Britain 1948 - 1962

• ·     (INVESTIGATE) 1950’s large number of West Indians/Asians/Pakistan people arrived in Britain
  ·       The 50’s saw young people gaining a significant disposable income
  ·       Youth culture became more distinct – “Teddy boys”, mods/rockers
  ·       Tea still rationed until 1952, Sweets until 1953, meat/cheese until 1954
  
  
  ·       (SOCIAL LANDSCAPE) Commonwealth Act 1948: all citizens of the ex-Empire could come to the UK
  ·       1948 SS Empire Windrush brought over thousands of Jamaican and Caribbean service men and women
  ·       West Indians and Asians filled jobs that the British weren’t
  ·       Pressure on food supplies disappeared (1954)
  ·       British capitalists /sections of British state encouraged emigration to the UK from Caribbean and Jamaica during the 50’s/60’s
  ·       1960’s: government ministers/private employers started to recruit directly from West Indies
  ·       Concern rose as to the number of “coloured” people in the 50’s, but race wasn’t an actual issue until the Watershed year of 1958
  ·       Notting Hill and Nottingham riots put race on a social and political agenda = race was a problem
  ·       Groups of young white men (Teddy boys) often assaulted/harassed black people because of their colour
  
  
  ·       (‘RACIALISATION’) ‘black immigration into Britain is a fundamentally bad thing, and that it should be prevented at all costs, except, of course, where the system would literally cease to function without it’
  ·       Concern for the harmful effects Black immigration had on the ‘racial character of the English people’ was aired as early as 1948 (just after the Empire Windrush arrived) Labour wrote to Conservatives for control over Black immigration
  ·       1962 Act brought about because of the growing difficulties the economy faced which black workers were blamed for
  ·       1962 Act: State regulation of Commonwealth immigration, entry restrictions on British Commonwealth citizens (primary immigration dependent on a work voucher) – intended targets were Black or Asian
  ·       1962 Commonwealth Immigrants Act
  ·       1968 Commonwealth Immigrants Act
  ·       1971 Immigration Act
  ·       1981 Immigration Act
  ·       1981 Nationality Act
  ·       1985 New Visa System
  ·       White people grew concerned that the immigrants, especially from the West Indies, would take their jobs meaning more unemployment for them and they would find it harder to get one
  ·       1960’s: over 12000 Kenyan and Asian refugees came to Britain due to ongoing violence in their country. Politician Jim Callahan passed a Commonwealth Immigration Bill meaning that there would be no free entry for commonwealth immigrants.
  ·       MP Enoch Powell: country ‘mad’ to allow such a high number of immigrants into the country (‘The River’s of Blood’ speech)