Source A does support the evidence from Source C for numerous reasons. Firstly, source A shows Oswald Mosley in the center of the picture leading the march; this implies that he was the single leader of the BUF. Secondly, Source C also shows Oswald Mosley as the single leader of the BUF. Both sources also portray Oswald Mosley as very arrogant and proud. Lastly, Source B says the BUF undertook Rigorous military training; this is supported in Source A because the BUF look like a military organization.
Source B is an extract from a modern history textbook, published in 1980. It is a retrospective written source. The source was written to inform people of the characteristics of the BUF. The source says that the BUF ‘swore loyalty to their leader’. This matches Source C because Oswald Mosley is clearly the leader of the BUF in the Cartoon. Source B also says that the BUF’s meetings were often violent. This corresponds with the caption under the plant in Source C, ‘Violenta Ignorami’. In source B it says the BUF had Anti-Semitic views, Source C also has ‘Anti-Semitism’ on the caption under the plant.
Source C does support Source A, but only on some views, not everything can be covered by in both sources. Source A is very useful for knowing the appearance of the BUF, whereas source C tells you what the BUF are like.
Source C does support source B, but not to the extent that it supports source A.
Q3. Study Sources D and E
How useful are Sources D and E in helping you to understand the problems faced by immigrants to Britain in the 1950’s?
Source D is an interview with an immigrant from the Caribbean, it was recorded in 2001. This makes it useful because it can give us a real impression of what it was like for an immigrant in Britain during the 1950’s. However it was recorded 50 years after so not everything may be remembered.
It is possible to conclude from the Source that immigrants in Britain were not treated well, they didn’t get good jobs and people would often cheat and take advantage of them. The source shows you exactly what British people thought of immigrants at the time; the source says ‘The average person knows you as a colonial and that’s all. You cut cane or carry bananas and that’s it’. This shows the problems the immigrants faced in Britain in the 1950’s, they couldn’t get any decent work and they were always mocked and exploited.
It is also clear from the Source that often potential immigrants had stereotypical views of Britain; the source says ‘They tell you it is the mother country, your all welcome, you all British’, ‘they’ referring to the government of the Caribbean, they would promote Britain and often exaggerate the hospitality that Immigrants would have there. The immigrant in the Interview thought he could get a better job in Britain, but he was told wrong.
Source E is a Newspaper front page article, published in September 1958. It was written to give the British public a view of what was happening in Notting Hill, so it should give a detailed and balanced account of the incident, this makes the source more useful. The source tells us that coloured people were not treated well at all, acts of violence were frequent in Notting Hill and coloured people were chased by mobs of angry whites. This source shows that Black or coloured people were defiantly shown no respect whatsoever and were often physically abused by whites. The source says that the policemen at the scene told coloured people to go back to their homes because it wasn’t safe for them out on the streets. It is clear from Source E that coloured people would have defiantly had a tough time, especially in London.
Both Source D and Source E are useful sources for an historian, but both in different ways. Source D is the bigger picture of what it was like for an Immigrant in Britain during the 1950’s. Source E is more a detailed explanation of one event to do with immigrants in the UK, both are useful in helping you understand the problems faced by immigrants to Britain in the 1950’s.
Q4. Study Sources F and G
Use Sources F and G, and your own knowledge, to explain why racism in Britain increased in the 1960’s and 1970’s
There are many reasons why Racism in Britain increased during the 1960’s and 1970’s. The main reason for this was the continually increasing amount of immigrants entering Britain each year. Source F shows this very well, Enoch Powell says how 50,000 immigrants come into the country each year. This increased racism because there were more people to blame and be racist to. It is much easier for someone to be racist when there are more people to be racist towards. All the immigrants in Britain already meant there was a good base for more immigrants to come to Britain; it was becoming a much more common thing because so many others had already done it. Another reason for the increase in Racism was the economic problems Britain and the world were facing. With more money problems people were always looking for someone to blame and take anger out on. People would immediately look at the immigrants and think how different they were, they were easy to blame on because they were different to most people. In 1967, the National front was set up; this was a cause of the increasing immigrant population in Britain. Many of the British public was not happy about the annual inflow of immigrants into Britain, Enoch Powell and MP at the time lost his job for going to far with the argument, this is in Source F. The National front also increased racism because it brought anti-immigrant believers together, it united them and made them stronger, and in groups people are less scared to do things. The National Front often demonstrated its powers towards the immigrants with marches, like in Source G.
Another important reason is how Racism became focused in areas. This is because the immigrants coming into Britain needed to find cheap houses and often industrial work. They ended up settling in the big cities such as London, Sheffield, Manchester and Birmingham. In these cities the people were more likely to be racist because they were less educated, working class and lived with immigrants all around them. Racism increased because immigrants settled in communities, in some places in the East End of London whole streets would be full of immigrants.
During the 1960’s and 1970’s there was an influx of African Asian and Indian immigrants. This caused greater racial tension and led to worse racism. This was because the African-Asian and Indian immigrants had greater differences than the black immigrants, they were considered even stranger because of their cultural believes and religions. This dramatically increased racism.
Racism in the 1960’s and 1970’s could have decreased, however many factors made it increase. If other countries accepted more immigrants Britain would have had less, also more Common wealth immigration acts could have been introduced to decrease Racism.
Q5. Study all of the Sources.
‘Racism has been a constant feature of life in Britain in the Twentieth Century’
Use the Sources and your own knowledge to explain whether you agree with this view.
I can see how someone could agree with the statement because it seems that Racism has been around for ever in Britain. In the Twentieth Century racism started with the steady arrival of immigrants from mainly Poland and Russia into Britain. And from then on it seems Britain has always had immigrants and racism.
However it is also possible to argue the view because Racism changes with time. Racism has high points and Low points and key points. One key point was the Battle of Cable Street in October 1936; this was where hundreds of Anti-Semitic and Nationalist BUF followers marched down a street and almost clashed with thousands of Anti-BUF citizens looking for a fight. This violence was caused by Racism, so perhaps it can be called racism even though it is only about what people think is racist or not.
Racism accelerated dramatically after the 1st World War. It then had another boost during the 2ND World War when the Nazi’s killed millions of Jews because of their Anti-Semitic views. And it stayed high in the 1960’s and 1970’s, this is clear from source H, it shows there have been 6 different Acts to decrease immigrants coming into Britain, meaning Britain had too many immigrants and too much racism. Racism Fluctuates for numerous reasons.
Firstly, The Economic world disaster which started in 1929 meant Racism increased because there were more problems for people (like unemployment) so more people were needed to place the blame on. The type of Racism that follows Economic disaster is often Visible, Violent action and is usually aimed towards anybody who is different; this was usually the Africans and Indians.
Major conflicts between racially different countries, such as the Second World War in 1939 escalated Racism in Britain. Source A shows the BUF on a march, they modeled them selves on the Anti-Semitic Views of the Nazi party, the BUF were quite popular before the Second World War, however, Oswald Mosley was imprisoned at the started of the 2ND World War. Anti-Semitism faded out during the 1950’s and 1960’s. A new form of racism was becoming more popular, Anti-Blacks. This was because of the increasing amount of Immigrants from Africa and India.
Racism has defiantly been apparent in Britain for a long time, before the start of the Twentieth Century. However, Racism can be split into many different types, and Britain has seen lots of different types of Racism. It has been a feature of Britain to different extents, some types OF Racism like Anti-Semitism is les violent and less visible, the general pubic of Britain are less likely to be bothered by it, however violent Anti-Black racism was much more apparent, there were many riots and people killed.
Perhaps an accurate statement would be;
‘Racism was always there in Britain in the Twentieth Century, but varied immensely due to events in the world’.
