Enoch Powell's 'Rivers of Blood' Speech

Question 1

When did Enoch Powell make his famous speech and what was it about?

Answer 1

Saturday 20 April 1968. It was about immigration.

Question 2

What did Enoch Powell say in his speech?

Answer 2

He said that white people were becoming ‘strangers in their own country’ and could soon expect ‘the black man to have the whip hand over the white man’. He predicted that Britain’s rivers would be ‘foaming with much blood’ if so many immigrants kept coming into Britain and were given equal rights with whites.

Question 3

How well was the speech recieved?

Answer 3

Powell was sacked for making the speech, but surveys showed that sround three-quarters of British people agreed with him.

Question 4

Where did he make the speech?

Answer 4

Birmingham

Question 5

When did immigration to Britain increase?

Answer 5

1950s and 1960s

Question 6

Who were the immigrants?

Answer 6

West Indians were the biggest group of immigrants, but thousands of Indians and Pakistanis also arrived. Many Chinese immigrants came too, as well as Sikhs from the Punjab.

Question 7

What did the immigrants do?

Answer 7

The vast majority of them worked incredibly hard and for long hours, Pakistani shop owners worked unsocial hours to supply local people at any time of day. By 1970 there were about 1,000 Indian restaurants and nearly 4,000 Chinese takeaways in Britain.

Question 8

What soon became common when immigration increased?

Answer 8

Complaints about ‘foreigners’ taking jobs from white British people and riots began to scare the government into action.

Question 9

What act did the government pass and when and what did it do?

Answer 9

In 1962 the government passed the Commonwealth Immigrants Act. This said that people could only eneter Britain from Commonwealth countries if they were skilled professionals who had been given permission to work here.

Question 10

What did some people think of this act of 1962?

Answer 10

It was not enough

Question 11

What happened with the conservative candidate?

Answer 11

In 1964, a Conservative candidate stood for election to Parliament in Smethwick, West Midlands and won. They were very racist.

Question 12

Who were the National Front?

Answer 12

In 1967 a new group formed with the slogan ‘Britain for the British’. They were called the National Front and by 1970 they had over 10,000 members.

Question 13

What did the government do about racial discrimination in Britain?

Answer 13

In 1965 the Race of Relations Act became the very first law to directly address racism. They also set up the Race Relations Board.

Question 14

What was the Race of Relations Act?

Answer 14

It made discrimination illegal on the grounds of ‘colour, race or ethnic or national origins’.

Question 15

What was the Race Relations Board?

Answer 15

It promoted good racial relations. However, the act only applied in ‘public places’ like hotels and restaurants and didn’t cover housing employment or financial things, such as mortgages and car insurance.

Question 16

What did the government do later with immigration?

Answer 16

In 1968, they further tightened up the law on immigrants entering Britain. A new Commonwealth Immigration Act meant that they had to show a ‘close connection’ with the UK.

Question 17

What did the government later do about racial discrimination.

Answer 17

They introduced a new Race Relations Act in 1968 which made it illegal to refuse housing or employment to people because of their colour.

Question 18

Around what time did Enoch Powell make his infamous ‘rivers of blood’ speech? What did he predict?

Answer 18

When the governemnt thightened the laws on immigration and racial discrimination. He predicted that there would be racial conflict if the government allowed the current levels of immigration to continue.

Question 19

How did people dislike his speech?

Answer 19

Many leading politicians publically criticized him. The Times declared that it was an ‘evil speech¡.

Question 20

How did people support him?

Answer 20

Some politicians argued that he had a right to voices his opinions and 1,000 dockworkers in London went on strike in protest at his sacking. They marched towards Downing Street carrying banners reading, ‘Don’t knock Enoch’ and ‘Back Britain not black Britain’.

Question 21

What happened for groups who supported Powell’s views?

Answer 21

They became more popular. By 1974, the National Front had around 20,000 members and went on huge marches through the city centres. They even put forward candidates for local and national elections.

Question 22

What did the government even later do with immigration?

Answer 22

In the 1970s, The Immigration Act of 1971 severely restricted immigration from the Commonwealth, unless immigrants had a parent or grandparent born in Britain.

Question 23

What did the government later do with racism?

Answer 23

They promised to be ‘tough but fair’ on immigrants and in 1976 introduced a new tougher Race Relations Act to protect immigrants’ rights.

Question 24

What did the Race Relations Act of 1976 do?

Answer 24

It outlawed all discrimination in employement, housing, education, provision of goods and services and much more. The Act also set up the Commission for Racial Equality to make sure the new laws were followed.