After the Second

GCSE Religious Studies (Philosophy & Ethics)

After the Second World War, a great number of people faced massive destruction of their homes in major towns and cities all over Europe. After 1945, the cold war began between communist Eastern Europe, and capitalist countries of Western Europe and USA. Many people did not want to live under harsh regimes; therefore, they became refugees and fled to the west. The largest numbers of refugees to settle in England were Polish.

After the War came to halt, Britain needed help to rebuild and the only way they could do this by gathering people to come and help them. This was a major economic problem, which needed to be sorted. A loss of men made the country short of labourers; posters were put up all over the common wealth including countries like India and the Caribbean. Such slogans as 'Come to your mother country' was used; over a quarter of the worlds population at that time had a free right to be in this small island known as Britain. At this time, the Caribbean had a high unemployment rate, they were offered transport and accommodation paid for (if they came to their 'Mother Country'), so many came.

Most of the passengers who arrived in Britain in the post war period knew very little about the country. Many had never seen images of Britain and were surprised by the cold, dirt, the smoke and the large numbers of chimneys that they associated, not with houses, but with factories. Most people in many ways felt bizarre and frightened of the country, as it was very different to the countries they left behind. Typhena Anderson, who came to Britain in 1952 to work as a nurse, quoted that Britain was a very depressing place. Where he came from there was plenty of sunshine and colour. People kept on asking were you were from and when you told them, they had not a clue. He says he realy wanted to go back because he missed the sort of freedom and companionship that he had with his kind.

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Many of the people who lived in Britain between 1948 to 1960had high expectations, which was soon disillusioned by the racial discrimination they had faced. It affected them in every aspect in life, from finding a job, to finding a home to live. After 1945, there was a shortage of houses as well as labours, due to the war. It was at that specific point when immigrants first experienced the colour bar. M. Phillips and T.Phillips quoted that wherever you went there were signs of no blacks, niggers, Irish and Dogs. It was very difficult to get a room. Most black people had to settle in the slums of London, Liverpool, Nottingham and other cities. These areas also had very poor housing. Peter Rachman only offered crumbling houses infested by rats and surrounded by rubbish. The black people also experienced the same discriminations at work. People who had qualifications in medicine and law ended up working low status jobs because of discrimination.

During 1960s and 1970s there was in increase in racial discrimination, and organisations. The Conservative was one of which. However there were other parties that disagreed with racial hatred, the labour party was one. Enoch Powell had been a conservative minister of health from 1960 to 1963. He encouraged black nurses to come to Britain to solve the labour shortage in the national health. However, from the mid sixties Powell began to make speeches to stop immigration. Powell began to shed his skin and show his true colours. He used exaggerated, dramatic language to conjure up disturbing images of the possible consequences of immigration. One of Powell’s most powerful and influential speeches was the River Tiber speech. He comments on how immigration keeps on causing problems, and says if it carries on he will see the River Tibre, in other words there will be more disturbances and trouble brewing ahead. Powell was sacked from the shadow Cabinet for making his inflammatory racist speech. Nevertheless, that was not the end of him; Powell still had many people believing his point. In Slough they marched under the banner 80% of Slough people support Powell. As time passed, Powell’s views became extreme and powerful. The racism prevalent in the late 1960s and 1970s became known as Powellism. After Powell’s speech there was significant increase in racism and racist attacks on black, African, Caribbean and black Asian people.

On April 1981, a major riot had broken out in Brixton between white and black people, within a space of a few days. An approximate of 7000 and about 5000 young black and white people conflicted in the streets. Houses, Pubs, cars and buildings were damaged due to the riots. Millions pound of damaged was caused, and many people were injured. Riots spread to other places especially were black ethnic minorities were. Riots in Brixton and places like Toxteth showed the government that it had to act quickly to stop more riots occurring. The government appointed Lord Scarman who made the following recommendations: Positive action was needed to stop racism. The police needed to be more community based.

As years have passed racism has gradually faded thats not to say it still does not exist in Britain. Stephen Lawrence was an ordinary 18year old studying for his A levels and hopping to train as an architect in the future. On 22nd of April Stephen was returning home with his friend Duwayne Brooks, when he was brutally murdered. The witnesses did not speak up because they were not sure who the murderers were, and they were probably scared that if they told of them they would be killed. The police withdrew the investigation because they believed they did not have any real evidence, even thou they withdrew Brooks statement. The police did not investigate the case clearly at all. Tactlessly

Dwayne Brooks was treated bad and with no respect.
The parents of Stephen were treated thoughtlessly and tactlessly. They were patronised, insulted and not kept informed about what was going on.
Police failed to give Stephen first aid at the time.
Arrests of suspects and house searches were delayed until 7 may for no good reason at all.

So many errors the report concluded which could not be explained by incompetence alone but by racism as well. In other words if the victim had been white, and the suspect’s black, the police would have behaved in a very different manner.

Conclusion

In conclusion Immigrants mostly flied there country of origin in search of a better life. The Jews migrated to escape persecution in Eastern Europe, thinking they will have a safe good life.