After World War II, British national identity was challenged because the citizens of England went from living in an all-white bubble of white supremacy to seeing the people they colonized in the flat next door, or as a coworker in the factory, and eventually, as the labor needs shifted, as getting the job they applied for. Imperialism and white supremacy ensured that British national identity was sure to be challenged when people British nationals had been taught were inferior came into their world. To understand how this came about, it is important to know the context. The relevant time frame runs from post-World War II to the 1970s, and arguably the present day.
World War II caused an economic downturn in much of Europe, and Britain was no …show more content…
Racial tensions rose as the new immigrants, people of color, moved into the skilled job market and settled more into society, leading to heated confrontations and even race riots in the 1950s. Once the labor shortage was met and this public unrest erupted, the government quickly took steps to squash the immigration of Commonwealth citizens into the UK, passing a series of increasingly stringent requirements that made it very difficult for people of color to migrate to England. The racial tensions affected people of color negatively as well, as British-born children of immigrants sometimes felt nationless as the place they called home had people and members of government who didn’t want them there.
It is hardly surprising that British national identity was challenged in a time where the whole makeup of the country was drastically changing. Commonwealth immigrants brought bits of their culture to Britain and the influx of people of color changed the streets of England forever. Although immigration played a large role in changing national identity, it was also the context of the time that enabled race to play such a huge role, and all of the factors had to be in place for the events to have unfolded as they
World War II caused an economic downturn in much of Europe, and Britain was no …show more content…
Racial tensions rose as the new immigrants, people of color, moved into the skilled job market and settled more into society, leading to heated confrontations and even race riots in the 1950s. Once the labor shortage was met and this public unrest erupted, the government quickly took steps to squash the immigration of Commonwealth citizens into the UK, passing a series of increasingly stringent requirements that made it very difficult for people of color to migrate to England. The racial tensions affected people of color negatively as well, as British-born children of immigrants sometimes felt nationless as the place they called home had people and members of government who didn’t want them there.
It is hardly surprising that British national identity was challenged in a time where the whole makeup of the country was drastically changing. Commonwealth immigrants brought bits of their culture to Britain and the influx of people of color changed the streets of England forever. Although immigration played a large role in changing national identity, it was also the context of the time that enabled race to play such a huge role, and all of the factors had to be in place for the events to have unfolded as they