Adrian Lee: The transformation of Britain’s population – and the British Nationality Act, 1948
Who's accountable for the results?
When one thinks of Clement Attlee’s post-war Labour government from 1945 to 1951, certain images come to mind. Some of these images, such as Aneurin Bevan launching the National Health Service, are perceived as positive, others, like members of the British Housewives League burning their ration books following Labour dragging their feet on trade liberalisation, are seen as negative. Even then, the public were highly divided over Labour’s flagship policy of industrial nationalisation, but they largely supported the fullest possible implementation of the Beveridge Report. Above all, this era has gone down in popular imagination as one of austerity.
During the freezing Winter of 1947, bomb sites littered Britain’s cities and people counted themselves fortunate to be assigned one of their local council’s new Prefab houses. Despite the victory, few could afford holidays within the British Isles. The great revolution in the acquisition of consumer durables for the home, which was to reach its peak in the era of Macmillan, was still many years away. Strangely, many of the current generation forget that this was also the moment when the foundations were laid for the complete transformation of the demographic composition of the British population. Mass immigration from the British Empire was created by the passage of the British Nationality Act of 1948.
In 1945, the population of the United Kingdom was significantly over 99 per cent white British. It was estimated that only 8,000-10,000 people of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity lived permanently in this country. Likewise, the number of residents from the Indian sub-continent was approximately 2,000, with 1,000 living in Birmingham. When War was declared in 1939, it is believed that Birmingham’s Indian population was just a little above 100. In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the Polish population, which comprised 250,000 former soldiers and their families, vastly dwarfed those coming from the Asia and the Caribbean.
The Poles were largely welcomed by British residents for many reasons. Firstly, they had fought valiantly throughout the War in landmark theatres such as the Battle of Britain, the North African desert war, the siege of Monte Cassino and, after D-Day, during the liberation of the Continent. They had proved themselves to be brave comrades in arms. Secondly, there was widespread revulsion at the oppressive post-war Soviet occupation of Poland. Communism was imposed on Poland and those returning home from their forces based in Britain faced incarceration in Soviet labour camps.
These people were deemed by the Communists to be “cursed soldiers”, who had “fought for capitalism”. Britons felt that we had gone to war in 1939 to save the Poles from the Nazis, but allowed them to later …
Who's accountable for the results?
When one thinks of Clement Attlee’s post-war Labour government from 1945 to 1951, certain images come to mind. Some of these images, such as Aneurin Bevan launching the National Health Service, are perceived as positive, others, like members of the British Housewives League burning their ration books following Labour dragging their feet on trade liberalisation, are seen as negative. Even then, the public were highly divided over Labour’s flagship policy of industrial nationalisation, but they largely supported the fullest possible implementation of the Beveridge Report. Above all, this era has gone down in popular imagination as one of austerity.
During the freezing Winter of 1947, bomb sites littered Britain’s cities and people counted themselves fortunate to be assigned one of their local council’s new Prefab houses. Despite the victory, few could afford holidays within the British Isles. The great revolution in the acquisition of consumer durables for the home, which was to reach its peak in the era of Macmillan, was still many years away. Strangely, many of the current generation forget that this was also the moment when the foundations were laid for the complete transformation of the demographic composition of the British population. Mass immigration from the British Empire was created by the passage of the British Nationality Act of 1948.
In 1945, the population of the United Kingdom was significantly over 99 per cent white British. It was estimated that only 8,000-10,000 people of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity lived permanently in this country. Likewise, the number of residents from the Indian sub-continent was approximately 2,000, with 1,000 living in Birmingham. When War was declared in 1939, it is believed that Birmingham’s Indian population was just a little above 100. In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the Polish population, which comprised 250,000 former soldiers and their families, vastly dwarfed those coming from the Asia and the Caribbean.
The Poles were largely welcomed by British residents for many reasons. Firstly, they had fought valiantly throughout the War in landmark theatres such as the Battle of Britain, the North African desert war, the siege of Monte Cassino and, after D-Day, during the liberation of the Continent. They had proved themselves to be brave comrades in arms. Secondly, there was widespread revulsion at the oppressive post-war Soviet occupation of Poland. Communism was imposed on Poland and those returning home from their forces based in Britain faced incarceration in Soviet labour camps.
These people were deemed by the Communists to be “cursed soldiers”, who had “fought for capitalism”. Britons felt that we had gone to war in 1939 to save the Poles from the Nazis, but allowed them to later …
Adrian Lee: The transformation of Britain’s population – and the British Nationality Act, 1948
Who's accountable for the results?
When one thinks of Clement Attlee’s post-war Labour government from 1945 to 1951, certain images come to mind. Some of these images, such as Aneurin Bevan launching the National Health Service, are perceived as positive, others, like members of the British Housewives League burning their ration books following Labour dragging their feet on trade liberalisation, are seen as negative. Even then, the public were highly divided over Labour’s flagship policy of industrial nationalisation, but they largely supported the fullest possible implementation of the Beveridge Report. Above all, this era has gone down in popular imagination as one of austerity.
During the freezing Winter of 1947, bomb sites littered Britain’s cities and people counted themselves fortunate to be assigned one of their local council’s new Prefab houses. Despite the victory, few could afford holidays within the British Isles. The great revolution in the acquisition of consumer durables for the home, which was to reach its peak in the era of Macmillan, was still many years away. Strangely, many of the current generation forget that this was also the moment when the foundations were laid for the complete transformation of the demographic composition of the British population. Mass immigration from the British Empire was created by the passage of the British Nationality Act of 1948.
In 1945, the population of the United Kingdom was significantly over 99 per cent white British. It was estimated that only 8,000-10,000 people of Afro-Caribbean ethnicity lived permanently in this country. Likewise, the number of residents from the Indian sub-continent was approximately 2,000, with 1,000 living in Birmingham. When War was declared in 1939, it is believed that Birmingham’s Indian population was just a little above 100. In the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the Polish population, which comprised 250,000 former soldiers and their families, vastly dwarfed those coming from the Asia and the Caribbean.
The Poles were largely welcomed by British residents for many reasons. Firstly, they had fought valiantly throughout the War in landmark theatres such as the Battle of Britain, the North African desert war, the siege of Monte Cassino and, after D-Day, during the liberation of the Continent. They had proved themselves to be brave comrades in arms. Secondly, there was widespread revulsion at the oppressive post-war Soviet occupation of Poland. Communism was imposed on Poland and those returning home from their forces based in Britain faced incarceration in Soviet labour camps.
These people were deemed by the Communists to be “cursed soldiers”, who had “fought for capitalism”. Britons felt that we had gone to war in 1939 to save the Poles from the Nazis, but allowed them to later …
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