The effects of migration and empire on Scotland, to 1939 Flashcards
Give an example of the effects of Irish migration on Scottish society.
Established Catholic churches which led to a tolerance of other religions.
Important in Scottish Trade Union movement and Labour Party.
Produced key political leaders such as John Wheatley who was responsible for the 1924 Housing Act to support affordable housing for all.
Give an example of the effects of Italian migration on Scottish society.
Italian cafes had a positive impact on the social life of Scots. In 1903 there were 89 cafés Glasgow, which had increased to 336 by 1905.
Give an example of the effects of Jewish migration on Scottish society.
Jewish community valued education and had had successful careers in medicine and law.
Success in tailoring and cigarette production helped to improve Scottish economy.
Give an example of the effects of Lithuanian migration on Scottish society.
Lithuanians had involvement in the Scottish trade unions and Labour Party, making valuable contributions to society.
Give an example of the effects of Irish migration on the Scottish economy.
Irish contributed significantly to the Industrial revolution by building roads, canals and railways including Glasgow’s subway. In 1847, more than 2,000 Irish navvies were employed to build the Edinburgh and Northern Railway line.
In the late 1800s it was a predominantly Irish workforce that constructed the Forth Rail Bridge.
The father of Thomas Lipton was a poor Irish immigrant but at the age of 30 his son became a millionaire, famous for his Lipton’s tea.
Give an example of the effects of Italian migration on the Scottish economy.
Restaurants and takeaways were established and sold food using ingredients widely available in Scotland – fish and potatoes.
In the early 1900s Italian immigrants were becoming affluent and their businesses were established, many of which still exist today such as Nardini’s and Luca’s.
Give an example of the effects of Jewish migration on the Scottish economy.
The Jewish community contributed to the creation of new businesses across Scotland, eg Jacob Kramrisch was the manager of the Imperial Tobacco Company in Glasgow from 1888.
Jewish immigrant tailors provided Scots with better quality clothes at affordable prices.
Abraham Goldberg of A. Goldberg and Sons plc was one of Scotland’s most successful companies, selling material to wholesalers. By 1985 there were 135 stores nationwide, creating many jobs for Scots.
Give an example of the effects of Irish migration on Scottish culture.
The school system with separate Catholic schools helped to further embed and improve Scotland’s education.
An Irish-based football club, Edinburgh Hibernian, was founded 1875. Glasgow Celtic was founded in 1887 by Brother Walfrid, a Catholic priest.
Dundee United was founded in 1909 and Rangers was founded in 1872 to represent Protestants. The Irish community contributed to football becoming Scotland’s national sport.
The Protestant Irish Orange Lodge Order helped to strengthen the Protestant identity of Scotland, though it also led to conflict with Catholics. Sectarianism has defined much of Scotland’s culture in recent history.
Give an example of the effects of Italian migration on Scottish culture.
Italian cafés and fish and chip shops became very popular and were a huge attraction for young people who wanted somewhere to meet.
The Italians attracted support from temperance groups as their catering outlets were an attractive alternative to public houses.
Describe ways in which Scottish immigrants kept their cultural traditions going in their new homelands.
Many Scots kept their traditions going with Caledonian societies, Burns societies, Highland dancing, ceilidhs and pipe bands. Maintaining such traditions helped Scots to form close-knit communities.
Scottish identity is closely tied to Highland traditions because of the high rate of Highlanders emigrating. Scots gave new settlements/towns Scottish names eg Nova Scotia, Hamilton, Glendale, Perth, Oban.
Scots built churches and continued to worship in their traditional ways, eg Presbyterian Churches in Australia.
They continued to place emphasis on education, building schools and founding Universities.
They continued to speak Gaelic and taught Gaelic to their children.
They formed Caledonian clubs and societies eg St Andrews societies and Masonic Lodges.
They continued to eat traditional foods eg haggis.
They played bagpipes and sang Scottish songs.
They wore tartan and created new local tartans and celebrated Tartan Day in Australia. Kilts and tartans created the image of Scotland having a strong martial tradition and people identified Scots as being strong and fierce warriors.
They established Highland Games eg Grandfather Mountain, Maryborough.
They founded golf clubs and promoted popular Scottish sports such as football.
They maintained traditions such as Hogmanay/New Year’s Day holiday.
They produced magazines with Scottish content.
Tartan, kilts, ceilidhs and bagpipes have all become romanticised and clearly tied to ‘Scottishness’
Describe the overall impact of the British Empire and migration on Scotland.
Being part of the Empire encouraged people from British colonies to move to Scotland. This enriched Scotland’s culture and identity.
Over time, immigrants assimilated well into Scottish society, but many experienced a hostile reception from Scots on arrival as well as religious and economic discrimination.
People emigrating to the Empire helped to relieve the issues with overcrowding in Scottish cities.
Migration meant that many of Scotland’s skilled workers were lost to the Empire countries - ‘Brain Drain’.
The Highland Clearances had a significant impact on the lives and communities of Highland people. It led to a population exodus, changing the Highlands forever.
The Empire made Scotland a wealthy country. Glasgow was the ‘workshop of the world’ and was renowned for industries such as shipbuilding, coal and steel, and they relied on trade with the Empire. Glasgow produced 20% of the world’s steamships and Fairfield’s and Beardmore’s were the leading manufacturers. Edinburgh became the banking and commerce centre of Scotland.
Dundee thrived from the jute industry. Raw jute was imported from Bengal and Dundee factories produced goods and sold them on. Dundee became known as Juteopolis.
Profits from trade with the Empire helped to build and modernise cities such as Glasgow and also developed suburban areas such as Broughty Ferry near Dundee. Some of this wealth, however, was derived from the Atlantic slave trade.
Due to the influx of people into the cities for industrial work, slum housing and overcrowding increased, leading to poverty and poor health.
Many Scots made their fortunes at home and abroad due to the Empire. For example, William Weir made his fortune in the coal and iron industries and was worth around £2 million before 1914.
The over-reliance of exporting to the Empire ultimately harmed the Scottish economy. When industries collapsed or when goods could be made cheaper in the Empire countries, this had a negative impact on Scotland’s jobs and economy.
