refugees fleeing to the uk

Question 1

various waves of immigration

Answer 1

• Hitlers assumption of power 1933
• Nuremburg Laws 1935
• Turning Point- Anschluss March 1938
• Kristallnacht- November 1938

Question 2

The Early Refugees- 1933-35

Answer 2

• political exiles, social democrats, communists, pacifists, democrats, catholics as well as liberals and marxists

Question 3

support groups for refugees

Answer 3

• acaedmic assistance council
• trades union council
• church groups
• the quakers
• the ‘Central British Fund for German Jewry’
• German Jewish aid commitee

Question 4

british immigration policy and attitide

Answer 4

-1905 Aliens Act
-colonel wedgewood- pleaded that the country should realise “the value of brains and the duty of hospitality to the oppressed”
- inherent conflict in immigration policy
- carefully managed policy allowed thousands of ‘desireable’
- public attitudes were still mixed- anti-semitism
- public were in favour of helping refugees following kristallnacht

Question 5

1938-turning point

Answer 5

-early 1938- 10, 000 refugees from europe were living in britain
sept 1939- 78,000
Anschluss- 12th March 1938

Question 6

kristallnacht

Answer 6

• November 9th-10th 1938
• legalised violence against jews
• 100 jews murdered, a lot comitted suicide and around 30,000 were deported to concentration camps
• 60-70,000 children were orphaned

Question 7

change to policy

Answer 7

• visa system allowed increased number
• other countries became more restrictive
• britain waived a visa for children to come to the UK- kindertransport
• refugees admitted as transmigrants
• domestic positions- 14000

Question 8

does britain deserve praise?

Answer 8

• took in a lot more refugees than other countries
• BUT
• selective and restrictive
• it excluded the poor and friendless jews
• 40,000 were still trapped
• internment of ‘enemy aliens’