number of jobs available. Early immigrants from the Caribbean were mostly young men who planned to return after working and making some money. Workers were sent to areas in which they were needed which was mostly in the inner cities.

Many white inhabitants were unhappy at the movement of Caribbean immigrants into their areas and decided to move out, this became known as ‘white flight’. In 1958 there was trouble between ‘Teddy Boys’ (a teenage group) who felt that black teenagers were attracting the attentions of local women. In 1958 there were riots in both Nottingham and Notting Hill when the black community was attacked. Over the late 1960s into the 1970s many people began moving to Britain from India due to difficulties caused from the partition of India in 1947. Many of them were forced to take jobs lower than their qualification as Britain did not recognised their qualifications.

However, Indian doctors were often employed in the NHS as doctors. Asian immigrants tended to have a very different experience to Caribbean immigrants. Caribbean immigrants tended to speak English, were Christian and came as young men who wanted to integrate. Asian immigrants tended to move as families, have English as an Additional Language and wanted to remain within their own communities.

To rent a council house a person had to have been resident in Britain for 5 years, this meant immigrants had to face the private rental market. Many landlords refused to rent to immigrant communities, often signs were put up saying ‘no coloured’ people to apply. Immigrants were often forced to pay higher rents to live in poor conditions. Some landlords even moved white tenants out and partitioned properties to make them smaller to make more money from immigrants. Some local authorities tried to stop immigrants from renting houses in areas and protestors in Smethwick, Birmingham were supported by Malcolm X. Immigrants were less likely to be promoted, employed and some workers even refused to work with immigrants.

Tensions were heightened in 1968 when Conservative MP Enoch Powell made his infamous ‘Rivers of Blood Speech’. Powell was sacked from the shadow cabinet and was ostracised in parliament but many working people supported him with London Dockers stopping work to march in support of Powell. Others, particularly students, protested against Powell’s polarising views.

The Government brought in a series of acts to both limit immigration and prevent discrimination towards immigrants. The Race Relations Acts of 1965, 1968 and 1976 made it illegal to discriminate against people because of their race and set up the Race Relations Board. The Commonwealth Immigration Acts of 1962 and 1968 limited the number of people who were able to move to Britain, first to a voucher system and then to a family connection. These acts disproportionately affected non-white immigrants, particularly Asian-Africans fleeing Kenya. In 1971 the Government passed the Immigration Act in 1971, this brought in work permits and voluntary repatriation, this was to assist people in moving back to their country of origin.

Consequences

By the 1970s immigration had become a big and divisive issue. The National Front had been established as a political party with the purpose of ending immigration to Britain, its leader once said after the murder of an immigrant ‘one down a million to go’. The skin head teenage movement evolved and began attacking immigrants.

Immigration Acts had limited the numbers of immigrants moving to Britain. The Race Relations helped limit racism but it remained. British culture was transformed through immigration with new music, art, food and prominent people, the effects of this are seen in the multi-cultural Britain we have today.

Significance

Short – Many immigrants faced discrimination in housing, work and social life. Immigrants were more likely to live in a run-down area and less likely to be offered work and promotions. Violence between the white population and immigrants erupted in 1958 and tensions were heightened further by Enoch Powell’s ‘Rivers of Blood Speech’.

Long – Second generation immigrants grew frustrated at their treatment leading to the Brixton and Toxteth. The immigrant population and their decedents continued to live in poorer housing and statistically at the end of the 20th century Caribbean pupils did worst at school. Britain was transformed by the movement of immigrants with new music, art, celebrities and food adding to British culture and transforming the British High Street. 24-hour shopping has its basis in the corner shops run by Asian families which opened late into the night. The northern textile industry would have collapsed without Asian workers.