Race and immigration
World War One
1/3 of british manpower black and Asian troops
1million Indians
Half a million Africans
Attitudes after: white anger at employment with the 1919 demobilisation of the army
White violent racist rioting in: London, Limehouse, Hull, Newport, Salford, Glasgow,
South Shields
Cardiff riots of white violence- 3 deaths and £3,000 worth of property damage
Limehouse 4 days of violent rioting against black people
Socially, used to exclude ‘coloured’
immigrants from jobs and services;
The Colour bar
widespread prejudice and union business
power
The National Union of Seamen
Protested working alongside black workers and minorities taking white jobs
This led to mass sacking of innocent minorities, leaving people without work
In liverpool 120 were sacked
The Alien Orders Act 1920 - required migrant workers to register with police before
seeking work, placed under extreme threats of deportation and suspicion; unfairly
implemented; carried out with prejudice.
The Special Restrictions Act 1925- Forced coloured seamen to prove their citizenship
to immigration authorities or face deportation; specifically targeted black and Asians,
Race and immigration 1
, aliens considered non british; language derogative
Discrimination in 20s/30s
Wages: House of Commons report 1919- MP Neil Maclean: Asian chefs paid £5 vs
White chefs £20
Unemployment: League of Coloured People, 1934, Black men 80% unemployed vs
White men only 30%.
Race riots- Cardiff 1935, police collaboration with white workers to prevent white and
black sailors mixing and enforcing the aliens order act .
Anti-racist groups 20s/30s
CPGB 1921- representative majority of immigrants with high number of ethnic
membership: Asia, Africa, Ireland, Jews; They defended their rights and represented
them
National union of Seamen and CPGB- South Shields 1930- Wanted to remove them
from jobs, CPGB organised regional protests against the racist campaign. They were met
with retaliation from South Shields, liverpool and Stepney. Unsuccessful- but shows
white willing to help.
BUF and the CPGB- Mid 30s- BUF tried to incite an anti-Semitic march in east end,
led to fire bombings and Jew bashing. The local Jewish peoples council and GPGB
attempted to stop the march with 10,000 protestors, led to battle of cable street where the
BUF retreated. Success.
Early: University and immigration
50 west Africans and 150 Caribbean’s in university
AIM from empirical perspective:educate well, return to empire as senior admin, improve
the colonies and continue the divine image of the motherland.
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