The Impact Of The Race Riots In 1958 History Essay

The concept of assimilation is based on whether groups of people from different ethnic minorities will begin to socially integrate. Britain since 1948 was a white society; this means there was only white people until 1948 when the Jamaican wave started. This caused whole lot of Jamaican people to come to Britain and help to build Britain after the World War II. This caused the menace to the politicians who ensured that Britain remained white and stick to their syllabus. Britain stands today as a great example of assimilation and it is a mixed society.

Assimilation was flawed was because of ‘coloured people and white British people couldn’t consist peacefully. This also caused the people to have the two riots in 1958. ‘Notting hill and Nottingham riots’ Also white people were using cruelty to immigrants using bad excuses as saying ‘they stink’ The coloured people were new the English syllabus and didn’t know how to maintain the English culture. The white British people couldn’t get along together because they were new to them and didn’t know what to expect and feel threaten by the coloured in the term of competition for housing and jobs.

Political party’s used immigration for their own personal gain, you could say labour tried to ‘help’ them but trying to use immigration to solve Britain’s solving existing for example the recession occurred in 1945 after the war, slowing down the business cycle and unemployment grew. This obviously mean someone was trying to get the ‘immigrants back to Motherland’ using them as baits for the NHS. This example falls on Enoch Powell. Now Enoch Powell in 1950s went to Jamaica and employed black nurses and black doctors to go to Britain and work for the NHS. This shows that he wasn’t entirely sure of his actions before 1968. Enoch Powell wrote his speech ‘rivers of blood’ in which he highlighted the future effects of immigration. Powell was targeting the immigrants and saying that’ll affect the future of the country and based from the two riots from 1958, will cause more problems. The future lays in the hands of the Government and what they want from the people who is coloured. It will boost the economy by employing many people for work and it doesn’t matter who’s working as long as they’re doing the work well. Smethwick elections in 1964 which the conservation won by the slogan ‘if you want a nigger for neighbour, vote labour’ created by conservative party whom won the elections. Peter Griffins is the head of conservation in 1964, was prime minster at the time of election. This effected many immigrants and made the British people tagged along with the conservative. This was meant that Ordinary people were brainwashed by the conservative believing the ‘main culprit behind the scenes’ were the ‘immigrants’

When assimilation was introduced, immigrants didn’t know what was expected by them. It created a lot of coloured people to try and ignore the English Culture and live in England as whatever they’re coming from, IE African. The white British were isolated and used to seeing their own people doing their own kind of culture. Therefore this act was soon refused by the British and tried to integrate people whom are different than them. The problem with immigration, Britain was people weren’t coming from either country or origins. This made the white British kind of curious and just didn’t accept it. This is going back to Enoch Powell’s Speech, The future will make the people of Britain more coloured and soon to be British which you cannot kick out and therefore the coloured will soon takeover. Some Immigrants were happy to accept the English traditions but different people coming from different colonies differed language and traditions sticking to their new English syllabus i.e. Schools, English Teachings. This made the immigrants very angry and this was the act of wanting the opposite of assimilation.

By 1935 Irish and Jewish Immigrants and their children were integrated into British society after 1945. The Jamaican weren’t sure why they let the Jews and the Irish in and didn’t let the coloured in. This fact goes to a book I’ve read about immigrant. The author is SriLaken and had experienced the 1950 and 1960s. His name is Sivanadan and he said ‘we have the rights to go to Britain because you came here and we go there’ he explained that there should be a give and return method in the immigration act.

Governments’ policy also encouraged new commonwealth immigration in 1948. The 1948 nationality act gave commonwealth citizen British status and therefore they’re allowed to come to Britain freely. They actually were invited by the government because of labour shortage and this is why Powell went to Jamaica and held people to come to Britain and work. The government welcomed the new immigrants because of labour shortage after the war. After a couple of years, British government laws slowed down and the rates of immigration went slow because of restriction of immigration. This was hard for many coloured people trying to get into Britain. Also the law discriminated on the grounds of colours of skin.

The labour party said the act was racist but labour governments was elected in 1958 and they had fears among themselves and the white British because of 1950s law act had to pass and laws were growing and the fear of common British people, and this caused the 1958 riots.

In 1965 the conservation party won the Smethwick by electron with the slogan `if you want a nigger for neighbour vote labour` Peter griffins lodged this attack on immigrants and the coloured were fearful of the country and some of them fled. In 1968 Enoch Powell became very popular for his attack on immigrants and he was minister of health. He invited many immigrants from Jamaica to work for the NHS and the London transport. In 1965 The British government did very little to deal with the problems and tried to help the immigrants but this was ended by the Slogan created by Peter Griffins.

I’ve read a book called ‘never had it so good’ this was a slogan used commonly in the 1960s to describe humorous decisions. Jonathon miller was a satirist he played in the ‘beyond of fringe’ a revue in the west end and also on TV. People like Jonathon miller in the beyond of fringe poked fun at racists in the British society. For example in one sketch he had a student from London school of economics.

“Excuse me, I am from the LSE and I am looking for lodging for students’ says Jonathan miller. But don’t think of what the neighbours’ say it’s me I am prejudiced”

A leading conservative, Enoch Powell gave a speech in Birmingham where most of immigrants settle and this created chaos. Enoch Powell finally got kicked out by the conservative party leader Edward heath.

The foundation and the equals were people from all over the globe and they are all bands. They formed and made a lot of hits during their years in the music industry. They were white British people cheering at the band and they were multicultural judging from the band’s names. They have tolerant attitudes to racial minorities and accepting racial diversity. It is assimilation and they have the judges from the crowd that they’re fond of coloured people.

The celebration of Notting hill carnival shows the assimilation and it is celebrated by Trinidad and Tobago Caribbean population.

Assimilation can mean by taking an idea or thought even carnivals and moving to another place. Politics used the immigration and public thoughts and their attitude towards the ethnic minorities caused Britain to become very much today. Legislation of immigrants caused the people of Britain to socially integrate. If you pop in the Notting carnival, you may see a lot of black people and whites socially integrating.

by Saleem Adat