UK History: EU, Commonwealth, and Immigration

Posted on Mar 10, 2025 in Geography

From EEC to EU

  • 1957: Treaty of Rome (6 countries)
  • 1961: Application for membership (De Gaulle / Pompidou)
  • 1/01/1973: Official entry (with Ireland and Denmark)
  • 1975: Referendum on continued membership: YES.
  • 1992: Maastricht Treaty: new forms of co-operation; Changed name to European Union

Monetary union.

  • British supports Treaty but not Euro

The Enlarged EU

Since 2007: 27 EU Members

From Empire to Commonwealth

  • 17th century: Imperial expansion
  • Economic, Political, Social, and Ideological reasons
  • 19th Century: Movement towards decolonization.
  • 1931: Creation of the Commonwealth of Nations (Statute of Westminster):
    • Britain and the former colonies are “autonomous communities within the British Empire, equal in status, in no way subordinate one to another in any respect of their external domestic affairs, [though united by a common allegiance to the Crown]* and freely associated as members of the British Commonwealth of Nations”.

* abolished in 1949

  • Decolonization in Africa and West Indies: 1950s and 1960s

The Commonwealth

  • The Commonwealth is an association of 53 sovereign independent states which has evolved from the former British Empire. [Fiji was suspended from membership on 1 September 2009]
  • It comprises nearly 1/3 of the world’s countries and 30% of the world’s population.
  • The head of the Commonwealth is the British monarch.
  • The Queen is also Head of State in 16 of the 53 member countries

Immigration

Imperialism has always meant immigration. There was an African community in London in the 18th century.

  • After WWII
  • 1950s -60s: From former colonies.
  • Concentration areas: Greater London, Greater Manchester, Liverpool, etc…
  • 2001 census: 4.6 million (7.9 % of U.K. population)
  • Origin of Immigrants
    • European countries
    • Commonwealth countries
  • 1948: British Nationality Act effectively encouraged immigration
  • Time of residence
    • Settlers
    • Sojourners


Causes for Migration

Push Forces: Slavery (formerly), economic (self vs. community or family betterment), political, religious reasons (refugees).

Pull Forces: Economic prospects

  • “Replacement Population” during the 1950s economic boom; globalized finance in London after the 1986 Big Bang.

Conditions Upon Arrival

  • Language (also a class factor)
  • Isolation (cf. new rates of intermarriage)
    • Men’s versus women’s experience of the public sphere
  • Cultural and religious clashes; overt racism (Enoch Powell’s “Rivers of Blood speech, 1968)
  • Multiculturalism as a policy (a failure according to PM David Cameron, 5.2.2011).

Assimilationism:

  • The melting pot in the U.S. — the ideal of bringing immigrants into a common civic and political culture, common spaces (e.g. the public school) and identity; old identities are vestigial, tolerated but not encouraged

Multiculturalism:

  • Canada and Australia — explicit pluralism; hyphenated identity, newcomers encouraged to preserve their language and culture; participation in political and civic life, shared laws, but national identity left to osmosis;

Control of Immigrant Numbers

  • 1962: 1st Commonwealth Immigrants Act (8,500 /year) + further restrictions

Protection of Immigrants’ Rights

  • 1965: Race Relations Act
  • 1976: Commission for Racial Equality (CRE)

Largest Groups of Immigrants

South Asians (Indians and Pakistanis)

Largest non-white group

1947 Indian Independence

  • Creation of the State of Pakistan (Muslim) and India (Hindu).
  • 1971: Creation of Bangladesh (Muslim)
  • Push forces: religious and economic reasons.

Other Groups

  • West Indians
  • From Jamaica and Trinidad (Barbados, Guyana and Tobago).
  • Push forces: economic.

1951 hurricane in Jamaica.

1952: McCarran Walter Act.

  • Pull forces:

Economic boom 1950s: London Transport Company.

English.

  • Officially, 10 percent of the people resident in the Republic of Ireland were born outside the State.