Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

The 1971 Immigration Act

• Under whose government was the 1971 Immigration Act passed?

• Did the 1971 Immigration Act restrict the rights of people coming from the Old or New Commonwealth?

• What were the restrictions placed on immigrants under the 1971 Immigration Act?

• Who did critics of the 1971 Immigration Act claim the government was appealing to?

The 1971 Immigration Act

• Under Heath’s government

• The Immigration Act aimed to restrict the right of people coming from the New Commonwealth (non-white speaking countries formally part of the British Empire e.g. India and the Asian subcontinent)

• The Immigration Act made it a requirement that any person arriving from the New Commonwealth must have a guaranteed job and at least one grandparent who was born Britain.

• Critics accused the Conservative government of appealing to ‘Powellism’ (Enoch Powell)

Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

The Arrival of Ugandan Asians

• What behaviours of the Ugandan dictator in the early 1970s meant that there was an influx of Ugandan Asian immigrants?

• How were the Ugandan Asians allowed to enter Britain?

• How many Ugandan Asians entered Britain?

In the early 1970s, the dictator of Uganda persecuted and then expelled the Ugandan Asians.

Many of those affected had British passports and were made exceptions from the 1971 Immigration Act.

28,000 Ugandan Asians entered Britain.

Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

New Commonwealth Immigration, Settlement and Electoral Representation

• By 1974, how many New Commonwealth immigrants had come to Britain?

  How many were from the West Indies?

  How many were from India and Pakistan?

  How many were from Africa?

• Was the political representation of New Commonwealth immigrants limited or accurately represented?

• In 1974, how many non-white councillors were elected in the London Borough council elections?

• How had this number changed by 1978?

• What were the drawbacks of political representation of immigrants during the 1970s?

By 1974, over 1 million New Commonwealth immigrants had come to Britain.

325,000 from the West Indies

435,000 from India and Pakistan

150,000 from Africa

The political representation of these immigrants remained limited during the 1970s.

In 1974, in the London borough council elections, only 10 non-white councillors were elected. By 1978, this had gone up to 35 but this did not reflect the size of the London immigrant population.

Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

The Rise of the National Front (Skinheads)

• What was the National Front?

• When was the National Front founded?

• Who founded the National Front?

• Where did the National Front become active?

• How many active members did the National Front have by 1976?

• During the 1974 election, how many candidates did the National Front put up?

• By 1977 what were people referring to the National Front as?

• What was a strategy used by the National Front?

• Between 1976 and 1978, by what fraction did the robberies of Asians and Afro-Caribbeans rise by?

• What was the name of the pressure group set up to oppose the National Front?

• How were Skinheads associated with the National Front during the 1970s?

The National Front was a racist Neo-nazi (new Nazi) political movement.

Founded in 1967 by John Tyndall to oppose non-white immigration.

The National Front became active in parts of London where immigrants had settled such as Brick Lane and Southall.

Popularity grew during the 1970s.

By 1976, the National Front had 20,000 active members.

In 1974, the National Front put up 90 candidates in the general election.

By 1977, the National Front was being described as Britain’s fourth largest political party.

One strategy of the National Front was to hold provocative and violent marches and demonstrations in areas where there were high levels of immigrants living.

Between 1976 and 1978, assaults on and robberies of Asians and Afro-Caribbeans rose by a third.

The Anti-Nazi League, set up in 1977, was a pressure group to the National Front.

Skinheads were attracted to some of the National Front’s ideas. Even though many skinheads were apolitical, they were becoming increasingly linked to football hooliganism and were often behind violent attacks on people from other ethnic minority backgrounds.

Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

The Police and 1970s Race Relation

• How many police officers were there within the 1976 London Metropolitan Police Force that were of a black or ethnic minority?

• How did young men of black or ethnic minorities feel the police were treating them?

In 1976, there were only 70 police officers with black or ethnic minority backgrounds out of the London Metropolitan Police force of 22,000.

Young black men often felt that the police were harassing them unnecessarily.

Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

1976 Notting Hill Carnival Riot

• How many people were injured during this event?

• Which two groups did tensions begin to rise between?

• What happened to the Notting Hill Carnival after 1976?

Tensions between people with black or an ethnic minority background and the Metropolitan Police came to a climax in the 1976 Notting Hill Carnival.

A riot broke out and 300 people were injured.

Following the event, there were calls to ban the event.

Notting Hill Carnival is an annual event still celebrated today.

Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

Blair Peach’s Murder

• When was Blair Peach murdered?

• Who was Blair Peach?

• How is Blair Peach believed to have been killed?

• When did the Metropolitan Police admit responsibility for the death of Blair Peach?

Blair Peach was a teacher and an Anti-Nazi League supporter who was killed at an anti-racism demonstration which was blocked by police.

Their were allegations that Peach was killed by police after they struck him on the head with a truncheon.

The Metropolitan Police finally admitted responsibility for his death in 2010.

Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

1970s Race in Popular Culture

• Give an example of a football player who became increasingly involved on the pitch during the 1970s.

• Who was the first black player to be picked for the England team?

• When was he picked for the England team?

• Which styles of music became increasingly popular during the 1970s?

• How can football matches be seen to not be progressive in terms of race relations during the 1970s?

• How was racism being spread through television shows such as The Black and White Minstrel Show?

Football

• Black footballers such as Justin Fashanu and John Barnes became increasingly common on the pitch

• In 1978 Viv Anderson became the first black player to be picked for the England team.

• Football terraces were the scenes of racism with fans making monkey noises and throwing banana skins at black football players

Television

• Comedians felt able to make openly racist jokes

• In The Black and White Minstrel Show white actors would wear ‘black-face’

  This show continued to be made until 1978

Music

• Caribbean Reggae and Ska music became increasingly popular

Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

1970s Race Relations Positive Changes

• List all of the positive changes made during the 1970s in relation to race relations

• Immigration Act made an exception for the Ugandan Asians entering Britain after being persecuted

• Race Relations Act passed by Labour government in 1976 to try and tackle discrimination based on race

• Commission for Racial Equality had the power to initiate investigations and to compel witnesses to appear in front of it

• Number of non-white councillors elected in London council elections rose from 10 in 1974 to 35 in 1978

• Rock Against Racism

  Started in 1976 as a reaction to comments made by rock guitarist Eric Clapton in support of Enoch Powell

  A huge demonstration held in Trafalgar Square in April 1978 attracted 100,000 people

• Reggae and Ska music became more popular

Topic 3, Lesson 11: How inclusive a country was 1970s Britain?

1970s Race Relations Negative Continuities

• List all of the negative continuations made during the 1970s in relation to race relations

• Immigration Act limited people arriving in Britain from the New Commonwealth

• Rise of the National Front

• Underrepresentation in politics

• ‘Paki-Bashing’

• Heath’s Conservative Government passed appealed to ‘Powellism’

• Skinheads and Hooliganism