Race relations in Britain definitely improved in the years 1948 to 1997, due to many reasons, such as legislation and improved understanding of other races over time. However, there were still racial tensions and issues in Britain by 1997, such as discrimination in employment. There were also events that showed that relations were not as positive as people may have thought, such as the Brixton Riots and the murder of Stephen Lawrence.
In 1948 there was mass immigration from the Caribbean due to high rates of inflation and unemployment there whilst in Britain there was a need for rebuilding after the war and a shortage of labour. The Empire Windrush was the first ship to arrive and it carried 492 people, most of whom were young men. Most immigrants …show more content…
In this speech he described the biblical consequences he predicted if people continued to immigrate from the Commonwealth. Powell was fired shortly after, but he had vast support from the public, with London dock workers marching to show their support and one hundred thousand letters were sent in support of Powell. This event shows that in the late 1960s, despite the Race Relations Act 1965 and the presence of non-white immigrants in Britain for nearly twenty years, there was still significant racism and …show more content…
It is important to note that whilst legislation does little to sway public opinion, it is, like the previously discussed events, a useful tool for determining where it lay in a general sense. Legislation does also reduce the behaviour it outlaws, generally speaking, because many people may hold an opinion but they are not so passionate that they wish to risk criminal charges. Furthermore, the Race Relations Act has been unsuccessful in preventing racial discrimination in employment because it is very difficult to determine when one person being hired over another is an act of discrimination, and when it is simply a case of one person being more suited for the job. This is extenuated by the fact that most racial discrimination in employment is the result of biases that research has shown people do not think they have; there are many studies that have shown that if the exact same CV is sent out to employers but sometimes with a typically white name and sometimes with a typically black name, the one with the white name will receive many more job offers .It is also fairly common for employers to discriminate based on race because they fear that their customers may have racial biases themselves and be deterred from the
In 1948 there was mass immigration from the Caribbean due to high rates of inflation and unemployment there whilst in Britain there was a need for rebuilding after the war and a shortage of labour. The Empire Windrush was the first ship to arrive and it carried 492 people, most of whom were young men. Most immigrants …show more content…
In this speech he described the biblical consequences he predicted if people continued to immigrate from the Commonwealth. Powell was fired shortly after, but he had vast support from the public, with London dock workers marching to show their support and one hundred thousand letters were sent in support of Powell. This event shows that in the late 1960s, despite the Race Relations Act 1965 and the presence of non-white immigrants in Britain for nearly twenty years, there was still significant racism and …show more content…
It is important to note that whilst legislation does little to sway public opinion, it is, like the previously discussed events, a useful tool for determining where it lay in a general sense. Legislation does also reduce the behaviour it outlaws, generally speaking, because many people may hold an opinion but they are not so passionate that they wish to risk criminal charges. Furthermore, the Race Relations Act has been unsuccessful in preventing racial discrimination in employment because it is very difficult to determine when one person being hired over another is an act of discrimination, and when it is simply a case of one person being more suited for the job. This is extenuated by the fact that most racial discrimination in employment is the result of biases that research has shown people do not think they have; there are many studies that have shown that if the exact same CV is sent out to employers but sometimes with a typically white name and sometimes with a typically black name, the one with the white name will receive many more job offers .It is also fairly common for employers to discriminate based on race because they fear that their customers may have racial biases themselves and be deterred from the